alone. Solitude is his only refuge. The creature, on the other hand, has not chosen to be alone but has been completely alienated and ostracized by humanity. Solitude, to Victor's guilty conscience and tortured soul, is preferable. Solitude, tothe creature who craves the love and acceptance of someone, anyone, is torture.

This is an excellent question to consider, because one of the aspects of this Gothic novel that is so interesting is the way that Shelley creates a series of relationships that feature the "double" or the "doppleganger." There are a number of characters who have profound links with each other, and certainly Victor and the creature he creates are one of these examples of doubles in the novel.

At first glance, Victor and his creation appear to have very little in common. Physically, they are poles apart, with the monster being very tall and strong and of a terrible physical appearance that repels those around him, making it impossible for him to establish relationships. Victor is of course a "normal" human with regards to his appearance, and as such is much weaker than the monster.

However, when we begin to think about it, there do appear to be a number of similarities between the two characters. Both characters are recluses, shunning or shunned by civilisation. Of course, Victor chooses to distance himself from his fellow man, leaving his father, Elizabeth and his family by themselves deliberately to pursue his scientific research. The monster does not choose to shun man but is shunned by them. Yet both experience alienation and isolation.

Secondly, both show themselves to be thinking, rational and intelligent creatures. Victor's scientific knowledge speaks for itself, but the monster, too, shows himself to be an extremely intelligent and thoughtful creation. Note his ruminations on some of the classics that he read whilst observing the De Laceys:

I can hardly describe to you the effect of these books. They produced in me an infinity of new images and feelings that sometimes raised me to ecstasy, but more frequently sunk me into the lowest dejection.

The way that the monster finds literary parallels between his situation and that of Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost, for example, shows his capacity to reflect and think creatively--just the kind of qualities that Victor has already shown in gaining the knowledge necessary to create life.

Ultimately, Victor is undone by what the ancient Greeks called hubris, or overweening pride. Frankenstein believes himself, quite rightly, to be a man of genius. Unfortunately, he lets his vanity get the better of him, abusing his enormous intellectual gifts to create a monster. His intellectual isolation from just about everyone else makes him rather lonely. In that sense, he intends the monster to be some kind of companion for him. But the relationship that Frankenstein envisages between himself and his creation is one of subordination, of domination and control. He wants more than anything else to create a race of creatures who will worship him as their lord and master. In a word, Victor wants to play God.

Victor is also guilty of astonishing recklessness. He's so dazzled by his genius and by the enormous scientific breakthrough he's made that he's unable to see the potentially dangerous consequences of his creation. In thinking purely as a scientist, he's forgotten his humanity and his sense of responsibility to the wider world. He's unleashed upon his fellow man a dangerous creature capable of leaving death and destruction in its wake.

But Victor hasn't just shown reckless disregard for humanity; he's also shown a disrespect for nature. In creating the monster he's looked upon nature through a microscope, as it were; a thing, an object to be manipulated and controlled for his own benefit. Sadly, this is an all-too-common attitude in our world, and not just among scientists. Instead of acting as custodians of creation, we often exploit it, leading to the wholesale destruction of entire species and their natural habitats. Whether it's building nuclear weapons, creating and breeding man-made viruses, or systematically pumping out co2 emissions into the atmosphere, we too have unleashed our own monsters upon the world. In that sense, Victor Frankenstein's weaknesses are frighteningly close to our own. 

Victor Frankenstein's weaknesses include:

1. his over-vaulting ambition. In creating his monster and his hideous birth he hurt those around him and isolated him from the ones he loved.

2. Stubbornness. Victor was stubborn and unrelenting when the monster agreed to leave the world of man if only he had a similar mate to share his existence with.

3. His inability to assume responsibility in caring for and nurturing his creation. Things might not have turned out so horribly for Victor if only he had showered some love and attention on his creation. Instead, Victor was responsible for things turning out the way they did. If one was accepted and not abandoned, then the murders of Justine and Victor's brother wouldn't have happened.

A major weakness of Victor in Frankenstein is that like many tragic heroes, he has the flaw of hubris.  Hubris is a term coined from Greek dramas that basically means extreme arrogance or pride.  In Victor's case, his extreme arrogance or pride developed through his passion for science and his plan to take on the role of Creator. 

In discovering the means to reanimate dead flesh and make the Creature, Victor challenged the natural order.  He believed that he was worthy to "play God," and ultimately the result of Victor's foolish arrogance, the Creature, has a hand in Victor's tragic undoing. 

This is a great question! The monster is a far more complex character in Mary Shelley's novel than he is often presented in popular culture. He is well-rounded, even sympathetic, with many strengths and weaknesses.

The monster is extremely intelligent, as demonstrated by the fact that he taught himself language and how to read and by the extremely well-spoken manner in which he relays his life story. In his tale, he also reveals a sensitive, contemplative nature. He is almost philosophical in his assessment of himself and humanity. He is also obviously self-reliant, though not by choice. He found a way to survive on his own. Finally, the monster is determined, though he puts this positive trait to negative use in his quest for vengeance, and, physically, he is quite strong.

The monster's negative traits include his frightening appearance, which he cannot control, and, at least initially, his inability to control his own strength. He is lonely and grows resentful that his appearance keeps humans from treating him well. His experiences in the world lead him to become hateful and desire vengeance against his creator, Dr. Frankenstein.

The monster has several strengths and weaknesses, which is part of why he is such a complex character. 

Some strengths:

• Intelligence (he teaches himself how to read and speak!)
• Compassion (before things get really bad, he does try to take care of the DeLacey family by bringing them firewood AND tries to save a little girl from drowning)
• Strength (he is incredibly large, remember)
• Self-awareness (he reflects on his actions and why he has taken them)

Some weaknesses:

• Vengeful (he wants to hurt Victor emotionally by killing off his whole family)
• Violent (he kills William and Elizabeth with his bare hands)
• Self-absorbed (he really has trouble seeing past his own hurt and pain for the majority of the novel,  and who can blame him for that? So one could say he is absorbed in his own issues)
• His physical appearance is clearly one of his weaknesses. He cannot help this, of course.

Victor’s strengths are that he is intelligent, open-minded, and persistent. We know that he is intelligent because he can put together a creature from body parts and make it come alive. However, that is not the first time we see Victor’s intelligence. From a young age, he has an active, inquisitive mind that helps him accomplish his goals. “While my companion contemplated with a serious and satisfied spirit the magnificent appearances of things, I delighted in investigating their causes. (Chapter 2). His intelligence leads to persevere until he figures out how to make the creature. “I became acquainted with the science of anatomy, but this was not sufficient; I must also observe the decay and corruption of the human body” (Chapter 4).

Victor is open-minded in the sense that he sees or reads about an idea and he does not instantly reject it. “I read and studied the wild fancies of these authors with delight” (Chapter 2). He admires the ideas put forth by the authors he reads, even though these authors do not meet the approval of his father. “My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this; it is sad trash” (Chapter 2). Later, when Victor attends college, he is discouraged by M. Krempe from studying the very same authors. Victor takes this as more of a challenge.

Victor is also persistent. Once he decides to pursue his idea, he works at it tirelessly until he makes it a reality. “So much has been done – exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein –more, far more, will I achieve, treading in the steps already marked. (Chapter 3). He works night and day to achieve his dream of making and animating the creature. His persistence is also obvious later in the novel when he chases the creature to the ends of the earth to destroy it. When Walton decides to give up and return, Victor says, “You may give up your purpose, but mine is assigned to me by heaven, and I dare not” (Chapter 24).

Victor Frankenstein is by no means a perfect man, but he is a man with redeeming qualities. It is only through these qualities that he is able to achieve the ultimate goal of actually creating and reanimating a human being.

Victor Frankenstein describes his best friend, Henry Clerval, as a "boy of singular talent and fancy."  He wrote a fairy tale at the tender age of nine, and he read voraciously.  He would compose plays with various popular characters from his favorite stories for Victor, Elizabeth, and himself to act out.  In other words, Henry's strengths were his imagination, his writing ability, and his ability to truthfully depict human lives in his own creative works.  He also, as a young man, nurses Victor back to health when Victor becomes very ill after the creation of his monster.  Henry was nurturing and gentle and kind.

In terms of his weaknesses, he is, perhaps, too trusting.  He does not question his friend's integrity or intentions even when there is reason to do so; he only goes along with whatever Victor seems to need or want.  Had he questioned Victor about his real motives in wanting to delay his marriage to Elizabeth, it is possible that Victor would have revealed to him that he'd created a monster and was now tasked with making its mate.  Henry might have been able to protect himself or even distance himself from Victor (though it seems unlikely that he would).  It is difficult to find a real weakness in Henry himself as it seems that his biggest mistake was his choice of friend. 

Although he is a brilliant scientist from a wealthy family and is much loved, Victor's basic orientation is selfish.  He is egotistical and overly concerned with how he appears to the world - he first decides to push the limits of the unknown because he wants to leave his mark on the scientific world, and refuses to testify for Justine because he fears what the townspeople will think of him.  He is also single-minded to a fault.  During the time he was creating the monster at Ingolstadt, he completely isolates himself from family and friends, effectively cutting himself off from any sources of interaction and input that might have helped advise and temper his decisions to challenge the limits of "accepted" science.  Also, in his quest to capture the creature in the Arctic, he relentlessly pushes Walton's crew - who are already going out of their way for him - calling them cowards when they want to abandon the chase and return home. 

Victor's refusal to accept responsibility for his creation also stems from his basic self-centered nature.  The creature repulses him, and to acknowledge him before the world will make him look bad, so for the most part he just hopes it will go away.

In Mary Shelley's Gothic novel Frankenstein, the reader is too often able to see Victory's actions as characteristics of weakness. 

There is no doubt that Shelley approaches the question of Victor's desire to be God-like, and for creating life (something only God can do), he defies the laws of heaven and earth and is punished severely.

However, much like a parable of a good man who is led astray by hubris and curiosity, Victor is not a weak or irresponsible man at the story's beginning. 

One of Victor's strengths is his devotion to family and friends. While his actions unintentionally bring devastation down on those he loves, he is a man of staunch support and deep affection. Shelley describes Victor's love of Elizabeth, a child his parents adopt when she is very young:

…Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents' house—my more than sister—the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures.

And...

…[I] looked upon Elizabeth as mine—mine to protect, love, and cherish…No word, no expression could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me—my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only.

Victor is not gregarious; in fact, he would "avoid a crowd", except for one person—his best and most-loved comrade:

…I united myself in the bonds of the closest friendship to one [of my school-fellows]. Henry Clerval...was a boy of singular talent and fancy.

Victor is a young man who appreciates the things he has. He is not, by nature, grasping for money or power—these things do not motivate him.

No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence. …When I mingled with other families I distinctly discerned how peculiarly fortunate my lot was, and gratitude assisted the development of filial love.

While a thirst for knowledge becomes Victor's undoing, this quality is admirable even though it is a double-edged sword. Victor's intent is never to rise above his station in the universe. He does, however, have an insatiable curiosity.

The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine. Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember.

This is strength to be commended for in studying the world around him, Victor grows in knowledge. Unfortunately, he does not grow in wisdom!

Victor is exultant as he discovers the secret to creating life. He becomes obsessed with being a benevolent creator; however it is also praiseworthy to note that he believes he could bring good into the world with what nature has revealed to him:

Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world. […] Pursuing these reflections, I thought that if I could bestow animation upon lifeless matter, I might in process of time (although I now found it impossible) renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption. 

The reader can admire Victor as he ultimately endeavors to share his experiences in order save others from making the same disastrous mistakes he has made—he finds within himself compassion for others…to share wisdom he had never before recognized:

Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.

Perhaps in the story's themes we can discover the cautionary nature of this story. Victor discovered early on that he had a desire to...

...penetrate into the recesses of nature and show how she works in her hiding-places.

As we read Victor's story, we discover his deep-rooted curiosity. He loves his family and friends, and is extremely grateful for the life he has been given and the blessings of his childhood joys and the goodness visited upon him by his parents. While Victor attains great knowledge, his actions are sparked by an immature and irresponsible wish to learn more, even if it is dangerous—something he never considers.

For example, Victor notes that his father had attempted to shield him from the darkness of life—something he mentions when he intentionally searches out corpses in order to study death and decay, aware that his father would be horrified.

Victor is foolish in believing that man has a right to know the secrets of the world and use them indiscriminately. In theory, his aspirations seem harmless enough—his original intent is that in some way, his knowledge might benefit the world in fighting off death. It is only when he sees the consequences of his work that he understands what he could not have anticipated before: the horror of his actions and the results of his work…the creature that nature—God—would have wisely known not to create.

Victor clearly demonstrates his immaturity by running away from his responsibility after sparking life in the monster. (In this moment, he ceases to be a scientist and acts more like a child.) He forgets the very tenets of parenting that he experienced at the loving hands of his parents. Foolishly, he also overlooks that need of love and care the creature desires, just as Victor had experienced as a child and a young man. And it is only when he faces personal devastating loss at the creature's hands that he finally realizes what his actions require—that he stop the monster from harming anyone else. Though too late in coming (where his friends and family are concerned), his decision to make things right is also admirable.

Victor had many admirable qualities as a young man. However, he foolishly lets his ambitions blind him to his responsibilities—not only as an adult, but also as a scientist and a man. Shelley seems to say that brilliance comes with responsibility, and man should know his limitations with nature, with God.

In the book, Frankenstein, Victor and the creature (or arguably "the monster") share many commonalities and differences in language that encourages the readers to reflect on who the monster truly is in the story. Although the creature and Victor initially appear blatantly different, Mary Shelley utilizes their language to show they have more in common than appears initially, especially in relation to their use of language to gain power.

Foremost, Victor often uses language to empower himself more through education. As seen in the story, Victor uses language (verbal and written) to learn more about science, especially with "forbidden" sciences. With this, Victor eventually becomes a social hermit who spends much time alone, studying books for the power in language and as a result, he creates the creature. 

On the other hand, the creature also uses the power of language, but his original purpose is for a different intention. When the creature finally finds a small French family that he wants to connect with and relate to. He learns language to empower himself to fulfill this goal. However, his plans of utilizing language's power are not successful (although he does acquire the language). 

As a result, both the creature and Victor utilize language for power. For Victor, he desires language's power to become more knowledgeable and even to create life. On the other hand, the creature desires to use language's power to connect with others. Unfortunately, although both were successful in utilizing language, language became a double-edged sword that facilitated much damage and left both characters with regret. 

Victor and the monster share many traits, for example, they are both irresponsible.  Victor creates the monster and then abandons him, leaving him to figure out who he is, what he is, and how he is expected to live in this society.  Victor's indecent abandonment of the creature is like that of a parent who has left his child with no guidance and no family to turn to for help.

Victor's behavior lacks an understanding of his responsibility to the creature, the monster that he strived to give life to, and now, as expected the monster begins to act in an irrational, irresponsible and dangerous manner.  Victor's dangerous behavior was to create the monster in the first place, but to leave him exposed, alone and unleashed on an unsuspecting public is the height of irresponsibility.

The monster is very emotional, has deep feelings and longs to be accepted by the soceity that cannot bear to look upon his likeness without reacting in horror.  As punishment for Victor's betrayal, the monster systematically destroys all the people that Victor loves.  Victor had promised the monster a female companion, started assembling her, and then became terrified at the idea that the two monsters might be able to create little monsters together, and dumped the unfinished body of the female in the river.

In an act of fury and revenge, the monster kills Victor's new wife, both Victor and the monster are left alone, lonely and desperate to punish each other.  Victor's quest to stop the monster becomes a game between the two until Victor becomes so ill that he dies.  

The monster, desperate and isolated looks upon his creator in his coffin and weeps with misery and loss.  Both Victor and the monster have been deprived of real love and acceptance.       

Even though he fled from his creation, I think that the monster and Victor share some distinct and real similarities.  One one hand, both seek to appropriate the world in accordance to their own subjectivity.  Victor appropriates his world through science.  Scientific inquiry and rationality allow him to see the world through his own eyes and his appropriation of it is done through this domain.  At the same time, being a product of social conditioning, the Monster ends up appropriating the world in accordance to his own subjectivity.  His frame of reference is anger and vengeance for the wrong done to him.  When the monster kills, he does so because out of his own sense of personal wrong and a lack of justice.  Remember that at the monster's "birth," his first inclination was to approach his creator and experience rejection and the pain of being shunned.  In this light, Shelley draws the argument that we are, to certain extents, the products of our own social interaction.  Within this, the monster appropriates the world in accordance to his own subjectivity, that of anger and loss.  In both experiences, the characters connect to their objective and external reality based on their own subjective experiences.

I'm assuming you meant how do you contrast Victor and the creature, since Frankenstein is Victor's last name.  Only through pop and media culture has society begun to think of the creature as actually begin named Frankenstein, so be careful.

As far as how the two are contrasted, one way to look at it their individual ways of thinking.  Victor tends to lean more towards an emotional thought process.  For instance, he becomes so blinded by his ambition while creating the creature that he doesn't even notice what the creature is beginning to look like.  Nor does he think through any possible negative consequences.  The creature, however, tends to use a much more rational thought process, planning out his actions and his arguments with precision.