Victors Role as "god"

                                Victor’s Role as “God”

        Do people have the right to become a “god”? In the novel “Frankenstein”, Mary Shelley, the author, writes about a young scholar named Victor Frankenstein who tries to play the role as “God”. Victor was obsessed about becoming god like, going from decayed bodies to bones, graves to animals , it was inhumane. After all, things didn’t go as visioned for Victor Frankenstein, he ends up putting himself in a nightmare that was never to come. Victor Frankenstein wanted to become a god, but yet didn’t want to except the fact that it was impossible, and had no idea what sacrifices and consequences were to come.

Frankenstein was truly passionate about becoming a god, he had high spirits and great vision at the beginning of his experiment. At the beginning of his experiment Victor was very confident in what he was doing, and thought of only of the positive effects in life, “I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deeper mysteries of creation”(47). Victors ambition to be a god started early ,  everything seemed so clear and perfect to him because the thought of being a god is powerful. The thought of being a god changed Victor, he was obsessed with power and wanted to do what man could not do. Man is clueless to the power of resurrection, and Victor wanted to change that. Victor talks about creating a new race, “ A new species will be blessed as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me...these thoughts supported my spirits , while I pursued my undertaking with unremitting ardour”(44). Victor had hopes of becoming a true god, having a whole species dedicated to him, and these thought are the ones that corrupt ones mind. Victor sees these visions as a goal, making him work harder to become a god, but in reality making him just a hard working man trying to twist the world.

        Being “God” is more than just bringing the dead back alive ,being “God” has attributes a human can’t bear and a good quality mind,  that is what Victor doesn’t understand. Going back to the bible in the Old Testament, God didn’t abandon his creation, he gave it everything it needed and supported it; once Victor gave birth to his creation he abandoned it, “ Unable to endure the aspect of being I created, I escaped”(85) Victor already failed to play his role as “God” by not accepting his own creation. This is one of the attributes a man can handle, it’s simply love and care. Victor lacked these attributes due to his ambition to play god, he didn’t think about the small things but only the bigger and better picture. The creature relation to the story of adam and eve is almost spot on, except God made a mate for adam and Victor refused to, “You must create a female with for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies... This alone you can do..." (130). Victor refusing to make him a maid shows his lack of heart towards mankind and his responsibility as “God”, although he is scared of what is to  come, it is his fault for putting himself in this situation when he had full capability to nurture the creature.

        Although Victor lacks the powers of God, he still is able to pull off the magnificent and create life, but he does it in a gruesome, inhumane way. Victor was so ambitious to make his creation he went through dead bodies and animals. “I had returned to my old habits. I collected bones from charnel-houses and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame”(45) This is the main point why we see Victor portraying a god-like role, anybody

who could resurrect the dead is considered a god, and Victor wanted that title. Victor going through dead bodies and animals for parts shows what he is willing to do become “great”, but also shows his respect and value towards human life. Victor did feel sick because of what he had done, but it did not stop him, “ I shunned my fellow creatures as if I had been guilty of a crime. Sometimes I grew alarmed at the wreck I perceived that i had become; the energy of my purpose alone sustains me” (47). Victor knew it was wrong, but still went full on with the plan, he seems to not care about anything but himself, he is selfish, but doesn’t think that because he thinks he is doing the world a favor. Victor says, “the energy of my purpose alone sustains me”, Victor is so obsessed with his goal, he is going through devils way to make life.