Frankenstein II

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, both Victor and his creature experience parallel lives. That is, Victor and his creature correspond their moments of happiness and grief throughout their lives. For example, the first spring after the creature's birth, both are at happy points in their lives. Victor has just healed from his illness, and is flourishing in the companionship of his friend, Henry. Meanwhile, the creature is excited and anxious to begin his plan to reveal himself to "his" family. He admits he felt "the future gilded by bright rays of hope, and anticipations of joy" (81). Similarly, that winter both experience sorrow. Victor is unable to return to his family, due to weather that prohibits travel. At the same time, the creature experiences rejection from the family he has been watching. The final example is the creature's devastation at the "death" of his bride. His revenge, murdering Elizabeth, continues the parallelism of the two's lives.