Quiz: Victor Frankenstein — The Creator and the Abandoned Literary Quiz
A creator fled his own creation; abandonment, not monstrosity, became the source of evil.
The Creation
The Creator and the Abandoned
Victor Frankenstein is the protagonist of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, first published in 1818. A young scientist driven by ambition and the desire for glory, Frankenstein discovers the secret of creating life. He assembles a humanoid being from stolen body parts and brings it to life during an electrical storm. But when the creature opens its eyes, Victor is horrified by what he has made and flees in terror, abandoning his creation.
The Righteous Dilemma
Victor Frankenstein’s story forces us to confront a foundational question of righteousness: When we create something—or someone—what is our moral obligation to that creation?
Victor’s moral failure is not in creating life—it is in refusing to take responsibility for that life. He abandons the Creature not once, but repeatedly. When the Creature begs for a companion to end its loneliness, Victor agrees, then destroys the half-finished mate in a fit of fear and disgust. Each act of rejection pushes the Creature further toward violence. The novel ultimately asks: Does a creator have an inescapable duty to care for what they have brought into existence?
“I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel…” — The Creature to Victor Frankenstein
Key Lessons on Righteousness
- Creation carries responsibility — To bring something into existence is to accept a duty of care toward it.
- Abandonment is a form of injustice — The Creature was not evil at birth—it was made monstrous by rejection.
- Ambition without ethics is dangerous — Scientific progress without moral reflection is a path to destruction.
- Justice requires empathy — True justice requires us to look beyond the surface and understand the other.
- Revenge never restores justice — Revenge does not heal—it only perpetuates suffering.