Torn Between Two Loves

Torn Between Two Loves

In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein’s relationship with Elizabeth Lavenza was for her to be his wife. The means of which Elizabeth was brought into the family was to marry Victor, and Victor felt that way from the first time he ever met Elizabeth. Eventually Victor’s mother’s dying wish was for him to marry Elizabeth, his adopted sister. Victor would kill his wife because of his obsession with his work and creating a monster out of other human’s body parts. When in fact the monster he was creating was within him as he became more and more obsessed with studying science.

In order to understand how Victor’s relationship with Elizabeth you must look into Victor’s past. As a child Victor’s mother Caroline while on a trip to Italy, adopted a young blonde haired girl by the name of Elizabeth whose father was missing and her mother died giving birth. Victor was only 5 years old when his mother adopted Elizabeth. Upon Elizabeth’s arrival Victor’s mother said, “I have a petty present for my Victor - tomorrow he shall have it” (21). What young Victor has in store for himself in the future could present one source of his madness. “All Praises bestowed on her I received as made to a possession of my own” (21). Victor has already perceived Elizabeth as his own, which also means he is intended to marry Elizabeth. This feeling Victor has incorporates incest, because Caroline is bringing Elizabeth into Victor’s life as his sister. Even though Elizabeth is not his sister by blood, they will grow up having a relationship like a brother and sister by blood would. This may be a problem that Victor faces in the future. Victor and Elizabeth growing up would refer to each other as “cousins”.

As Victor grows older he leaves for school and goes to the University of Ingolstadt, before he leaves Elizabeth becomes sick with scarlet fever, Victor’s mother, “…yielded against our entreaties, but when she heard that the life if her favourite was menaced, she could no longer control her anxiety. She attended to [Elizabeth’s] sickbed…” (28). On the third day his mother becomes ill of scarlet fever, and as her conditions worsened, She joined the hands of Elizabeth and Victor saying, “My firmest hopes of future happiness were placed on the prospect of your union.”(28). Meaning his mothers dying wish was for the two of them to wed. Victor would grieve the loss of his mother and eventually leave for University of Ingolstadt.

While at The University of Ingolstadt Victor becomes interested in natural philosophy and chemistry. “In the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole occupation.” (35). Victor became obsessed with his work reading books and attending lectures “…and cultivating the acquaintance