Do we like them?

Do we like Victor Frankenstein?

A character from Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818)

Our score: 2 out of 10. Brilliant and sympathetic at first, but he runs from every consequence of his own choices. We wouldn't back him, though we'd pity him.

Victor grows up in a loving, wealthy family in Geneva, with a keen curiosity about natural science. At university he becomes consumed by the idea of conquering death and creating life. The novel is framed as his own account, told to an Arctic explorer who finds him worn out and pursued.

His main flaw is not the science but what he does afterward. He feels horror at his creation and cannot face the duty a creator owes it. He hides, avoids blame and keeps secrets even when honesty could protect people. Readers often read him as a warning about ambition without responsibility, which is why he scores so low.

His failure to act has terrible costs. The creature, abandoned and rejected, turns bitter and takes revenge on those Victor loves. Victor spends the rest of his life in guilt and pursuit, and by the end he is a broken, tragic figure who still blames fate more than himself.