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The Role of Fatherhood in Frankenstein
Mary Shelley was raised solely by her father, William Godwin, and acknowledges the role a
father must play in the development of their children. She declares, "There is a peculiarity in the
education of a daughter, brought up by a father only, which tends to develop early a thousand of those
portions of mind, which are folded up, and often destroyed, under mere feminine tuition." (Veeder)
Shelley stresses the importance of this fatherly role in her first novel, Frankenstein, where she develops
the roles of both Alphonso and Victor Frankenstein. Alphonso is depicted as a loving, yet patriarchal
figure in his son Victor’s life. Victor, the god-like creator or the monster, is portrayed as a neglectful
father figure. Mary Shelley hints throughout the novel that sometimes even though a father may be
looking out for their son’s best interest, the son ends up secluded and wandering down a dangerous
path. This is definitely true in terms of Victor. In the novel Frankenstein, Alphonso Frankenstein and
Victor Frankenstein play contrasting fatherly roles – Alphonso, the loving and patriarchal figure, and
Victor, the negligent, uncompassionate figure – which demonstrates Mary Shelley’s intended overall
theme of how a father’s role is crucial to a child’s character development.
Alphonso Frankenstein plays a significant part in the development of Victor, his oldest son.
Alphonso is a leader in the town of Geneva and is very old fashioned in his thinking. During the 19th
century, fathers took on a patriarchal roll and made most, if not all, of the household decisions. This is
important to note in the character development of Victor because his father made many household
decisions that greatly impacted Victor’s growth and childhood. When Victor was a young child, his father
took in Elizabeth, his sister’s daughter, and presented her to Victor almost as if she was a present. Victor
mentions, “I loved to tend on her, as I should on a favorite animal.” (20) Victor admits, "I looked upon
Elizabeth as mine." He sees Elizabeth as a possession, which was not an abnormal thing at the time, and
proposes that she must be “owned” because she is weak or vulnerable. This is suggested again, when
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Victor confides, "till death she was to be mine only". This exemplifies how Alphonso showed Victor, at
an early age, how women were to be treated in society. Victor was displaced twice during his
adolescence when his father allowed two nonmembers of the family into the house –first Elizabeth,
then Justine. Although not outwardly agitated, these two displacements instilled within Victor a feeling
of loneliness. This feeling would fuel much of his later activity in regards to his education and his
obsession with creating the monster.
Alphonso can be characterized as a loving father. He created something – Victor – and did his
best to nurture his creation. Throughout the novel, Alphonso can be seen caring for his family and
looking out for their best interest. He routinely worries about Victor when he is at Ingolstadt because he
has not heard from him for some time. In his letters to Victor during this time, he emphasizes his hopes
that Victor is doing well and wishes him to not forget his duties to his family. As Victor is working on his
“great object” he reads the letters and states that he “knew well therefore what would be my father’s
feelings; but I could not tear my thoughts from my employment, loathsome in itself, but had taken an
irresistible hold of my imagination.” (33) This shows that Alphonso developed a conscious within Victor.
Victor is choosing deliberately not to make use of it here.
Alphonso sometimes misreads his son and sends him, at times, even deeper into despair. After
the death of William, Alphonso notices his son’s health greatly decline. He remarks, “Don’t you think
Victor, that I do not suffer also? … Excessive sorrow prevents improvement or enjoyment, or even the
discharge of daily usefulness, without which no man is fit for society.” (59) Alphonso does not realize
that Victor feels totally responsible for the death of William. Alphonso scolds his son and makes him feel
as though he is acting childish. Victor is forced to hide his feelings even more, causing himself even
greater pain. Again, Alphonso misread Victor’s emotions after Clerval died. Victor cries out, “Alas my
father, how little do you know me. I am the cause of this – I murdered her [Justine]. William, Justine,
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and Henry – they all died at my hands.” (128) Alphonso casts this exclamation off and tells Victor that he
is deranged. Victor does not reveal any more to his father, feeling that his father will not listen.
Victor attributes his passion for science to his father. As Victor grows older, he begins to become
fascinated with science, especially Agrippa, which was an outdated science that combined alchemy,
magic, mysticism, and astrology. With delight and enthusiasm, Victor brings his findings to his father,
hoping to receive praise and admiration. He receives the complete opposite when his father exclaims,
“Ah! Cornelius Agrippa! My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this; it is sad trash.” (21) Alphonso
had a duty as a father to show Victor why Agrippa was not worth his time in learning. Instead, he
dismissed Victor’s inquisitions, thus rendering Victor to fend for himself and divulge even deeper into
the learning of Agrippa and what it had to offer. The text then demonstrates Alphonso’s patience with
his son about explaining science just a few pages later when Victor asked his father about the beautiful
oak tree he sees burst into flames. His father goes into detail about the concept of electricity. The text
states that:
He [Alphonso] replied, “Electricity;” describing at the same time the various effects of
that power. He constructed a small electrical machine, and exhibited a few experiments;
he made also a kite, with a wire and string, which drew down that fluid from the clouds.
This exemplifies a duty a father has to his children to take the time to explain questions that
their children have. How a father reactions towards his child can greatly impact their children’s outlook
on life. After Alphonso dismissed Victor, Victor engulfed himself in Agrippa and, although his father tried
to explain other aspects of science to Victor, Victor was already too far gone.
Victor Frankenstein also takes on a fatherly role in the novel. He sets out to create something
that will change the world. He is doing it to satisfy his own wants and needs and does not think through
his situations rationally. As he is in his laboratory, he thinks to himself that “a new species would bless
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me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me.” (32)
Victor sets out to play God. He does not think of the consequences of his actions and the dependency
this “new species” would have on him. “With great power comes great responsibility.” This theme can
be seen throughout literature and plays a significant role in the novel Frankenstein. Victor has a
responsibility as a father now – a responsibility that he will choose not accept.
Victor plays the role of the absent fatherly figure. He works for years trying to create life from an
inanimate object. When his creation takes its first breaths – he abandons it. Victor uses words such as
“demonical corpse”, “monstrosity”, and “hideous guest” to describe this being – his child. The monster’s
“infancy” can be seen in its first few hours of life as it wanders up to Victor as he sleeps. He holds up his
hand to his father and mumbles something inarticulately, wishing for approval and love. Instead, the
being gets rejected and is left alone. This rejection from his creator, his father, this early in the
monster’s life will set the wheels in motion for the downfall of this newly formed creature. Development
begins at a very early age in a child. Therefore, this betrayal is very detrimental and will weigh on the
monster forever.
Victor’s neglect for his creation leads his monster to learn the way of the world for himself.
Because the monster does not have anyone to look up to, he must learn language, mannerisms, and
habits by stalking a family that lives in a cottage. He grows attached to this family – hoping to finally
have a family to call his own. When this family also rejects him, he spirals into an irreversible hatred for
the human race. This whole situation could have been avoided if Victor had shown compassion for his
creation and integrated him into society.
Victor’s actions towards his creation continue to be harsh and unloving. When William is found
murdered, Victor suspects his monster to be the culprit. When he encounters the monster for the first
time after abandoning him, the monster knows that he will be hated by his creator because all of
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mankind has shown him hatred. He pleads with Victor to remember that he is his creator and he, the
monster, ought to be thy Adam. This implies that Victor should show his creation mercy just as God
showed Adam mercy. The monster reads Victor’s journal to learn that Victor is his creator. He notes that
his form is a “filthy type” of Victor’s. This plays once again on the thought of Victor as creator and father
– since man is thought to be made in the image and likeness of God. The monster pleads with Victor:
How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee a favourable eye upon thy creature,
who implores they goodness and compassion. Believe me Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my
sould glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserable alone? You, my creator,
abhor me…I will keep no terms with my enemies. I am miserable and they shall share in my
wretchedness. Yet it is in your power to recompense me, and deliver them from an evil which it
only remains for you to make so great, that not only you and your family, but thousands of
others, shall be swallowed up in the whirlwinds of its rage. Let your compassion be moved and
do not disdain me. (66)
Victor still had an opportunity to salvage his creation and turn him into something to be used
for good. His monster, his child, pleads with Victor to show him mercy. He does not want to turn into
this wretched being, but Victor’s absence and outward hatred towards this lonely being will cause him
to lose all hope in mankind. Victor continues to use harsh words against the monster and send him
away, cursing his existence. The monster warned Victor that he would release his hatred on all of
mankind – and that is exactly what he did.
Every death in the novel is attributed to Victor’s initial betrayal of his creature. William’s death
was attributed to the fact that, because he was a Frankenstein, the monster took out his revenge on the
boy. Justine died because the monster, realizing no beautiful creature would ever love him – not even
his own father, framed her out of spite. Clerval died because the monster, who was lonely, did not want
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his creator to have any friends either. The monster wanted to make his master feel isolated. The death
of Elizabeth was attributed to the fact that the monster had no one to love. The monster could not stand
his master having a relationship with a female – something that would never happen for the monster
because he was the only one of his kind. Victor had not followed through on his promise to make a
companion for the fiend, thus fueling the monster with even more hatred. The death of Victor’s father is
the last straw of sanity for Victor. Victor, in essence, drove his own self insane with the creation of this
monster.
Every parent has a duty to their child. Beginning at birth, a child needs to be nurtured, loved,
and brought up in a way that integrates them fully into society. Victor declares at the end of the novel
“Even where the affections are not strongly moved by any superior excellence, the companions of our
childhood always possess a certain power over our minds.” (147) This shows that Victor’s father – the
superior excellence – was instrumental in the development of the mind of Victor. Victor’s father,
Alphonso made sure that Victor was educated and taught him the ways of society. He showed Victor
unconditional love and cared about his well-being until his death. However, Alphonso’s parenting can be
seen as overbearing, leading Victor into a downward spiral to loneliness and thus linking him to the final
damnation of his son. Victor is the anti-parent in this novel. He creates a being, then immediately
rejects it. The monster must fend for itself and learn the harsh ways of the world completely alone.
Psychological development happens at a young age. This development was not nurtured for the young
monster, thus leading it to feel rejected and only able to turn to violence for answers. Victor is
responsible for the actions that his creation did and has blood on his hands for every victim his creation
killed.