Health

"...but I have endured misery, which nothing but the eternal sentiment of a just retribution burning within my heart could have enabled me to support." Pg. 153

     Since the beginning of the novel, readers have been acquainted with the physical stamina of Victor during the pursuit of his various convictions or passions. Just as when he goes into a shock after the creature is created and when he discovers Clerval murdered, Victor endures these times of physical exertion and pays them no attention when focusing his efforts on his current devotions. Victor, in fact, mentions many times how he is pushed to the limits of his physical ability, but he never succombs to the exertion until he is old, frail, and weakened by time and stress. The packet and outline for this book mentions the significance of health in this book, and how it affects the action and motivation of the characters. Because Victor is tested many times to his physical limits and emerges victorious over his limits, the physical portion of his health becomes less important than the mental aspect (not to say that he is not valiant in his endurance). However, what Victor truly seeks in his pursuit of the creature is peace of mind, which could also mean sound mental health. In this way, mental health becomes much more important than physical health. Although it may seem obvious, the longing for mental health and its inability to be obtained lead to the death of the creature and Victor.