Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein opens with a series of letters written by Captain Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret. Walton, on an Arctic expedition, describes his ambition to explore uncharted territories. His journey takes a dramatic turn when he encounters Victor Frankenstein, a man weakened by exhaustion and despair, stranded on an ice floe. Walton rescues Victor, who begins to recount his tragic story.
Victor, born into a wealthy family in Geneva, has a happy childhood filled with intellectual curiosity. His close relationships with his parents, his adopted sister Elizabeth, and his friend Henry Clerval shaped his early life. Fascinated by science, Victor becomes obsessed with uncovering the secrets of life and death. He studies natural philosophy and chemistry at the University of Ingolstadt, where he becomes consumed by the idea of creating life.
Driven by ambition, Victor assembles a human-like creature from body parts scavenged from graves and slaughterhouses. After months of feverish work, he succeeds in bringing the creature to life. However, Victor is horrified by the being’s grotesque appearance and abandons it in terror. The creature, left alone, flees into the wilderness, beginning its lonely existence.
Victor falls ill from the strain of his work, and Henry Clerval nurses him back to health. Meanwhile, the creature roams the countryside, learning about humanity through observation. It hides near a cottage inhabited by a poor family, the De Laceys, and secretly observes their lives. Through this, the creature learns to speak and read, gaining insight into human emotions and relationships. Despite its intelligence and sensitivity, the creature is shunned because of its hideous appearance.
Longing for companionship, the creature confronts Victor and demands he create a female companion to share its life of isolation. It threatens to exact revenge on Victor’s loved ones if its demand is not met. Reluctantly, Victor agrees and begins constructing a second creature. However, haunted by the potential consequences of unleashing another being like the first, Victor destroys the second creature before completing it. Enraged, the creature vows revenge, declaring, “I will be with you on your wedding night.”
The creature begins its campaign of vengeance by murdering Victor’s loved ones. It kills Henry Clerval and later Elizabeth, Victor’s bride, on their wedding night. Victor’s father succumbs to grief, leaving Victor utterly devastated. Consumed by rage and guilt, Victor vows to hunt down the creature and destroy it.
Victor pursues the creature across Europe and into the Arctic, where the narrative connects back to Walton’s letters. Victor, weakened and near death, implores Walton to continue his quest to destroy the creature if he cannot. Shortly after, Victor dies aboard Walton’s ship. Walton later encounters the creature, who mourns Victor’s death but also expresses its torment and regret. It reveals its intention to end its life by immolating itself in the Arctic wilderness, bringing its tragic existence to a close. The creature disappears into the icy wasteland, leaving its ultimate fate ambiguous.
At the end of the story, Walton, moved by Victor’s story, abandons his expedition and returns home, reflecting on the dangers of unchecked ambition and the responsibilities of creation. The novel examines the moral and ethical implications of creation, asking whether humanity should pursue knowledge without considering its impact.
Frankenstein is a profound exploration of ambition, responsibility, and the consequences of scientific hubris. Victor Frankenstein’s failure to take responsibility for his creation highlights the dangers of neglect and the consequences of rejecting those who are different. Though monstrous in appearance, the creature is a tragic figure, embodying the pain of isolation and the yearning for acceptance. Shelley’s rich prose and Gothic atmosphere create a haunting narrative that continues to resonate as a cautionary tale about the limits of human ambition and the ethical dilemmas of scientific progress.