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Rajiv Nair
Mrs. Elizabeth DiGennaro
English IV
23 April 2012
Frankenstein’s Voyage Into The world
In Mary Shelley's Science fiction novel Frankenstein they live in a world where the
environment is chaotic and very dangerous but in the eyes of one man "the creator". As an
individual we have this horror every day, it represents our lives, it could be simple from getting
fired from your job or getting kicked out of college. The author is not writing a Science-fiction
novel but writing about the human spirit as a whole and what on a daily basis what humans go
through whether though small or big moments. The human spirit is the unconditional standard
for the human society as a whole defining emotions and logic that human should act in a certain
manner. Humans have gone through so much in there short history through climate change,
religious uprisings, religious domination, slavery, racism, separation of families, war, famine and
the biggest one of all disease. The human spirit is expressed through many views and many
different ideas on how it is interpreted through sadness but the key to the spirit is expression.
The character Victor Frankenstein is one of those characters that the expression is the
forgiveness in him as an individual. Victor Frankenstein's life though has been judged by
misfortunate events leading one to another before he created his monster. The character himself
is that similar to of a serious apologetic, a person whose first contempt is to apologize for them
self. In the case of Frankenstein’s plot though that is not the character’s persona to believe but it
is different although in metaphorical sense he is on a voyage. The voyage he tried to set out for
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his self is noticeable, the path of forgiveness in himself. As a reader from an audience’s
perspective, I see that the monster Victor Frankenstein has created is the main reason that the
character is apologetic towards his self, even the author tries to detail that Victor Frankenstein is
on a voyage of forgiveness. From the Walton Ships confessions, this provides a narrative point
of view from Captain Robert Walton in the Arctic Sea then being pushed to the climatic scenes
of the Swiss Alps. Perhaps Mary Shelley is trying to focus on a historical output by another
person. Throughout history though many people have gone on the voyages of forgiveness, it has
singly created many things along the way. In the Hindu religion when each human dies is
reincarnated into another life. A very famous wealthy Indian prince disagreed with that belief by
the name of Mahayana had a gone a voyage of forgiveness and enlightenment.
The story of Mahayana starts as a wealthy Hindu prince of India, who as a young boy
always questioned his subjects, people and royal family about the ultimate human condition "All
humans were subject to die" (Patel, “ The Asian Story”). He ignored his true thoughts his
childhood and was lawfully wedded, the decision to leave his home and go on a voyage to
discover the true meaning of life. The story goes that his decision was based on the fact that he
had looked at his wife as she was sleeping and had an epiphany, the thoughts from his childhood
soon reappear, of how the human condition truly is. So after this sudden realization he realized to
leave his family and set a voyage across the land of India, hoping in the attempts to forgive his
younger self and silence the curiosity of how life truly works. However in his voyage he
attracted a large crowd of people who he had talked to and touched, these people would call him
the Buddha. At the end of his life though he had realized he had created a new religious
institution called Buddhism which he feared that his new belief system would cause tension in a
Hindu majority land. Like Victor Frankenstein he regretted his creation, in one final attempt
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during his dying days he made an attempt to go back to his kingdom, in his final words he stated
with the thoughts that he had changed lives but by leaving his family was a greater cost. The
point is that the Buddha like Victor Frankenstein throughout his life, tried to go on a voyage for
curiosity but ultimately searching for forgiveness. Although the character Victor Frankenstein is
similar in many ways to the character but he had what the Buddha didn’t have Ethics. The
character Frankenstein violated many ethics when creating his monster such as the most
controversial to Literary Scholars “Frankenstein vs. God” complex. This was due to the fact of
the ethic principle for scientists stating that the Character Victor Frankenstein is doing a wrong
doing playing in the hands of the God. In the early 1800’s it was a very big thing because of the
setting of the book where the book was written which in this case Europe.
During this time in Europe, Christianity is at the height of controversial battles due to the
new ideas of free marketing and innovation. If you compare to it modern times it would be
known as a injustice for creating a monster but yet at the same time a wonder on how did he
create it. This was in partial thanks to the Era of Ethics; this Era was created by a very famous
man by the name of Plato’s who wrote the Law of Ethics, which was also use around the time of
early Classical Greece, it is thanks to these laws that we have a democracy. This served as a
purpose in the eyes of both the Buddha and Frankenstein both would be breaking the ethics law
running from their creation. In the case of the Buddha, he feared that his words would become
one day two powerful similar to Frankenstein he feared his monster had too much power.
Although the Buddha’s creation wasn’t life, his creation would define the Ethics Era creating,
introducing Democracy into Authoritative Human World. Ethics in the novel Frankenstein are
key points to understand the monster that Victor Frankenstein has created.
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The novel Frankenstein begins as the Captain Walton writes to his sister “Mrs. Saville”
while riding the Arctic Ocean. Eventually he finds a man stranded in the middle of the Arctic ice,
as a Good Samaritan he carries him on Board. This is where Victor Frankenstein’s narrative
introduction to the story begins. In the beginning of the novel, Mary Shelley describes Victor
Frankenstein’s Fathers life, it stated that he came from a very respectable family and did not
make the decision to have children or have a family until near end of life. Could this have led to
Victor Frankenstein’s creation or is it just part of why the character is this way.
Throughout the story Victor’s Frankenstein childhood unfolding as his father playing
with him in Milan and the joy that it brought him plus the affectionate love that he has to his
adopted sister Elizabeth Lavenza. The author is already influencing towards the constructive part
to create the vicious monster. Mary Shelley describes the adopted Sister “The innocent and
helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it
was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled” (Shelley 38)
describing her as a foster kid. Describing though that she has the right to choose her own
uncertain future. In the scenario of the Foster child it can relate to forgiveness in the Asian
Buddhism and Hinduism Values1. In these values when a person has done something or ruins a
relationship with a friend such as Victor Frankenstein’s father does with his friend Beaufort.
According to these values once someone has someone tear a relationship it is to say that life
would find a way to repair and that they must raise life in that mistake.
If looking from a perspective of Asian Buddhism and Hinduism values the author could
be symbolizing the character Elizabeth Lavenza as forgiveness for his father’s earlier days.
1
The Origins of Asian Buddhism and Hinduism - After very numerous years of Buddhism settling in India, it had lost
popularity slowly migrating into the Asian Culture and Militant take overs in India
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Although Victor Frankenstein’s comment is being questioned “They consulted their village
priest, and the result was that Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents’ house—my
more than sister—the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures”
(Shelley, 50). This is introducing an element of infatuation and compulsion and this quote that
has significance that will lead him to the creation of the monster.
In the beginning pages of Chapter 2 we start to see a new character by the name of Henry
Clerval2 who were the son of a merchant from Geneva. In Chapter 2 there were numerous scenes
that involve the character Henry Clerval. As the description in the text Henry is Victor’s friend
and traveling companion. Henry attends the University of Ingelstadt with him and nurses him
back to health when he falls ill. He travels with Victor on his two-year journey through England
and Scotland while he works on the monster’s companion. Henry is sent to stay with
acquaintances/friends of Victor’s in Scotland while he finishes his work. The monster kills him
and Victor is accused of being the murderer but in chapter 2 there is a friend relationship
between Henry Cleveral and Victor Frankenstein.
There are earlier instances of his separating himself from his family and from his friend
Clerval, even while protesting, as he has with Elizabeth, that he continues to love them in spirit.
“The outrage dramatized in this novel is not restricted to a specifically sexual offense—nor is it
directed against genius or ambition or idealism. The enemy is an egotism which, when carried to
the extreme, annihilates all life around it and finally destroys itself.” (Keily,“Discovering
Authors”). “ As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of the issue from an old and
beautiful oak had dissappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump. When we visited it
2
Henry Clerval- A character who was a boy of Singular talent and Fancy, loved to enterprise, hardship , read books
of chivalry, romance and write many tales of entachment and knightly adventure
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the next morning, we found the tree shattered in a singular manner. It was not splintered by the
shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbons of wood. I never beheld anything so utterly
destroyed”. (Shelley, 48). From reading the text she created a story sketch similar to that of the
Britisah Conquering Africa. During the years of the Imperialization Era Great Britain dominated
Britain with firing range of power and furry. During these years they watched as the natural
African heritage swept away from there feet much as the Native American hertiage was to the
Christopher Columbus discovery of America. This ripped out heritage is so similar in to the
attacks and killing of Victor Frankensteins family. As his creation ultimately caused him his life,
although some agree it to be “This is a very bold fiction; and, did not the author, in a short
Preface, make a kind of apology, we should almost pronounce it to be impious.” (Assemble,
“Literary Intelligence” ). Should the Author apolgize, in my opinion this adds on the inspiration
of the story itself and only makes it better in the climatic scenes “We were in the most
immernment Peirl; but as we could remain passive, my chief attention was occupioed by my
unfortunatte guest” (Shelley, 273)
At the end of the Novel Frankenstein shortly after returning to Geneva with his father, Victor
marries Elizabeth. He fears the monster’s warning and suspects that he will be murdered on his
wedding night. To be cautious, he sends Elizabeth away to wait for him. While he awaits the
monster, he hears Elizabeth scream and realizes that the monster had been hinting at killing his
new bride, not himself. There is where the key scene of Forgiveness comes into play and then
Victor returns home to his father, who dies of grief a short time later. This is still going back to
Mahayana Buddhism where he is going on the path of forgiveness, the path to enlightenment.
“During this short voyage I saw the lightning playing on the summit of Mont Blanc in the most
beautiful figures. The storm appeared to approach rapidly, and, on landing, I ascended a low hill,
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that I might observe its progress. It advanced; the heavens were clouded, and I soon felt the rain
coming slowly in large drops, but its violence quickly increased." (Shelley, 92), although formed
a different perspective incorporates the path of enlightenment and this path influences Victor.
This path of enlightenment is what makes Victor vows to devote the rest of his life to
finding the monster and exacting his revenge, and he soon departs to begin his quest. Within this
description you see all though he seeking in the place of revenge he is looking for forgiveness of
the other souls. Victor tracks the monster ever northward into the ice. In a dogsled chase, Victor
almost catches up with the monster, but the sea beneath them swells and the ice breaks, leaving
an unbridgeable gap between them. At this point, Walton encounters Victor, and the narrative
catches up to the time of Walton’s fourth letter to his sister. Walton tells the remainder of the
story in another series of letters to his sister. Victor, already ill when the two men meet, worsens
and dies shortly thereafter. When Walton returns, several days later, to the room in which the
body lies, he is startled to see the monster weeping over Victor. The monster tells Walton of his
immense solitude, suffering, hatred, and remorse. He asserts that now that his creator has died,
he too can end his suffering. The monster then departs for the northernmost ice to die. Could
Walton be also a path walking in the forgiveness watching Victor Frankenstein die and is in the
Arctic Ocean. His description of the place is vivid “Do you understand this feeling? This breeze,
which has traveled from the regions towards which I am advancing, gives me a foretaste of those icy
climes. Inspirited by this wind of promise, my daydreams become more fervent and vivid. I try in vain to
be persuaded that the pole is the seat of frost and desolation; it ever presents itself to my imagination as
the region of beauty and delight. There, Margaret, the sun is forever visible, its broad disk just skirting the
horizon and diffusing a perpetual splendor” This shows Captain Walton leaning towards forgiveness and
that is what Frankenstein is truly about.
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Rajiv Nair
Period 4
Works Cited Page
26 April 2012
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. The Modern Prometheus 1994. 22. Puffin Books, 1994.
Page 38.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. The Modern Prometheus1994. 22. Puffin Books, 1994.
Page 50.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. The Modern Prometheus 1994. 22. Puffin Books, 1994.
Page 48.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. The Modern Prometheus 1994. 22. Puffin Books, 1994.
Page 273
Keiley, Scott . "Discovering Authors "Mary Shelley." Ud lib search. n.d. n. page. Print.
Patel, ChandraGupta. "The Asian Story." Old Dominion University Catalogs. n. page.
Print..