The Destiny of Frankenstein

The Destiny of Victor Frankenstein

Thesis: Victor Frankenstein’s death was not because of fate or destiny but because of his own values and choices.

In his tragic story, Victor Frankenstein tends to blame his mistakes on other people or events. He placed blames on his father, his professors and the various events that are his destiny. However, it was his passions and beliefs that led him to his demise. He created his own destiny when he created the monster, and determined his own fate when he decided to abandon his creation.

During Victor Frankenstein’s childhood, he was intrigued in the mystery of nature such as immortal life and perfect human beings. He was also interested in electricity after witnessing lightning striking down a tree. These were the elements that caused him to create the monster later on in his life. Frankenstein blamed his father for rejecting his interest in Cornelius Agrippa’s books without explaining why, “If, instead of this remark, my father had taken the pains to explain to me, that the principles of agrippa had been entirely exploded… I should certainly have thrown Agrippa aside” (22). He realized that the books were the reason he pursuit the idea of eternal life and perfect human beings. However, his passions for these ideas would eventually draw him to these books anyway even if his father had explained to him they were outdated. The coincidences of these events were only minor effects in his life, whereas his passion for natural philosophy and science were the main influence that would lead him to his death.

The death of Frankenstein’s mother was a critical time in his life. It was his “first misfortune” (25), and it fueled his desires of immortality and perfection. He began his study in science at the University of Ingolstadt where he met professor Krempe, who ridiculed his interest in the nonsense of Albertus Magnus and Paracelsus. However, instead of listening to the advice to his professor, he chose to ignore him because of his looks, “M.Krempe was a little squat man, with a gruff voice and repulsive countenance; the teacher, therefore, did not prepossess me in favour of his doctrine” (28). A meeting with professor Waldman enlightened Frankenstein to explore the mystery of natural science and to discover the impossible. Victor Frankenstein was simply a genius during his study in Ingolstadt, however, his obsession in discovery led him create the monster. It was clearly