Characters are a defining factor of any story. A novel with a unique and interesting plot can only be better developed with a set of characters that portray the emotional connection to real life, beckoning to the reader to imagine and believe. In Mary Shelly's novel, Frankenstein, both Victor and the monster he creates have personalities that tell an enormous amount about their parts in the story, and the story itself.
Victor Frankenstein is a man who is constantly searching for meaning in his life. This is shown in his interest in alchemy, and his obsession with installing life in a lifeless creature. He admits his lack of power, as if he were possessed, by stating, "One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was the human frame, and indeed, any animal endued with life Unless I had been animated by an almost supernatural enthusiasm, my application to this study would have been irksome, and almost intolerable." .
Victor wants to find a knowledge that has yet to have been discovered, and he finds this possibility in the human anatomy. This search portrays the idea that he is unhappy with himself, caused by some aspect of his life. His whole existence was devoted to creating life and having someone owe their existence to him. "A new species would bless me as its creator and source," he says, "Many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me." Victor tried to make his creature perfect, and he "selected his features as beautiful," which again shows his nature of being unhappy with himself. .
Victor's personal issues also reflect an inablility to love. When He and Elizabeth first realize their feelings for eachother, Victor is reluctant. He has disturbing dreams, one entailing him embracing Elizabeth, but as he "imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death," and he sees his mother's dead figure before him.
