A Heart of Darkness

Evan Kelly
1/19/09
Topic #3

The adjective evil, has a variety of definitions with a pretty constant overall theme. Anything that is morally wrong, harmful, or injurious is defined as evil by the dictionary. As an excited student striving to produce a work that had been basically unimaginable, Victor Frankenstein was a zealous scientist. For nearly two years he fanatically toiled on the monster that would soon become his mortal enemy and while I do not believe this to be morally wrong, my feelings changed when upon the monster’s first breath, Frankenstein turned and ran in horror from his creation. The ultimate reason for Frankenstein’s evil nature was his guilt.

Frankenstein is not evil in the same way that I would describe a cold-hearted killer. His evil comes from the internal struggle that he is tortured by. His first sign of evil is present when he hides in disgust from the monster that he had created. “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” This is the beginning of many guilty feelings for Frankenstein. In this case he feels guilt because he took the creation of life into his own hands, but instead created what he often refers to as a wretch. He felt guilty that the being that he had imagined as beautiful and world renowned, was in reality hideous. Frankenstein abandoned his “child” and left him unprotected in a brutal world.

All who came into contact with the monster were instantly frightened and violent. Even when the monster saved a child from the river, he was rejected and attacked. “This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound that shattered the flesh and bone.” There is no wonder, as the monster stated, that his emotions were turned to violence and rage. And these feelings were the indirect outcome of the overpowering guilt that compelled Frankenstein to abandon his creation.

While Frankenstein appears to be innocent and victimized throughout the narration, the reader must keep in mind that this account is told by Walton who viewed Frankenstein in not only a sage like, but also a loving manner. He described to Margaret, the “lustrous eyes” of Frankenstein. He remembered when Frankenstein had told him not to believe the monster’s persuasive words, but when he finally did meet the monster, there was no bloodshed. Instead the monster left to find himself a peaceful deathbed in the Arctic. While Frankenstein appeared innocent in many ways during the story, it is very possible that Walton portrayed him in a much brighter light, than he was in reality.

We see Frankenstein’s guilt overwhelm him in two separate cases. Each sends him into a feverish coma. The first time that he suffers is when he realizes that the sole purpose of his life for the past two years was to unleash a monster on the world. The second time is when the monster murders Clerval. Frankenstein’s fever is brought on by the enormous weight of guilt that is placed on his shoulders. If he had not ignored the monster’s demands Henry would have still been alive. Instead, Frankenstein decided not only to stop building the second monster, but also to tear it apart in front of his enemy’s eyes. “As I looked on him, his countenance expressed the utmost extent of malice and treachery. I thought with a sensation of madness on my promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged. “ This action was the most selfish act that Frankenstein committed in the entire story. He had heard the beast tell him his story, and knew that while the monster had hurt people, there had been a reason. Frankenstein tore apart the second monster just because of his disgust in the appearance of the first. I become miserable when I am left alone for a few days, but even during this time I can go out in public without being attacked and ran from. The misery that the monster is forced to endure was brought on by Frankenstein. When Frankenstein decided not to help, he became the only one to blame for the following series of events.

Frankenstein’s selfishness is seen throughout the entire book. He had too much pride to warn anybody about the monster until it was too late. If he had told Henry at the beginning of the story, then it is very possible that the whole tragedy could have been avoided. The monster was basically powerless when he was created. He did not know how to control his body, nor did he know anything of the outside world. He could have just as easily become a crime fighter as he became a killer, if he had mentors. After William was killed, for Frankenstein not to explain that the monster was the culprit, was harmful and morally wrong. Because of his silence, Justine was killed. Guilt overcame him once again, but he still endured in solitude. Only after his wife was murdered and his father died in grief did Frankenstein announce the existence of his monster. Maybe it was because he was scared that his family would reject him, that Frankenstein remained silent. But, it wasn’t until after all of his connections to the world were extinguished that he decided to come forward. Frankenstein was the indirect culprit for each and every one of the monster’s kills. In appearance the monster was the fiend, but Frankenstein had the real heart of darkness.