Journal #5: Victor Frankenstein vs. The Ancient Mariner

 

             Victor Frankenstein and the Ancient Mariner are punished for different acts of hubris. Victor's bestowal of life breaches the level amount of power a human has against Death. The Ancient Mariner's impulsive killing of the Albatross breaches the tolerable level of cruelty in the Natural World. This difference emphasizes each person's differing attitudes towards what is naturally set. Victor loathes death, while the Mariner doesn't at first value the creatures that are under humans.
            There is also a difference between the situation of Victor and the Ancient Mariner. Victor's isolation results in his act, while the Ancient Mariner is punished with the isolation that he has to to go through on the rotting ship. This suggests two differing themes of isolation. In Victor's case, isolation leads to unfavorable consequences such as the death of William. In the Mariner's case, isolation is a worthy punishment for random cruelty.
                Although their circumstances differ, Victor and the Mariner have to deal with the same long enduring punishment. The Mariner is cursed with an immortality that lasts until he has fully repaid his debt by warning others of his folly. Victor also has to warn others. As he continues to go after his creature, a symbol of Victor's pride, he is compelled to tell Robert Walton the whole ordeal in order to warn Walton. This similarity demonstrates that the theme of sin, guilt, and redemption can happen to anyone.