“Character determines incident. Incident illustrates character.” In other words, a person’s character will decide how he or she acts in certain situations, and a person’s actions will show aspects of their character. Using Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as an example, Victor Frankenstein is a man whose character determines incidents and whose actions or incidents illustrate his character.
Character determines incident; Mental or moral constitution, a personality will settle or decide something that occurs. Victor Frankenstein is a selfish, conceited man. He never thinks about anyone else until his reputation maybe at stake, then he becomes concerned about the future of mankind. He does not think about the consequences of his work. How it will effect his family, friends, etc. This is how the monster came into being. Thoughtlessly in terms of what could happen, and selfishly. Victor believes that “a new species would bless [him] as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to [him].” Victor only considers how he would be ‘blessed’ by a new species, and essentially how his creatures would praise him as a sort of god. He never thought about how others would be affected by the creatures, just himself. Even when the creature comes into being he only thinks about himself. “I considered the being whom I had cast among man kind, and endowed with the will and power to effect purposes of horror…nearly in the light of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to me.” Even when he is thinking about the destruction the monster is causing he talks about himself, his creation, all that is dear to him, not ‘the monster’, or the people he is actually killing.
The Essay on Frankenstein Playing God Victor Nature Monster
The theme of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein is when you play God it will always come back to plague you. Frankenstein is a creature created from dead flesh sewn together like a jigsaw puzzle of human parts. Victor Frankenstein is the mastermind behind the creation and becomes haunted with the unthinkable of what nature can produce. Nature proved to be more powerful than man. Playing God left Victor ...
Victor’s arrogance and lack of care for others is the cause of his creation. Victor Frankenstein’s selfish moral or mental constitution decides the making of the monster.
Incident illustrates character; something that occurs makes a person’s moral or mental constitution clear. Frankenstein’s reactions to the monster’s actions show the selfish aspects of Frankenstein’s character. “I paused and reflected on the story I had to tell…I well knew that if any other had communicated such a relation to me, I should have looked upon it as the ravings of insanity.” Instead of telling his family whom the actual murderer of William was, Victor keeps it to himself for the sake of his own reputation. It could be argued that even if he had told his family about the monster they would not have believed him. But it is also possible that Victor could have convinced his family about the monster and thus saved their lives. Instead, he keeps silent, to save himself from embarrassment, and watches his loved ones die.
Another example of incidents illustrating Victor’s character is when the monster tells Victor he will be with him on his wedding night, Victor never once considers the idea that the monster could be planning to kill Elizabeth. Thus he sends Elizabeth to their room, alone, so he can “[obtain] some knowledge as to the situation of [his] enemy.” Victor is so selfish he believes he will die, that the monster is only after him and no one else. Even after the deaths of Clerval and William, Victor believes the monster is after only himself and no one else. Victor’s actions (keeping the monster a secret from his family and believing the monster will kill him next) make his character clear.
The Term Paper on Frankenstein Victor Monster Walton 2
... main conflict in the novel is based on the monster Victor Frankenstein created in his laboratory. He neglects his responsibility to ... sort of flashback because it consists of a character, Victor, relating the past incidents of his life in the first-person viewpoint. ... a letter for Margaret Victor Frankenstein was born in Geneva, Switzerland, to a family of notoriety. His family adopted a young girl ...
In conclusion, Victor’s conceited nature is the leading factor in the formation of the abhorred being. His actions after the formation of the being are exemplary of Victor’s selfishness. Character determines incident. Incident illustrates character. This novel is a warning to all. Make sure your character is flawless, because what you do shows who you are.
