Passage on page 32- Mary Shelley's attitude towards Frankenstein

Mary Shelley clearly shows her mixed feelings about Victor’s creation in this passage. At first she shows her amazement and admiration for Victor’s work by praising him and his accomplishments. She basically makes him a “god-like” figure. Many believe that only a higher power, such as a god, has the ability and power to create life. Victor takes on this role in the passage. He describes how life and death are merely “ideal bounds” (Shelley 32) and therefore shows his immense power. She also describes him as a “creator,” (Shelley 32) reaffirming his god-like powers. Shelley, in granting her character such abilities, goes against a widely-held belief of the time: only a higher power could do what Victor did and create life. Shelley shows that she has great respect for Victor in giving him such gifts. 

In the second paragraph, Victor and Shelley both realize that they have created a monster. In the first paragraph Victor calls himself a proud father who wants to be involved in the life of his creation. However, once he realizes the sheer horror of what he has done, he wants absolutely nothing to do with his creation. He now calls his work “a filthy creation;” (Shelley 32) he no longer feels pride in his great accomplishment. This contrast adds great complexity to Victor’s character and exposes Shelley’s true feelings towards both Victor and the monster. She knows she has unleashed this menacing beast on the world and no longer approves of Victor’s work; she faces much difficulty in accepting that what her character has created is so awful and real. In this paragraph she does not make Victor seem god-like in any way. She now makes him seem almost devil-like in unleashing this demonic creature on the world. In so deliberately contrasting the emotions in these two paragraphs, Shelley adds great complexity to Victor’s character and her attitude towards him. She makes a statement that Victor does not possess any higher and respectable powers; he is not good at all. He has done something truly evil.