Chapters 7-9

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

At the beginning of these chapters, Victor is informed in a letter that his younger brother, William, has been murdered. This comes as a blow to Victor who has been busy recovering and surprisingly not caring about where his creation is or what it is doing. Victor returns home and is drawn to the spot where they found William; there, he sees what he believes to be the creature he created. In fully understanding the situation, he becomes fearful of that which he created which he identifies as a part of his soul, "I considered the being whom I had cast among mankind, and endowed with the will and power to effect purposes of my horror...my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to me," (Shelley, 51). How often are we "killed" by our creations, the creations of our vices. It seems that the things we hold onto most closely are those that eventually bring us down.