A Theme of Forgiveness in Frankenstein Novel

1. Introduction

Critics agree that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story exploring themes such as creation, revenge, and individual ambition—or lack thereof. Largely overlooked is the presence of forgiveness and how certain characters manifest it, seek it, or adamantly deny it. Discussing forgiveness may be interesting because of its paradox. An act of mercy, forgiveness is decided upon after deliberating between an action and its consequences. It requires emotional maturity to understand intentions and accept disjointedness. This is why I believe it is meaningful to reflect upon forgiveness as it relates to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Shelley’s novel illustrates different types of retributions that result from anger but also exhibits the theme of choice linked with free will. Shelley was immersed in her own history, musing upon loss and grief caused by the death of her soon-to-be husband. In this sense, it is also interesting to delve further into the theme by understanding the author’s personal history and inspiring motivations. Frankenstein is not about a monster or a destructive man but also about science and the ways in which this subject can be manipulated. Society has the power to ask what kind or to whom a divine power can forgive and why. This diverse subject has contributed to an extensive analysis of Frankenstein’s characters and the varied ways in which they express forgiveness. Such an extensive subject can be condensed and discussed using.

1.1. Background of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, author of Frankenstein, was born in England in 1797. Despite her mother's early death, Mary held a deep connection to her and was influenced by her beliefs. Her father, a literary genius, faced business failures. Mary faced isolation and despair, enduring tragedies including the deaths of her children and lovers. In the early 1800s, she wrote while surrounded by operas and playwrights. Mary started Frankenstein in 1816 as an unwed mother at age 19. She completed and submitted the book in 1818.

1.2. Definition and Significance of Forgiveness in Literature

Forgiveness can be defined as the absence of the desire for retribution and a renouncement of hostility. It can also occur after the full extent of outraged justice has been exacted, especially with the payment of penalties and officially restored goodwill. Forgiveness can therefore be concluded as either a renunciation of ostensible punishment or fulfilling a desire for restitution. As a result, the spectrum of forgiveness is very wide. What irritates one person deeply can be instantly forgiven by another without thought, or some offense can cause a tragedy where forgiveness is inconceivable. There is an inferential assumption that runs throughout literature that leads me to believe that forgiveness is usually associated with, and a general result of, injured pride. This indeed seems to be the case for our two 'forgiving' texts which may serve as a preamble to my explorations in the subject of forgiveness in literature.

Despite literature's frequent focus on revenge or redemption, forgiveness is rarely mentioned in the early stages of literary analysis. However, in many stories, poetry, and drama, individuals do forgive each other and for very good theatrical reasons since the audience enjoys the personal interaction and repressed guilt which results from such an act. In real life, forgiveness has the power to transform. A grudge weighs heavily on the soul of the injured party if not released and often on the person who harmed another to begin with. In the mind of the reader, if the characters do forgive each other, then there is usually a resolution which they must discover. In situations where forgiveness should prevail but does not, tragedy is not far behind.

2. Forgiveness in the Character of Victor Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein is a man of ambition and hubris. His choice to create life is thus informed by his ego: he desires to be like a god. He aspires to create life in inorganic material and places himself at the center of the action—his discussion with Professor Waldman reveals the darker motivations of his project and the all-consuming nature of its pursuit. Victor’s subsequent rejection of his creation is based on horror and a conflation of the natural and the human, offering the reader the chance to interrogate assumptions about 'proper' mothering and parenting, and the wider moral obligations of the human organism to its progeny. From that initial act of creation, Victor seems never to be able to make another ethically responsible choice. He ignores a creature and damns it to a life of loneliness, positioning himself not only as a creator but also as a cruel and capricious demiurge, and one who makes no provision for the life he creates.

Hence, the novel’s presentation of the Creature is at least partially oriented around an examination of Victor’s feelings of guilt and horror at what he has done; Victor’s interactions with his creation examine his inability to forgive himself and, conversely, his creation’s failure to forgive him. One of Victor’s deepest struggles over the course of the novel is that few readers can say with any degree of certainty that we would not do the same thing if we found ourselves in Victor’s situation. Can we stand by our conviction that Victor is unequivocally selfish, self-absorbed, and unable to perceive the pain or understand the motivations of others at the beginning of the novel, particularly as his guilt grows? Crucially, Victor is unable to admit to the selfishness of his actions in virtually every respect. The reader is encouraged to examine Victor’s internal struggle when it is noted that the arrogance of Victor’s position is that he regards himself as blameless and willing to accept responsibility. The bulk of 'Frankenstein' examines the implications of that position both on Victor and on all those whom he professes to love.

2.1. Victor's Creation of the Creature

If once presumed penciling an apology for boldness – an essay replete with apology – I now, however distasteful to my own proclivities, write but a confession founded upon nothing less than audacity. Despite every entreaty, I inscribed, unrepentant, the history of the creature made in my damned, heedless image – yes, the creature presumptuously haunted even as he long-loomed in the recesses of my mind, faintly prowling, awaiting ransom! Spurring my wildest scientific imaginings and no less, preserving the poached elements of fiction; however, to delimit my ambition into such scenes of prose, I now aver the facts. Quite sanely, I must swear what actually took place. Even this – quill upon parchment – presumes a concert of our minds. Such faith one is loath to deposit in mere paper and ink. But our trust in the written record has been frightfully disfigured, and the true tenets of faith suffer the flaws.

With what fetid plunderousness does ambition fester man’s mind. In excessive terror of the unknown, in adumbrated violence to compose the darkness in some straight-lit circumference, I sought by science to transpire beyond the sense. To conquer the unknown with the known; the muted with the audible; that prolong the speechless ages of man in rank reciprocity with his follies, is high adventure. When I learned the secret to give life to warm clay, to rekindle the chill limbs with the hidden globes of sensation, when I gazed into the meaning of the arteries and the guiding corpuscles they contain, acquiesced into the serpentine mayhem of blood and sonorous life tribunal, I understood. No longer did I celebrate that vulgar texture which clothed the elixir of my being; rather, mightily did I perceive my veins as loans of silver, conducting the aureate blood of a deity.

2.2. Victor's Rejection and Abandonment of the Creature

As soon as the creature is brought to life, Victor realizes just how grotesque his creation is, and he is utterly horrified by it. Victor regrets creating the creature, which he ties directly to his feelings of disgust about its appearance. This leads Victor to abandon the creature and become quit of it, recanting the love he felt for the creature upon its arrival into the world. In this way, the immediate origin of the creature’s rejection becomes clear; it is Victor’s revulsion upon seeing the creature that initially spurs the sense of abandonment that is a key backdrop of the rest of the narrative.

Generally, the mood of Frankenstein is filled with horror and emotions of fear, sadness, betrayal, anger, and hopelessness. Thus, a chain of consistently unhappy events develops as a result of the creature’s rejection, a tragedy unfolding. The lack of forgiveness in Victor’s response to the creature’s wrong shows the interrelationship between human beings and the consequences of their affections and acts. The strong character of Frankenstein is influenced and divided based on the complexity of his response to the creature. What can be seen in his response to wrong is how incapable he is of looking at his creature as a thinking, feeling being and responding fellow creature in his search for love and attention to Frankenstein. In other words, there is his refusal of love and provision of justice in his encounters with wrong.

3. Forgiveness in the Creature

The Creature can also be seen to symbolize a search for forgiveness expressed in feelings of great remorse. Having experienced a profound desire for love, for his creator’s sympathy and compassion, an incentive that becomes central to the hope of obtaining future reconciliation, the Creature is forced to destroy his relationship with his creator in order to carry out the only solution to the profound sense of unfairness and loss he feels—the vengeance he wishes to visit on Victor. His relentless quest for sympathy (and a sense of identification with his creator) is linked to his relentless attempt to obtain a motive and cause for compassion and amnesty for what he has done. He must destroy his love if he is to love again. His acts of devastation are predicated on a certain ground: that they are one and the same as notions of making Victor feel the ruin, as suffering to the same extent as he has suffered.

The tragedy becomes apparent in that retributive measures, a code of giving “punishment,” albeit symbolically, to Victor that was supposed to make a “confession and satisfaction to honor injured,” did nothing. The Creature believed that the love and compassion of friends would redress his woes—a return to origins for an answer to the transcendental psychological and social mystery. Thus, there is less an existential element of wiping out identities or failing to contain suffering but rather a psychological opposite, towards forgiveness, indicating that suffering comes from the external spectacle of society. As such, the themes of the novel pivot upon the emotional and spiritual “interior landscape”: the romantic sublime meets the psychological Gothic, considering the deepest ramifications of abiding resentment.

3.1. The Creature's Actions and Motivations

The actions of the creature are largely driven by two motivations. When freshly brought into the world, the creature truly desires companionship and love, bombarding his creator with tender scenes and justifying speeches that bespeak his need for understanding and empathy. Until he learns what the old man needs, he likewise pities the entire family and is struck by their harmonious existence, which he is now cured of as a result of their rejection. He has been reduced by their actions to the “bitter gall of envy and revenge.” The poverty of the “houseless Arctic,” which has more or less condemned him to, has driven the creature to fixate on the inequality of humanity and the family in particular. This signifies a key aspect of the creature’s characterization – his despair is transformed to bitterness and a desire for revenge when he realizes the unlikelihood of “emotion, joy, and sincere sympathies” becoming his.

His proposal for a “female” being is brilliantly layered, as it serves as both a creation of childlike desires (like his demand for a mate) and his attempt to construct an identity for himself. He imagines leisure pursuits, nature walks, and reading as unfolding lovingly in the company of his future mate and weeps at the possibility of her presence. At the same time, the mate will offer the creature the understanding of “all the emotions the heart can experience,” but these get expressed categorically. The pull of such desires is so great because they will enter his soul and “plead to heaven for the happiness of my human neighbors.” The reader must remember that his words are told to his creator, who knows the marked difference between the creature’s speaking ways and the results of his acts. The conflicting positions in these words invite the reader to wonder if the creature really will occupy himself with such lofty proclamations when he has the happiness of mankind in his hands as a kind of “tool.”

3.2. The Creature's Quest for Redemption

In the course of his tale, the Creature shares the extent of his bloody 'murders,' the emotional turmoil that led to his actions, and the indecision regarding his status as 'fiend or blasphemer.' The remorseful Creature endures intense emotional pain. The emotional torment that plagues him—pangs of remorse, a wanderer avoiding human society, being a 'poor, helpless, miserable wretch'—highlights his aversion to humankind and demonstrates the creature's existential crisis as he contemplates questions regarding his moral worth and remaining on a path toward potential redemption. By wondering if he is a 'fiend or blasphemer' or the 'most wretched' of creatures, he contends with the most difficult questions regarding his moral status. The truly human impulse to improve offers the possibility for the Creature to seek out civilization, but due to the unrelenting rejection and fear of humankind—because of his very existence that forecloses even this potentially positive project—he loathes 'himself in life' and becomes 'insane.'

The admiration he feels for the household and its inhabitants initially leads him to consider an alternative path for himself. He provides for their survival, helping them prosper, with their welfare bringing 'tolerable ease' to his heart. Noting the 'privations' of his wilderness life notwithstanding, the Behemoth finds it 'inexpressibly delightful to find himself at liberty once more, to be given an opportunity once more of shedding his human nature.' For the first time in his life, the creature felt the pains and joys of a free man. The creature's reflections point to a single driving purpose—the securing of forgiveness, both from his creator and in evaluating and accepting his own actions with unwavering judgments of objective moral deviancy. In this sense, his joyful willingness to help others extends beyond any mere utilitarian concern to gain the forgiveness of his victims' kin—also driven by a wish for self-improvement.

4. The Consequences of Unforgiveness

As unforgiveness spreads in the novel, its effects grow. Victor punishes innocent Justine due to his guilt and resentment towards the Creature. They become identified with each other, exchanging insults. Both are hardened by sin and unwilling to forgive. They inflict suffering on Justine, silencing her voice. Victor and the Creature direct their anger towards each other and their neighbor, fueling retribution. Distance between them fuels further revenge.

The grief that sprouts from the soil of resentment, however, stifles with its killing frosts all whom it touches. Innocents cry under the rapacious laughter of the killer, who soon discovers it is by his own hands. It is indeed the innocent who are called upon to forgive their exuberant perpetrators. But Frankenstein's "vigorous and fiery love" never sees this. "Oh, even now that chain of catastrophes dread and strange have followed," he says from his deathbed, "and true of the last I may now have heard but of the next perhaps I can scarcely speak. I never have been so near the grave as I am this moment." The yawning, crushing end that is so near! And with what does he fill it? The many they've buried? The families he's rent? The regrets for sorrow untold? Even with his guilt and his rage, "may the curses of a dying and heritage, an outcast and a beggar, a fool or worse even." To the last gasp, his mouth twists the cords of his heart in the angered silhouette of unforgiveness. The physical destruction at the novel's end signals a truth as old as our first parents. Its fury makes blind sons of us all. Violence, by its very swelling nature, will inevitably bring more violence. Rather than ending wrongs, violence only heaves them into a volatile tempest. The tempest's intoxicated winds cut even until its dissipating end; the harm ricochets from one screen door to the next, more painful with each reversion.

4.1. Destruction and Tragedy in the Novel

The motif of unforgiveness in 'Frankenstein' is associated with destruction and calamity repeatedly and systematically. The consequences of shutting oneself off from the struggling life in a hateful and vengeful attitude mainly come to the fore in the motif of destruction. The deaths of almost all beloved people could be read as caused by the vengeful actions of the creature and, more generally, of the natural powers and determinations set in motion by these actions. Each loss is a mini-tragedy and addresses different aspects of the motif.

It is significant how profound the devastation, the pain, the grief, and remorse are which these losses call forth in Victor and the creature, signifying how much they contribute to Victor's and every reader's insistent search for a remedy against conflict. It is particularly stunning how painfully he becomes aware of at last regretting his act of unforgiveness against Justine, who stands symbolically for the act of forgiveness itself. The careful rhetoric of suffering that causes us to look closely at Victor's understanding of the broader implications of the deaths helps to establish the tragedy of the losses. Victor's remorse and the continuous descriptions of the suffering creature underline the theme of helplessness and despair but mostly function from the point of view of the motif of forgiveness. This motif could be thought to gain by contrast additional significance thanks to the imagery of suffering and regret united with compassion.

4.2. Psychological and Emotional Impact on Characters

Victor refuses to forgive the creature due to guilt. This inner conflict prevents him from acknowledging his identity. The creature also struggles with his own identity and conflicts, feeling alienated and lonely. Both Victor and the creature display emotional attachment and destructive tendencies. Colonialism has conditioned fear and rejection. Victor and the creature both experience hatred and loathing.

Thus, the fact that neither Victor nor the creature is capable of overcoming a lifetime of unforgiving and thus guilt and self-hate is a critical moment in their interaction. As cultural productions, whether conscious or unconscious, authors inscribe the dictate of what is "understandable" – this is the world we live in, we are told, and do what you can not to be like those we cast off. The creature spends his short, miserable life doing what he can not to resemble those "people". Yet as the opening quote illustrates, and as the creature tells himself, he remains as "Base" "wretched" "the lowest on the chain of being". That Victor is only capable of hating the creature even more after it has taken his wife's life is similarly baffling and intolerable – yet is exactly how things unfold. In foreshadowing almost all of the unnamed woes that are smoldered in Victor and indirectly projected onto his creature, unforgiveness taken to the furthest extent – a refusal to let go that subjects the individual to an almost unfathomable goal – is a primary consequence of unforgiving.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the exploration of forgiveness in Frankenstein helps the reader to understand that such peace often takes a great deal of time and growth to achieve. Throughout the novel, both the monster and several of the other characters struggle with the idea of forgiveness, both for others and for themselves. Specifically, the monster feels a great deal of hate towards his creator, in large part because he does not feel fully forgiven for who he is and what he has done. On the other side of things, Victor himself must eventually learn to forgive rather than to live in hate and guilt. It takes a significant amount of time in the novel for him to reach this point and let go; when he finally forgives himself, he is able to die in inner peace. These character arcs push the idea that others assert—that in the course of a person's life, the act of forgiving is likely much more beneficial to one's own peace and emotional growth than it would be to the recipient of said action.

By refusing to forgive, the characters bring further tragedy upon themselves and others. The monster's failure to build and forgive those who have wronged him leads to destruction in his own life. Similarly, Victor's inability to forgive himself and take greater responsibility for the actions and safety of his creation only results in death and disaster. It is clear that forgiveness is a trait that the characters give lip service to, yet they fail to truly act on it, at great cost to themselves and others. In this way, as readers, we are allowed to see a universal struggle between guilt and the struggle for happiness and peace, a narrative that could resonate for any person.

5.1. Summary of Key Findings

Key findings: The journey to understanding Frankenstein's treatment of forgiveness begins by examining the painful struggles Victor and the Creature experience with the act itself. This investigation highlights the immense tragedy that is the result of their mutually denied request for forgiveness. The refusal to forgive is transgressive of self, as both suffer individually before beginning to inflict harm on one another. Both Victor and the Creature seek outward means of acts of transformation which do not effect internal atonement. Their struggle is nuanced by a desire for acceptance, as well as the repugnance caused by experiencing the unacceptable. Though both wrestle with the desire for vengeance and restitution, it is hope and longing for acceptance that ultimately motivates their plea for reconciliation. Victor and the Creature voice their mutual longing before they violently and impulsively give themselves over to their uncaring and unrepentant selves.

A true request for forgiveness requires equalizing victims' experience with those who refuse to accept the unreasonable. The unjust one, guided by guilt or self-pity, is in need and this act is the opposite of forgiveness. The narrative explores revenge, suffering, and second chances. Victor Frankenstein's story depicts the need for revenge and reconciliation. Resentment and forgiveness are portrayed with distinct attitudes throughout the novel. The concept highlights vengeance as a second chance and a journey towards forgiveness. It shows that forgiving creates an opportunity for mutual reconciliation and transformation.

5.2. Implications and Relevance of Forgiveness in Frankenstein

Forgiveness complicates Frankenstein in multifold ways, serving as a mirror reflecting countless contemporary concerns: the reconciliatory role of guilt, the question of whether victims or society at large are owed vengeance, the imperative to move beyond addressing grievances, and of course the very rudiments of forgiveness. Unlike most mirror works, however, this thematic prompt is not likely to transform into a theme as we might describe it—apart from our world—because forgiveness concerns that wretched, villainous race Shelley invites us to recognize as our own. Her preoccupation with social resentments and ideologies pushes us to take this menace and the novel’s thematic commitment to forgiveness. The entire plight in terms of the closing quotes above, framing a brave new world in which “everyone is in a position to pardon and is implicitly on trial.”

Yet, if this reiterates Frankenstein’s focus on punishment or revenge, what warrants attention to forgiveness in the work? Regardless of contrition or forgiveness, or pity or pardon, the Frankenstein story forces us to reflect. It examines how we understand our emotions, our desire for accountability and missed opportunities, and the potential for reconciliation and redemption. Frankenstein challenges the creature to believe in our capacity for love, while Mary Shelley urges us to recognize the creature's grace, and sometimes, its creator's.