Frankenstein Theme of Life, Consciousness, and Existence

As Victor is the creator of his monster, this plot instantly recalls the much broader implications of the human condition and the relationship between man and God. The relationship between Victor and the monster raises many questions as to the meaning of humanity and existence. If the monster is a modern Adam, then it becomes clear that man is alone in a universe with an indifferent God, that the world brings disaster even to the gentle and good. Men are not born evil, yet are made evil by the precondition of the world makes people evil. If the monster is the fallen angel of Paradise Lost, and if Victor is the self-sacrificing Christ, then the text asks a whole different collection of questions. In this scenario, evil stops being evil. The monster instead is someone with whom we sympathize and whom we understand. Further, creations have fee will, and that the scope of that free will exceed the bounds of the creator’s imagination. This makes the act of creation an inherently risky and even dangerous act, for the creator but also the entire human race. From here, we must question who is the real hero and who is the villain when we consider the monster in relation to Victor.

Questions About Life, Consciousness, and Existence

1. In what ways is Victor like God? In what ways is he not?
2. Does Victor have a responsibility to the monster beyond giving it life? Does every creator have a responsibility to what he creates?
3. In what ways is the monster simply a part of Victor? In what ways is the monster a distinct entity with free agency?
4. Does the monster have free will? What does that mean, anyway?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Responsibility for the monster’s unhappiness lies solely on Victor’s shoulders.

In Frankenstein, Adam and Satan metaphors work together to create in the monster a character that possesses complex qualities of both good and evil.