Reflection_1.3: Reflection On Chap.24 - End

I think that the ending of the book makes us wonder if Frankenstein was ever truly redeemed. After committing great acts of hubris, he was punished severely and sought redemption in order to be saved from his punishments. Hmm... that sounds a lot like- (see picture)

THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER!

Okay, so let's look at Frankenstein from a "Rime of The Ancient Mariner" perspective. The creation of the monster resembles the sailor shooting the albatross. Frankenstein committed this act of hubris more knowingly, and thus, it was destined to have grave consequences. The monster eventually began punishing Frankenstein for his actions and Victor ultimately was left alone without any family or friends. Here is where "Frankenstein" and "Rime of The Ancient Mariner" split paths. The mariner eventually is redeemed for his actions as he is brought to his knees begging for it to end and shows true remorse for his past actions. However, in "Frankenstein", Victor is never truly redeemed, at least in my opinion. He never really shows remorse for some of his actions like embarking on a quest for scientific knowledge in the name of self-glory. Even as he is about to lie on his own deathbed in Walton's ship, he still exhibits some of the qualities that led him into the mess that he got into to begin with.

What is it that separates Victor's fate from the mariner's fate? Tragedy! The ancient mariner's ordeal is very tragic as he watches his own crew die before his own eyes, in a manner that put the blame on him. However, the tragedy ends as soon as the gods help him out and he is able to live life with his family (We assume). However, Victor's tragedy is persistent until the day he finally dies. Because of this, I think it is safe to say that "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is not a tragedy because the main character eventually finds redemption. "Frankenstein" is a tragedy because Victor dies unredeemed with the loss of all of his family and friends.

I think the main reason why Victor wasn't redeemed was because his thoughts betrayed his actions. He told a great tale about how science should not be pursued with motivations induced by hubris, yet he said to Walton later that "Hey man, if you're going to do this quest for glory and honor, I think it's worth it." This emphasizes the fact that Victor hasn't changed much at all and that he doesn't truly deserve redemption. Redemption comes to those who deserve it because they have shown a change of heart. At the end of the book, we still see that Victor hasn't really changed his heart 100%. Therefore, he is left unredeemed as he dies at the end of the book. He never truly dropped the albatross into the redeeming sea.