FRANKENSTEIN

First things first. The opening to the book, the foreword by Walter James Miller. It's well-written and everything but it starts out with the outlook from like th eearly 1900's. By the year 2000 (or in this case 2035) we will cure diseases, engineer food to feed all the world's people, find an answer for death and be catered to by not only capable but sentient automatons. Aren't we getting a little carried away?
Sorry, anyway.
I suppose if I were to find athe biggest problem in the book it would have to be who the monster is described as being. Sure the creation is hideous and unstable buut it was made that way by Dr. Frankenstein. The whole setup with the letters seems to give Shelley a way to have Walton try and idolize and immortalize Frankenstein as this tragic hero. I mean sure he wanted to do right, but he's the real monster here. I just think Walton has a boner for Victor. Two egotistical men who have nothign but their ambotions ruling their lives and are the only ones capable of comforting one another. Get a room guys.
Walton constantly conveys to his sister that he is saddened by Victor's stories and feels bad for what has happened to him. WHAT!?!?!? I'm sorry but Victor brought this on himself and is wholly responsible for his own actions as well as the actions of his creation, whether he wants to do so or even believe it's his responsibility or not. Victor proves to be the worst possible father figure. He creates him for his own goals and then tries to throw him away.
Can you see him doing it with a baby? "Oh it's just not what I expected, it's too small and a little slimy, let's just throw this one away." ome on Victor, what happened to your conviction? He seemed so strong an ddetermined in the process to make it happen, but afterwards he just sort of fell apart.
Oh and let's not forget how high and mighty both Victor and Walton think they are, no wonder they get along so well. They're the kind of people who have never met a mirror they didn't like. it's no wonder in that they Walton is trying to justify what Victor has done, cause in some way he's created a monster as well, in himself. His ambitions are first and the lives of others seem insignificant as long as he can prove himself right. That fairly well goes for both of them though. They seem perfectly happy as long as things are going "perfectly" but once Victor saw the imperfections he was decimated by his own reality. Would Walton have the same issues? Are they learning from one another?
Victor is the real monster, that's my original point I never thought I finished. He abandones his creation when he realizes it's not exactly what he thought it would be. The real victim of the story is the crreation, which never even gets a name. the poor wretch is created to prove a point, maybe the point is that life isnt' a game and you lose when you try and cheat.