What if? This simple phrase, used so commonly, carries a large meaning. This question implies choice. We have the power to choose which path we travel down, and this path is determined by the choices we make. Sometimes when reading novels in high school or college, students find themselves struggling to find and understand hidden meanings scattered throughout these novels. However, throughout Frankenstein Mary Shelley clearly refers to other texts and allusions; she hides nothing. Shelley integrates various quotations from Paradise Lost, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and many more. Each of these texts helps illustrate the effects of the decisions that have been made by each character. Paradise Lost, in particular, directly correlates to Shelley’s emphasis on choices and their consequences. Shelley asserts, although we can be influenced by outside sources, we ultimately make our own decisions, and we must live with the consequences.
“Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mould me man? Did I solicit thee
From darkness to promote me? –”- Paradise Lost
The beginning portion of this quotation from Paradise Lost illustrates the choice Victor finds himself faced with. The creature does not “request” that Victor create him; rather, Victor takes the initiative to craft this creature. Although Victor understands that “a human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind, and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility,” Victor strays from this belief (Shelley 59). Victor allows the creation of the monster to consume him; his passion for construction engulfs him completely. Had Victor remained level-headed, he would have recognized the magnitude of the decision he was making. The choice Victor makes to create this monster, despite his better knowledge, parallels Adam and Eve’s decision to take a bite out of the apple that God had forbidden them to touch. Adam and Eve failed to keep their composure, and like Victor, allowed their passion and desires to get the best of them. Like Shelley emphasizes, Victor, Adam, and Eve, each make their own decisions, and they are forced to live with the outcome of their decisions. For Victor, he must deal with his conscience constantly reminding him that Justine, who is completely innocent, is accused and punished for something she did not do. Victor’s choices not only created grief for his family due to the death of his brother, but they also created turmoil in Justine’s life, illustrating to Victor the consequences of his actions. Adam and Eve on the other hand, realized because of their prior actions humanity will never be the same. Like Victor affected himself and his family, Adam and Eve affected all of us; they transformed the human race.
The second part of the quotation from Paradise Lost once again illustrates the power of choice. Victor is not “solicited” to make this creature; he personally decides to create the creature. Knowing it was the decision he made that caused the death of his brother, Victor realizes he is “the true murderer” (Shelley 84). Disturbed by this knowledge, Victor is extremely upset. Through his sorrows, he comes to the realization that he “had been the author of unalterable evils;” the decision he had previously made could not be undone (Shelley 87). This feeling directly relates to those of Adam and Eve. After committing the sin, Adam and Eve realized they did not have the ability to undo what they had done. As Shelley words it, “the apple was already eaten” (Shelley 162). This metaphor used in Frankenstein alludes to the sin Adam and Eve committed. The allusion combines the assertion that just as Adam and Eve cannot retrace their steps and erase their mistakes, so Victor cannot take back what he has done either. As seen in both Adam and Eve’s lives as well as Victor’s, we each have control over our own lives; we have the final say when it comes to making choices. Furthermore, whatever choice we decide to ultimately make we must live with, because it cannot be undone.
Faced with the decision of whether or not to create a female companion, Victor feels the intensity of the power of choice. Influenced by the monster as well as thinking about his own well-being and the well-being of others, Victor feels obligated. He feels as if he should create a partner for the creature so that as the creature promised, he would steer clear of humanity. However, Victor is torn. He “thought of the promise of virtues which he [the creature] had displayed on the opening of his existence” Victor also contemplated the creature’s “power and threats” (Shelley 130-1). After much deliberation, Victor consents to the creature’s desire and begins crafting a female. After constructing all of the pieces of the female character, Victor reflects on what he is doing. Recognizing what could go wrong, Victor destroys each of the pieces of the creature before assembling them. Although Victor was influenced by the creature, Victor made a personal decision to destroy the female creature before instilling her with life in suspicion of what could have happened had he given her the ability to roam the world with her companion. Although this decision may seem rash, Victor’s avoidance of the choice to bring the female to life, was a choice in itself. This choice, like the others, came with its own consequences. In the end, Victor’s decision caused the death of his good friend, Henry, as well as the demise of his fiancée. Not knowing the extent of what two creatures could accomplish together, Victor eliminated the possibility of them working together. I believe Victor’s attempt to eliminate any problems before they occurred was the right choice and reflects what he learned from his previous mistakes. I believe Victor’s decision illustrates his understanding of the power of choice.
Like Shelley is the author of Frankenstein, we are the authors of our lives. We have the power to write our lives anyway we choose. The chapters of our lives are constructed by the choices we make, and more importantly, our reactions to those choices. For example, if we make a mistake do we attempt to fix it, or do we ignore it in hopes of acting as if it never happened? No matter who or what influences our personal story, we must realize that we are the sole author of our story. As a result, we must take full responsibility for our actions and the consequences that ensue.
