Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
chaps 13-24
Especially in the second half of the novel, parallels are evident between Victor and the creature; they are compared in many ways. They are primarily similar because of the creature and its desire to have Victor feel some of the suffering that the creature felt. But even after all of Victor's anguish, the creature maintains that Victor still had not come close to the despair the creature experienced. Though Victor is dead and the monster comes to repent, it still says, "[Victor] suffered not in the consummation of the deed; -oh! not the ten-thousandth portion of the anguish that was mine during the lingering detail of its execution" (Shelley, 163). Regardless of the creature's beliefs, the two are much more similar that they are different. They are both withdrawn, avoid people, posses expansive knowledge, and experience intense emotions such as deep grief or uncontrollable rage. A quote from Victor could just as easily have been attributed to the creature: "But busy, uninteresting, joyous faces brought back despair to my heart" (Shelley, 115). Victor even goes on to say that there is a wall between him and man because of the tragic deaths of those close to him and the grief he feels. The creature was also set apart from the world, and misunderstood.
Another similarity the creature creates is when it kills Victor's wife after Victor destroys the beginnings of the creature's mate. Both seek revenge. We can see more and more parallels between creature and creator as the novel comes to a close.
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