Title: Victor

Author: Karen Haber

Date of First Publication: 1991

Place of Publication: The Ultimate Frankenstein

Type: Short Story

Characters: Victor Frankenstein; The Creature; Elizabeth Frankenstein

Themes: ANDROID; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER

Critical Summary: The story begins with an old Victor Frankenstein lying in bed inside a snowy cabin. He begins to recount old memories and suffers from visions of his past coming back to haunt him. Throughout the narrative it switches between the Victor in the cabin and Victor in his memories/mind. The timeline of the memories are skewed. His first vision is of Justine hanging from a rope; Elizabeth is there and blames Victor. Victor claims he is innocent and meant no harm; however, Elizabeth is adamant that he and his “damned creature” are responsible. His next memory is of the process of creating the creature until he switches back to lying on his “deathbed.” It is then revealed that he fled to the north in order to escape the Creature. He has more memories, some of happiness, some of loss. Inside the cabin he begins to hallucinate and he regrets ever being interested in the supernatural sciences. He calls the creature a clever madman for orchestrating William’s murder and blaming it on Justine. Inside his cabin he has more visions of Elizabeth lying dead on the bed and Henry strangled in the snow along with his father. Suddenly he is alone but he hears a noise thinking that it is death approaching. He tries to lie still as he believes he might scare it away otherwise. The sound is footfalls that become heavier, he wonders if it is actually death.

The last memory is of Victor bringing the Creature to life. When the creature rises up and reaches out a hand, Victor runs away and bolts the door shut behind him. Inside the cabin Victor attempts to reason with himself saying that he tried to love the monster but that it’s hideousness made his fear and guilt too heavy so that it overcame him. The footfalls belong to the Creature, who has found him at last. The Creature grabs him and asks him if he is ready for death. Victor says that he is but the Creature is not convinced. Victor responds with defiance, wondering how  the Creature could be so evil. The Creature, taken aback says that he is not evil but that it is Victor who is the monster. Victor claims he is innocent but the Creature rebuts by saying that Victor pretended to know nothing and stayed silent while others continued to be killed in his place. Victor fears that even if he dies, the Creature will bring him back to life. Victor feels hands close around his throat, the pressure increasing. Victor awakes outside in the snow with no one else around. He tries to get up but is too weak. He hears the crunching of snow as mysterious footsteps come closer to him.

The story derives much of its material, and so themes, from the original text. We see Victor in his ‘madman’ state when he is so eager to bring the creature to life, excited that he will be the future of science and that all shall know his name. Meanwhile, he’s hacking up dead bodies, dressed in blood and ignoring the clearly valid concerns of his loved ones. The monster feels human emotion and this brings us to the sympathetic monster theme. We feel for him and that it’s not his fault that he was created nor was it his fault that he came out so ugly. The creature claims that Victor is the monster.

Administrative Notes:  Ariel Garcia, CSUF; Autumn Nevarez (editing)