The question is as mockingly simple as it is impossible to definitively answer: does Victor Frankenstein end up redeeming himself in the ending pages of the book? Does he come to face his mistakes and die just as tragically as his creation? I’m inclined to say yes.
Consider what we know about the good doctor (though surely biased narratives, granted, but we work with what’s given). Initially, his act of defiance against nature was little more than a claim for notoriety. Mirroring Walton’s blind expedition to the Arctic, Frankenstein wished to forge a path through uncharted wilds and conquer death. This ambition, of course, soured to panic quite efficiently after the doctor witnessed the life in his creature’s eyes. Frankenstein turned and fled the scene in what most can agree was an act of cowardice and a distinct shirking of responsibility. Frankly, the titular character came of the novel came off as incredibly immature in Volume I, like a child eagerly opening a Lego set on Christmas only to disown it after seeing the effort involved.
Later in the book, however, we see a very different Frankenstein; a character well versed in his own mistakes and taking action he believes will correct them. Frankenstein’s demon is oft seen as a tragic character because of his abandonment and social distancing, but in many ways Frankenstein represents the same ideas. The doctor can’t go forward with his case against the murderous creature because society would declare him out of his mind. Up until Walton’s arrival, Frankenstein can’t find support from anyone (Indeed, he ends up losing far more people in the story’s arc than he gains). Like his monster’s unrestrained passions and violence, Frankenstein embodies several weaknesses of human character: in this case, blind ambition, lack of foresight and responsibility. In fact one of the more distinct differences between the two wretches comes in Frankenstein’s attempt to rectify the situation.
While some may see the doctor’s relentless pursuit to destroy his creature as misguided or perhaps too extreme, there can be no argument that he at least made an effort to solve the Pandora’s Box he pried open. When tasked to create a mate for his monster, Frankenstein refused, putting his own life (he assumed) in danger to prevent humanity’s possible extermination at the hands of a new dominant race on Earth. He still has glaring flaws and echoes of his naive past, but the Frankenstein who dies attempting to cleanse the world of his contamination is far flung from the fame hungry scientific prodigy of earlier pages. Maybe hero is too generous a title to grant him. Perhaps he and his monster are just two peas in a pod, making mistakes and clumsily trying to patch them up over the course of the book. What do you think? Did the doctor redeem himself, or just dive deeper into insanity and petty revenge?
