Frankenstein
Responsibility
Responsibility in Frankenstein
In Chapter 5, Victor hoped that the creature left the apartment after he created him and that he would never have to tell Henry about it. He did not care about what the creature was doing, and therefore would not have felt any responsibility for its actions.
In Chapter 9, after the deaths of William and Justine, Victor did not feel guilty. He knew that the creature had caused their deaths, but he was angry at the creature and really felt no responsibility at all.
In Chapter 10, the creature stated that he believed that Victor was responsible for him because he was his creator. Victor had not been treating him well or taking any responsibility for his own actions in creating life.
At the end of Chapter 16, the creature told Victor to create a companion for him. He did this because he felt that Victor was responsible for his happiness. Victor agreed to do this because he felt obligated and did not want the creature to kill anyone else in his family.
In the beginning of Chapter 20, Victor realized that he should not build a companion for the creature. He already regretted that he created one life, and feared that the next creature might have been even worse. He started to feel responsible for his own actions, realizing that creating life would have consequences, and he finally was beginning to learn from his mistakes.
In Chapter 22, Victor was imprisoned from being accused of murdering Henry. He finally started to accuse himself of the murders of his loved ones, and realized that their deaths were consequences of his own actions. They never would have been killed if he had not created the creature or had taken the opportunity to destroy it.
In Chapter 24, Victor visited the cemetery where William, Elizabeth and his father were. He knew that their deaths were his fault, and he finally decided that it was his responsibility to destroy the creature, which he vowed to spend the rest of his life doing.
Modern Connection
Although parents are responsible for supervising their children, many believe that they should give their children some independence. How much independence the children should have is often in debate. For example, in Maryland, a couple was being investigated by Maryland Child Protective Services for neglecting their children when they were reported for allowing them to go to the park by themselves even though they were only six and ten years old. These parents believed that they were still being responsible and not putting the children in any danger because they were only playing outside.
Works Cited
Bean, Sara, M.Ed. "10 Things Parents Are Responsible For." Empowering Parents. Legacy Publishing Company, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Smith, Candace, and Lauren Effron. "'Free Range' Parents Found Responsible for Child Neglect After Allowing Kids to Walk Home Alone." ABC News. ABC News Network, 3 Mar. 2015. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Webb, Candace. "Responsibilities & Duties of Parents." Everyday Life. Global Post, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.