Mary Shelley
In this section narrated by Victor Frankenstein, the reader gets a deeper glimpse into the character and motives of Victor. The introduction of Elizabeth into the Frankenstein family and a verbal irony from Victor's mother reveal Victor's desire to control life that influences him to prepare his creation.
Victor was born to a woman dedicated to caring for her family: Caroline Beaufort. In fact, the primary cause of the marriage between Victor's father and Caroline had been Caroline's vigilance at her father's (and Victor's father's friend's (I apologize)) deathbed. Victor's recollection of his back story proves to the reader his admiration for caretakers of life.
Moreover, when Victor first meets Elizabeth, all desires to control life (benevolently) are made explicit. Although Caroline most likely aimed to introduce Victor to Elizabeth without evoking jealousy, Victor took her words literally: "I have a pretty present for my victor-tomorrow he shall have it," (Shelley, 18). This verbal irony uncovered Victor's obsessive attitude towards life: "... my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only," (Shelley, 18). Upon seeing a creature so fair, Victor desired to follow in his mother's footsteps and care for Elizabeth vigilantly. However, he would take his vigilance to a new extreme.
Undoubtedly, Victor's meeting Elizabeth prompted him to uncover the secrets of bestowing life so that he would never have to part with Elizabeth as he had to part with his mother. Specifically, Shelley warns the reader of the consequences of an obsession with altering the natural laws of death.
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