In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Justine Moritz is a minor character
that only appears briefly, but has significant importance to the development of
the plot. The conditions surrounding her arrest, trial, and eventual death shape
and reveal many traits about Victor and the creature.
In the novel, Justine is depicted
as an honest and virtuous girl. Although she was a servant, the Frankenstein
family thought highly of her and treated with respect. Justine, who was
rejected by her mother, had been taken into the Frankenstein family from a
young age and during this time Victor’s family had become especially fond of
her. We can see parallels between Elizabeth and Justine. They both are described
to as virtuous and kind-hearted. Like Elizabeth,
Justine was also taken in by the Frankenstein family. Her parallels with Elizabeth
foreshadow that Elizabeth also will die because of Victor’s creature.
When they hear about the
accusations brought against Justine, both Victor and Elizabeth believe she is
innocent. Victor believes that his creature committed the crime; However
Elizabeth is confident in the goodness of Justine. Elizabeth’s firm belief that
Justine is not guilty emphasizes the virtue of Justine and underlines the
immense injustice that Victor has subjected Justine to by not revealing the
truth of the situation at her trial. At Justine’s trial, Elizabeth speaks out
to defend Justine. However Victor remains
silent in fear of being judged and persecuted if he tells the world about the
creature he has created. This scene reveals an important aspect of Victor’s
character; Victor is shown to be self-fish and spineless. Even with the ability
to possibly save Justine, Victor still does nothing. However Victor still feels
remorseful about Justine’s death. He
describes himself as “the murderer of William and Justine” and continually despairs
over her death. Victor feels that he suffers far more from Justine’s death than
Justine herself because while Justine had a quick death and her innocence to
give her strength, Victor is burdened by weight of having multiple deaths on
his hands and having to live with the guilt and regret.
The framing of Justine for William’s
murder is also a defining moment for the creature. Before, the creature showed
no intention to harm or extend his own mistreatment to others. When the
creature saw Justine, he imagined that she, like everyone else, would detest
him and that she resembled another beautiful object that he couldn’t have. By releasing his anger toward Victor and the
rest of society by killing William, and framing Justine, the creature
demonstrates that he is finished passively being abused.
Justine’s death represents the loss
of innocence in both Victor and the creature.
While Victor had no idea that the creature would kill William and could
do nothing to save him, Victor did have an opportunity to save Justine. By not
trying to save her, Victor essentially allows her to die along with his innocence.
By framing Justine for William’s murder, the creature shows that he has evolved
from a peaceful, benevolent being to a volatile and revengeful individual.
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