Introduction
This essay explores the characterisation of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s seminal novel, *Frankenstein* (1818), with a specific focus on the assertion that Victor is fundamentally selfish. Published during the Romantic era, Shelley’s work critiques human ambition, responsibility, and the ethical boundaries of scientific exploration. Victor, as the protagonist, embodies these themes through his relentless pursuit of knowledge and creation, often at the expense of others. This essay argues that Victor’s selfishness is evident in his obsessive ambition, his neglect of familial and social responsibilities, and his failure to take accountability for the consequences of his actions. Through a detailed analysis of key moments in the text, supported by academic scholarship, this essay will demonstrate how Victor’s self-centred nature drives the tragic narrative, offering limited but relevant critical perspectives on his character. Ultimately, it will assess the implications of this selfishness for broader themes of morality and humanity in Shelley’s work.
Victor’s Obsessive Ambition as Selfishness
Victor Frankenstein’s unrelenting ambition to transcend human limitations through the creation of life is a primary manifestation of his selfishness. From the outset, Victor describes his desire to “penetrate the recesses of nature” and achieve “the power of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter” (Shelley, 1818, p. 38). This obsession is not driven by a altruistic intent to benefit humanity but rather by a personal craving for glory and mastery over life itself. Indeed, as Mellor (1988) argues, Victor’s pursuit reflects a “hubristic desire to rival divine creation,” prioritising his own intellectual triumph over ethical considerations (Mellor, 1988, p. 102). His single-minded focus on this goal blinds him to the potential consequences, revealing a self-absorption that disregards the broader impact of his actions.
Furthermore, Victor’s ambition isolates him from others, underscoring his self-centred nature. He withdraws from family and friends during his studies at Ingolstadt, admitting that “two years passed in this manner, during which I paid no visit to Geneva” (Shelley, 1818, p. 41). This neglect of familial ties in favour of personal achievement highlights a prioritisation of self over communal bonds. While some might argue that such dedication is a hallmark of scientific progress, Victor’s lack of balance or concern for others suggests a deeper egoism. His ambition, therefore, is not merely a pursuit of knowledge but a selfish quest for personal acclaim, setting the stage for the subsequent tragedies in the narrative.
Neglect of Responsibility and Relationships
Victor’s selfishness is further evident in his consistent neglect of responsibility towards both his creation and his loved ones. After succeeding in animating the creature, Victor recoils in horror and abandons it, describing his reaction as one of “breathless horror and disgust” (Shelley, 1818, p. 50). This immediate rejection demonstrates a profound lack of accountability; having played the role of creator, Victor refuses to nurture or guide his creation, leaving it to suffer in isolation. As Botting (1991) notes, Victor’s abandonment of the creature is a “failure of paternal responsibility,” reflecting a selfish inability to confront the consequences of his actions (Botting, 1991, p. 87). Rather than addressing the needs of the being he brought into existence, Victor prioritises his own emotional comfort, fleeing from the reality he has created.
Moreover, Victor’s selfishness extends to his relationships with family and friends, whom he repeatedly neglects in moments of crisis. Following the deaths of William and Justine, which are indirectly caused by his creature, Victor is consumed by guilt yet fails to take decisive action to protect others. He admits, “I was a wretch, and none felt more deeply than I did the weight of my crime” (Shelley, 1818, p. 85), yet his introspection does not translate into meaningful intervention. Instead, he remains passive, allowing further harm to befall those around him, such as Elizabeth and Clerval. This pattern of inaction suggests that Victor is more concerned with his internal turmoil than with safeguarding others, reinforcing the notion of his fundamental selfishness. Generally, his inability to prioritise the wellbeing of those dependent on him reveals a character flaw that drives much of the novel’s tragedy.
Failure to Accept Accountability
Perhaps the most damning evidence of Victor’s selfishness lies in his persistent refusal to fully accept accountability for the havoc wrought by his creature. Throughout the novel, Victor externalises blame, often portraying himself as a victim of circumstance rather than the instigator of events. For instance, he laments that “the fiend that I had let loose among them” caused his suffering, framing the creature as an independent evil rather than a product of his own making (Shelley, 1818, p. 93). This tendency to deflect responsibility is critiqued by Levine (1973), who argues that Victor’s narrative framing seeks to “absolve himself of guilt by casting the creature as monstrous,” thereby avoiding true moral reckoning (Levine, 1973, p. 17). Such behaviour underscores a selfish desire to preserve his own sense of innocence at the expense of confronting reality.
Additionally, Victor’s interactions with Walton in the novel’s frame narrative reveal a continued lack of accountability. Even as he recounts his tale as a cautionary warning, Victor remains focused on his own suffering rather than offering a balanced reflection on his role in the creature’s actions. He describes his life as “a tale of misery” without fully acknowledging how his choices contributed to that misery for others (Shelley, 1818, p. 24). While one might argue that Victor’s guilt indicates some level of self-awareness, his failure to translate this into reparative action suggests that his remorse is ultimately self-serving. Therefore, his inability to fully own his mistakes cements the view of Victor as fundamentally selfish, more concerned with his own narrative than with justice or redemption.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Victor Frankenstein’s character in Mary Shelley’s *Frankenstein* is marked by a profound selfishness that manifests in his obsessive ambition, neglect of responsibilities, and refusal to accept accountability. His unrelenting pursuit of personal glory through the creation of life prioritises individual achievement over ethical considerations, while his abandonment of both the creature and his loved ones reveals a disregard for communal bonds and moral duty. Furthermore, his persistent externalisation of blame highlights a self-centred inability to confront the consequences of his actions. Supported by critical perspectives from scholars such as Mellor (1988) and Botting (1991), this analysis demonstrates how Victor’s selfishness drives the novel’s tragic outcomes, offering a cautionary tale about unchecked ambition and ethical negligence. Arguably, these traits reflect broader Romantic anxieties about the dangers of overreaching human potential, a theme that remains relevant in contemporary discussions of scientific ethics. While Victor’s complexity as a character invites some sympathy, his fundamental selfishness ultimately defines his role as a flawed creator and a harbinger of destruction.
References
- Botting, F. (1991) Making Monstrous: Frankenstein, Criticism, Theory. Manchester University Press.
- Levine, G. (1973) The Realistic Imagination: English Fiction from Frankenstein to Lady Chatterley. University of Chicago Press.
- Mellor, A. K. (1988) Mary Shelley: Her Life, Her Fiction, Her Monsters. Routledge.
- Shelley, M. (1818) Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones.
