Throughout Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor repeatedly mentions his destiny and how it is unavoidable and soon to be fulfilled. He tormented me by continuously hinting at it, but never truly making clear what this "destiny" is. Finally, on page 158, I found my answer. "But such is not my destiny; I must pursue and destroy the being to whom I gave existence; then my lot on earth will be fulfilled, and I may die." Then I wanted to shoot myself for not having realized his destiny sooner. I always blog about foreshadowing, but I couldn't seem to analyze this most important aspect of the novel. Oh well! As they say in Spain, "no pasa nada." Now I know what Victor meant, and I can finally blog about the implications of this idea. First, I think this destiny is a central theme of the novel. The fact that Victor can't stop mentioning it somewhat hints at this.
Also, the unavoidable destiny reflects and is a fulfillment of the unavoidable misery forced upon Victor because of the monster's creation. As long as the creature, exists, he is haunted by the creature itself and by his dead friends and family in his daydreams. He can't be a functioning part of society any longer. Even if he could, the creature had killed off any real friends he had. His life truly was hopeless, and the only thing that keep him alive was his anger. "I dared not die, and leave my adversary in being (p 149)." Ultimately, either he or the creature had to die before the other could be appeased...only for him to die as wiell. (this reminds me of Harry Potter and Voldemort's horcruxes), because their mutual existence caused unending misery for both of them. Ultimately, Victor comes to terms with this destiny, and he dies in peace, having fulfilled his destiny to die in pursuit of his creation. In doing so, the novel's theme of unavoidable destiny is made clear.
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