Victor Frankenstein: Insane or Sane?

Victor Frankenstein: Insane or Sane?

Yesterday, during our small group discussion, a group member mentioned something very interesting and the thought has been on my mind for some time. So, I am going to blog about it. She said, "I think Frankenstein made the whole story up". When she said that I was at first, 'here's another girl who doesn't know what she is talking about. Why would we be talking about this book if everyone thought Victor was lying?' However, when I started to listen to what she had to say, I could see the her viewpoint. I mean, both Walton and Victor were two very passionate and goal driven people. And people who have strong desires and want to fulfill those desires sometimes are just overcome by their pursuits and can have the potential to go insane. Therefore, what if, just what if, Victor and Walton were making this story up? It said in the book, "For this (creating the creature) I had deprived myself of rest and health" (55). Victor was sleep deprived; he didn't eat when he had to; he didn't go outside for two years. How can a person living like that not go mentality crazed? Although Victor was intellectual, he was, in a way, taken over by his intellect. The knowledge and want of creating another creature and having the control over life and death made him immerse himself in years of research in a secluded place. And although he did attend college, the book does not mention any friendship being built. Victor voluntarily secludes himself from society and family. Maybe the story that he is telling Walton is just a fiction that he dreamed of because the trauma of creating the creature was too much to handle and damaged his brain. Also, Walton may be suffering from some kind of insanity as well and thought that he saw the monster on the ship. This preposition makes sense. After all, if Victor’s narration is false, then who other than Walton “saw” the monster? Walton also “voluntarily endured cold, famine, thirst, and want of sleep”. He was just like Victor in so many levels, so he could also suffer from the same mental failures as well. Also, perhaps Mary Shelley wanted to show that if an individual pursues a journey that goes against the natural ways of the world, it has the potential to ruin the person socially, morally, and physically. It took me a while to digest her preposition because the thought never occurred to me, and I had a firm belief in Victor’s sanity. However, once she spoke of the possibility of a fabricated story, I could not help myself from wondering and questioning whether I had perceived the story wrong. It is very fascinating how the book can be perceived and interpreted in so many various ways and levels. How one preposition can totally take me to another route in looking at the book is, in my opinion, the beauty of literature.