Frankenstein
...status or the conquest of a goal. Both allow one to focus on a set destination and not steer off track. However, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor’s desire and ambition serves as a detrimental attribute. At a young age, he obtains an aspiration to achieve eternal fame and glory. Although his rapture for a romanticized scientific discovery and adventure seems innocent, it ironically leads to his demise. With the determination to create life, also comes an overambitious mind set which clouds Victor’s mind from the potential consequences of his actions. The process leading to the creation of the monster not only causes Victor’s misery due to him isolation from him loved ones, but also his anguish from the actual process of forging the monster. After accomplishing his mission to create the monster, Victor, instead of receiving the prophesized renounce, enters a world of anguish caused by his own creation and his unwillingness to take responsibility for his work. However, even when he finally decides to destroy his mistake, he suffers due to his creation and his ambition. Victor’s over ambition for romanticized discovery and glory causes him to not consider the consequences, which ultimately leads to his agony and dissolution.
Victor’s hunger and ambition to achieve romanticized scientific greatness by playing God in the creation of life, serves as parasite that cause his self induced torment. Even before creating the monster, Victor believed “wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery if I (Victor) could…render man invulnerable to any” . Throughout the beginning of the book, Victor consistently demonstrates him desire to obtain scientific grandeur. Ambition for greatness fuels his decision to embark on a quest to create a being, but the ecstatic momentum he begins with rapidly turns to severe anguish. The pressure Victor...
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