Frankenstein Essay - a Dire Flaw of Victor - 945 Words

Alexander Nowak Medfield High School English 1/6/2011 A Dire Flaw In some novels, the main character often possesses a negative trait which ultimately becomes his/her biggest flaw. The manner of how the protagonist responds to his/her troubles impacts the development of the flaw. One character in particular encompasses a trait that even with his self-awareness, is unaware of the selfishness in his veins. In the novel Frankenstein, the protagonist Victor Frankenstein is this particular individual whose conscience consists of much responsibility but no discipline to show for it. Although he feels responsible for deaths of many others, Victor never confesses when he knows the fault is his. His vengeance almost keeps him away from the†¦show more content†¦Victor’s conscience holds the painful achievement of giving life to a beast capable of murder due to selfishness. The first victim that dies at the hands of the creature is William. Victor’s selfishness is reflected when his creation frames Justine for the murder. Victor states , â€Å"Thus spoke my prophetic soul, as, torn by remorse, horror, and despair, I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims of my unhallowed art† (Shelley 60). Victor does take responsibility and admits that he is to blame, but he does not express this to others, only to himself. Nor does Victor fess up to the real cause of his monster’s bloodlust and turn himself in like a selfless individual would. Although his selfishness affects the lives of others, the ones near and dear to him receive much affliction too. The heart of Victor doesn’t show much value throughout the novel. His ultimate flaw blinds him from protecting the ones he loves and replaces it with ignorance. On the wedding night of Victor and his lover Elizabeth, Victor practically epitomizes selfishness. The flaw shows its true colors when Victor instructs Elizabeth to go to the bedroom and hide because he doesn’t want her to see a fight due to his assumption that the monster will confront him and not her: (Shelley 144) I passed an hour in this state of mind, when suddenly I