Frankenstein! What Were You Thinking You Fool!

In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, one theme that is very apparent is the death and destruction caused by Victor Frankenstein’s creation. This idea is incredibly ironic however, since Frankenstein created his monster in hopes of cheating death and preventing it from affecting anyone else. Yet, in just a few years after the creation was made, it had both directly and indirectly caused the deaths of two of Frankenstein’s close family members, his little brother William and Justine Moritz. Because of the great number of family members who Victor had seen perish and die or his loved ones has witnessed the death of, Victor used his talent and obsession with natural philosophy to try and find a way around the grief and pain caused by death. However, after he creates the monster, he immediately knows that he has made a major mistake. This mistake continues to haunt him as it takes out more close acquaintances and loved ones, and at one point he even considers suicide because of the damage he has indirectly caused. Victor states, “I listened to this discourse with the extremest agony. I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer,” (Shelley, 63). Furthermore, the irony of this situation does in fact add an element of spookiness and horror to the novel. What was made with the hope of saving lives became a cause of destruction, and because this can happen in our world today, Shelley effectively creates an ominous tone.