Victor The Doppelganger In Frankenstein

The doppelganger, the double or counterpart of a living person, is often an important element of a gothic novel. While one may consider a doppelganger a twin of sorts, it can also be seen as an opposite or as a complement to the individual, by possessing different qualities. The novel Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley, portrays a monster, Adam, as the evil side to Victor Frankenstein’s character. Although the creature is the obvious double of his creator, he does not entirely represent Victor’s evil side.
On the surface, Victor appears to be an innocent, good and kind human being. His intentions for creating the monster seemed sincere: “I thought, that if I could bestow animation upon lifeless matter, I might in process of time … renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption” (55). Nonetheless, his actions would prove to be energized by fame and notability. It is really he that is the true monster. His monstrous nature is hidden by intellect and narcissism. He used his knowledge of the sciences to create a monster using body parts of the dead. Upon the monster’s resurrection Victor became overwhelmed and disgusted – “unable to endure the aspect of the being I had …show more content…
Later in the story, Adam kills Victor’s son as part of the revenge he promised. Adam has no sense of joy in his life, he feels vulnerable to mankind and ultimately miserable. He has been deprived of family and love. After the child’s body became motionless, he exclaimed, “I too can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him” (144). Adam has created despair for Victor just as Victor has robbed him of happiness by deserting