Victor Frankenstein: To Blame or Not to Blame
Today in class we briefly discussed the topic of who is to blame for the actions of the demon Victor Frankenstein erected, and I would like to expand upon this topic. The class was just about split 50-50 on the matter of who was to blame, however I point the finger of guilt at Victor Frankenstein rather than the demon he bestowed life upon. Due to the fact Victor Frankenstein was the one who gave life to the creature he is viewed as almost a father. One of the first claims mentioned was that when a child commits a crime the blame falls mainly on the child rather than the parent. This claim however is invalid because the demon is like a newborn child, and one doesn't get mad at a month old baby for crying throughout an entire mass at church, but rather one gets mad at the parents for not bringing the child outside and waiting with them. The same concept applies to the example that you don't get mad at a new puppy for peeing inside the house, it comes down to the the fact that they simply do not know any better. The question presents itself, "well why don't they know these basic things?", and this is where the blame falls on the creators of the being. Victor Frankenstein knowingly abandoned a creature which he bestowed life upon, aware of the fact that it knew literally nothing about society, but this didn't stop the insane scientist from casting his creation out into a vulnerable world. It was due to a lack of guidance that the demon was led to commit petty crimes, thus the person at fault for these wrongdoings is not the "demon" but rather the creator- Victor Frankenstein. While there are many different ways to look at this, so many so that there could be an entire debate over the matter, I believe that the true villain in this story is Victor Frankenstein.
Below is the link to an article further discussing who the real villain is in the story Frankenstein
http://5wfantasyfiction.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/2011/10/12/who-is-the-real-villain/
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