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In Frankenstein, is Victor Frankenstein a symbol or a metaphor, and what qualities does he show?
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Victor Frankenstein symbolizes unchecked ambition and the consequences of neglecting responsibility. His pursuit to conquer death, though noble, lacks foresight, leading him to abandon his creation. This act reflects themes of selfishness and irresponsibility akin to a parent neglecting a child. Additionally, Victor is metaphorically linked to Prometheus, as both bring gifts with unintended destructive outcomes and suffer for their actions, symbolizing the dangers of overreaching in scientific endeavors.
Victor represents ambition without conscience or responsibility. His goal to defeat death is in some ways a noble one, but he does not think his plan through. When the Creature comes to life and is far uglier and more frightening than Victor expected, he abandons it. It is this act, more than the creation of the Creature itself, which dooms Victor and his loved ones. Had he stayed with his Creature, it would likely not have become a killer.
In this way, Victor could be seen as a representation of adolescent, selfish sexuality. The act of scientific discovery is compared to the sexual act, which brings pleasure from its consummation, but the unexpected result of the discovery is the birth of another being. Just as a father can abandon his own child, so does Victor with his own creation, leaving it without moral direction or emotional support.
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symbolism behindFrankenstein, you need to take a close look at the title of the novel. The entire title is "Frankenstein or a Modern Promethesus". The author, Mary Shelley obviously wants her audience to make a connection between Victor and the Greek Titan Promethesus, who, according to Greek myth, brought fire to mankind. He was punished for his crime by Zeus who chained him to a rock and had a bird eat his liver each day. At night, the liver would regenerate and the process began again.
Victor's monster, like Promethesus' fire, brought both good and evil to mankind. The monster was a great accomplishment for science, but Victor's inability to care for his creation launched the monster on a road to destruction. Like fire that is untended, the monster grew into a very destructive force.
In addition, Victor was punished severely by the results of his actions. Metaphorically, he had his liver eaten away by guilt, just as Promethesus endured his actual liver being eaten away. Fortunately, Promethesus was finally freed from his trials by Hercules but Victor rejects any help from Robert Walton or his monster and dies never fully understanding that his search for "science" was unnecessary.