Frankenstein - Characterization

"Again do I vow vengeance; again do I devote thee, miserable fiend, to torture and death. Never will I give up my search until he or I perish" p. 195

Let's talk about that characterization of Frankenstein. He's a fairly dynamic character, so what exactly changes in him? Before the experiment, he is a bright, optimistic, and adventure-loving young lad. He is paralleled with Walton the explorer as a scientist venturing into the unknown. He also dearly loves his friends and family, particularly Elizabeth. Furthermore, he loves science and the art of experimentation and discovery. He concerns himself solely with the scientific aspect of his actions and not with the moral implications therein. This all gradually changes over time.

The first change occurs before the experiment actually takes place, as he begins to distance himself from his loved ones. He cuts off all contact from them and practically forgets that they even exist. Next, his love of science disappears instantly after his experiment is a success. Suddenly, he no longer cares at all about the incredible scientific breakthrough he has accomplished, and is only able to think "Oh crap, I really shouldn't have done this," which is essentially him focusing on the moral aspect of his actions. Eventually, he returns home and begins to rekindle those family connections, but even though he is physically close to them, his melancholy demeanor still distances him emotionally. However, he still seems to have that love of adventure, as shown by his admiration of nature when he goes off into the mountains on his own, shortly before he meets Mario again. Afterwards, now that Frankenstein has been forced into this new task, he has an even harder time connecting with the family he was once so close to, and his newest project cuts him off from his family and forces him to leave, thus cutting his family ties even further. Also, his love of nature and spirit of adventure is finally extinguished by the time he reaches England with Henry, who is now amazed by the beautiful landscape. Henry, who now parallels Walton, is now a foil to Victor, who no longer finds any pleasure in nature. The various things that once defined Victor have gradually been stripped away, ending finally with the climax of the entire novel, the murder of Elizabeth, his most beloved companion. His social ties have now been ultimately and irreparably severed, and the only aspect of Victor's personality, the one trait that has now surfaced in the absence of his other previous traits, is vengeance. The thirst for revenge, as encapsulated by the quote above, now defines Victor's character, and he has made the full transition from human being at the beginning to total monster by the very end.