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Marissa Beck
Mrs. Bouch
A.P. Literature and Composition
20 November 2017
Effect of Power on Victor Frankenstein
Edward Abbey, an American author and essayist, once stated, “Power is always

dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.” Power seems to be the greatest

human desire. According to Proverbs 24:5, “knowledge increases power.” This is especially seen

through the character of Victor Frankenstein in the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. In the

beginning of the novel, Frankenstein has the aspiration to create life out of death. This proves to

be a disastrous journey, as he loses his creation after making it. The novel Frankenstein takes the

reader on a journey on Victor Frankenstein’s quest to find the monster he created. Frankenstein

at first seeks to gain power over others by trying to create life from inanimate objects, then

struggles to free himself from the power and influence the Monster has over his life.

Frankenstein is in pursuit of power and knowledge throughout his life. From a youthful

age, Frankenstein is obsessed with knowledge, especially with alchemy. Frankenstein states,

“Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate; I desire, therefore, in this narration,

to state those facts which led to my predilection for that science” (Shelley 20). This quote

exemplifies the craving for knowledge for which Frankenstein had. Because of these early

scientists with whom he had a liking towards, Frankenstein becomes entranced with becoming

someone to remember. At university, Frankenstein has the fascination to create life from death.

Frankenstein’s studies take up all of his time: “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the

sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and

health” (35). This quote shows both his desire for power and how that obsession controls his life.
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Mary Shelley shows that Frankenstein later in his life comes to terms with the problems he

creates: “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the

acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to

be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (31). In this

quotation, Frankenstein warns Robert Walton about the catastrophic dangers of too much

knowledge. He also advises Walton to not supersede the power of God, the Creator.

Furthermore, the amount of power that Victor Frankenstein obtains proves to take over

the rest of his life. Victor spends a substantial amount of time on his studies: “Winter, spring, and

summer passed away during my labours; but I did not watch the blossom or the expanding

leaves…so deeply was I engrossed in my occupation” (34). A total of six years passes before

Victor finally sees his family after leaving them to go to the University of Ingolstadt. He

becomes totally captivated in his scientific discoveries that he forgets about the world outside of

his apartment. This demonstrates how the desire of power fascinated his life, and there was no

escape from it. Passionately devoting himself to his studies, he neglects everything else in his life

and grows increasingly pale, lonely and obsessed with his desire for power. Moreover, Victor’s

health declines every time something wrong goes wrong in his life. He experiences many

illnesses, which take up a substantial portion of his life. This shows how his desire for power

makes him sick from all his guilt. Ultimately, Frankenstein’s power takes his life away from him.

He becomes so involved in his journey of revenge to find the Monster that it takes his life,

showing that too much power can control one’s life.

Victor Frankenstein struggles to overcome the power of his creation, the monster. After

the creation of the Monster, Frankenstein devotes his life to finding it and to regain the power

that he lost. He especially seeks revenge on his creation, taking up the rest of his life: “How I
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have lived I hardly know; many times, have I prayed for death. But revenge kept me alive; I

dared not die and leave my adversary in being” (149). This quote shows how Victor succumbs to

the indirect power of the Monster. Additionally, the Monster gains total control of Frankenstein:

“Remember that I have power; you will believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so

wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; -

obey!” (122). When the roles are reversed, the Monster establishes dominance over

Frankenstein. He struggles to free himself from the power of the Monster because the Monster

controls his life. Not only does the Monster lead Frankenstein to his death, but also causes the

death for many of Frankenstein’s loved ones: “As the memory of past misfortunes pressed upon

me, I began to reflect on their cause – the monster whom I created; the miserable daemon whom

I had sent abroad into the world for my destruction” (147). This quote reveals that Frankenstein

realizes that his desire for power has not only taken over his life, but has also affected the lives of

his loved ones.

In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein struggles to free himself from

the power of others and seeks to gain power over others. The quote from Edward Abbey

describes how Victor’s desire for power was dangerous. Power attracted Frankenstein, but then

ultimately corrupts him. Furthermore, Proverbs 24:5 reveals how knowledge increases power.

Knowledge is good, but too much knowledge can lead to cataclysmic consequences, as seen in

Frankenstein’s life. Not only was his yearning for power too much, but also his struggle to free

himself from the Monster, takes his life.