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Throughout the course of Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, Victor

expresses many various traits that define a romantic hero. Even though the creature
is an exile and an outcast, Victor is the romantic hero of the novel because his
passions are outside of control, he is well educated, and he is emotionally conflicted.
Victors passions are outside of his control, specifically his passion for his
scientific studies. !hen Victor is first describing his experience studying at the
"niversity, he shows that his passion for studying is out of control. #Two years
passed in this manner, during which $ paid no visit to %eneva, but was engaged,
heart and soul, in the pursuit of some discoveries, which $ hoped to ma&e' ())*.
Victors obsession with his scientific studies is so severe that he has cut off
communication with his family and Eli+abeth. This shows that his passions are
outside of control because normally, Victor would never let anything come between
himself and Eli+abeth.
Victor also allows his passion for scientific discovery to become out of his
control. Specifically, he wants to discover how to create life artificially. ,uring the
early stages of these pursuits, Victor experiments with human corpses in a grim and
immoral way. -The dissecting room and the slaughter.house furnished many of my
materials/ and often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation,
whilst, still urged on by eagerness which perpetually increased- ()0*. Victor says it
himself. 1t times, he felt sic&ened by what he was doing, but he could not resist his
urges. This further demonstrates that Victor's passions are outside of his control.
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Victor is a well.educated and sophisticated individual. This is shown through
his intense interest and love for natural philosophy, which he describes after he first
meets professor !aldman. #3rom this day natural philosophy, and particularly
chemistry, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole
occupation. $ read with ardour those wor&s, so full of genius and discrimination,
which modern en4uires have written on these sub5ects' ())*. Victor pursues his
scientific studies with great success due to his wor& ethic and passion for the
sub5ect. Victor demonstrates he is well.educated and sophisticated because he
excels in his studies of natural philosophy.
Victor also shows he is well.educated and sophisticated when he hears his
first lecture. 1t the conclusion of the lecture Victor thin&s to himself. -So much has
been done, more, far more will $ achieve6 treading in the steps already mar&ed, $ will
pioneer a new way, explore un&nown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest
mysteries of creation- ()7*. 8is response to the lecture demonstrates he has a high
level of appreciation for sophisticated and intellectual thin&ing. Victor's appreciation
and passion for science clearly demonstrates his high level of education and
sophistication.
Victor shows time and time again that he is emotionally conflicted and self.
critical. !hen Victor and the creature are arguing about the creation of a female
companion, Victor's position in the argument is unclear. #$ compassioned him, and
sometimes felt a wish to console him/ but when $ loo&ed upon him, when $ saw the
filthy mass that moved and tal&ed, my heart sic&ened, and my feelings were altered
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to those of horror and hatred' (27:*. Victor does not &now whether or not he wants
to provide the creature with a companion. The ;reature ma&es a good argument but
Victor already deeply regrets his first creation. This shows that Victor is emotionally
conflicted because part of him wants to create a female companion for the creature,
and part of him does not.
1 second example of Victor being emotionally conflicted and self.critical
occurs when he is second guessing his promise he made to the creature. #$ was now
about to form another being, of whose dispositions $ was ali&e ignorant/ she might
become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate, and delight, for its own
sa&e, in murder and wretchedness' (2<<*. Victor can not decide whether or not to
create the female companion. "ltimately Victor decides not to create the female
companion, even though he has already started the process.
Even though the ;reature is an exile and an outcast, Victor is the romantic
hero of the novel because his passions are outside of control, he is well educated,
and he is emotionally conflicted. Victor demonstrates each one of these traits clearly
and often throughout the course novel, further solidifying Victor as a romantic hero.
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