Frankenstein

What do you think about Frankensteins reaction to the creature? What are the ethical implications of his actions? Does this represent moral degradation in his part?

What about his reaction to the creature. Were there any ethical implications to Victors actions to the creature and what were they. I don't understand what moral degradation is. So does it represent that.

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In this chapter, Victor's scientific obsession appears to be a kind of dream -- one that ends with the creature's birth. He awakens at the same moment that the creature awakens: the moment the creature's eyes open, Frankenstein's own eyes are opened to the horror of his project. He is wracked by a sickness of both mind and body; this reflects the unnatural character of his endeavor, in which he attempted to take the place of god.

The narrator's sentences become abbreviated, abrupt, indicating his nervous, paranoid state. It is significant that Victor dreams of his mother and Elizabeth: as women, they are both "naturally" capable of creation (through giving birth). With their deaths, the natural creation and earthly virtue they represent dies as well. Victor's kiss is the kiss of death, and his marriage to Elizabeth is represented as being equivalent to both a marriage to his mother and a marriage with death itself.

At the moment of his birth, the creature is entirely benevolent: he affectionately reaches out to Frankenstein, only to have the latter violently abandon him. Despite his frightful appearance, he is as innocent as a newborn child -- and, in a sense, this is precisely what he is. Victor's cruel treatment of the creature stands in stark contrast to both his parents' devotion and Clerval's selfless care: he renounces his child at the moment of its birth. The reader begins to recognize the profoundly unethical character of Frankenstein's experiment ­ and of Frankenstein himself. His actions represent moral degradation at its worst..... check out Gradesaver's theme page and the theme of abortion for further information.

http://www.gradesaver.com/frankenstein/study-guide/themes

Source(s)

http://www.gradesaver.com/frankenstein/study-guide/summary-chapters-5-8