Complexly Crazy

Victor’s emotions are “complex” because he goes through three extreme emotions in a matter of two paragraphs. The transition from selfish to solitary to disgust happens so quickly, it makes it hard to decide which emotion is the hardest on him. The only emotions expressed in this passage have a negative affect on his mental stability. In fact, these three emotional states all provide a different sense of mental torture. The passage says he first felt the enthusiasm of success. But reading further, the lines, “a new species would bless me as its creator,” and “happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” show that this alleged success spawns from the glory that comes with the success, rather than the satisfaction of creating new life. While this need for approval may have, “supported his spirits” it set him up for the disappointment when failure, and worse, arose. After the brief first paragraph about victor thinking he’s awesome, his solitude becomes apparent when words like “alone” and “solitary” are used nearly every other sentence.  I mean, this whole book is about wanting and needing someone else in your life. Pull it together, Victor. He again references the all and mighty nature, which seems to be a prominent theme throughout the novel, when he “pursued nature to her hiding place. “ C’mon Victor… nature goes from owing her being to you, to her hiding place in a matter of four sentences? Clearly there’s an issue with this sudden mood swing. For me, the single most important line in this passage is when Shelley writes, “I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit.” This seems to be the only line that shows the relation between his numerous mental states. It still shows his selfishness in the sense he still has this drive to finish to prove a point. It shows his solidarity in the fact he’s lost all souls (including his own.) And it introduces his disgust with both himself and his work, “Often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation.” He’s finally realized how, well, crazy he has become. But this extreme fixation on his project has consumed all other rational senses to the point where he can no longer comprehend the severity of his actions. These three harsh emotions create the perfect concoction of complexly crazy.