Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Twitter
  3. Follow us on Instagram
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • About CBR
    • Getting Started
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
  • Our Team
    • Leaderboard
    • The CBR Team
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
    • Book Sale
    • CBR Merchandise
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Follow Us
> FAQ Home
> Genre: Fiction > Victor Frankenstein asks Reddit: AITA?

Victor Frankenstein asks Reddit: AITA?

Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

May 23, 2020 by KimMiE" 11 Comments

r/AmItheAsshole * Posted by u/doomedbyfate 1 hour ago

AITA for bringing a creature to life and then abandoning him, resulting in him vowing revenge and murdering a bunch of people?

I (20ish M) grew up in Geneva. My mother died when I was young, and her greatest wish was for me to marry Elizabeth, my adopted “cousin.” When I went off to college to study sciences, I discovered the secret to bestowing life. I can’t tell you how I did it, and when you read my story you’ll understand why. I decided to experiment on corpses, and I chose extra large dead people to work with, because I figured that would be easier. But when my experiment awoke, it was so repulsive, I couldn’t believe what I had done. I admit that creating it was a mistake, and I was scared, so I ran away from it. I got physically ill because the thing was so ugly, and my good friend Henry, who just happened to track me down at school, had to nurse me back to health. Fortunately, while this was happening, the creature just up and left. That was a relief.

By the time I got back to Geneva, though, my little brother William had been murdered. Even though our servant Justine was accused of the crime, I knew that the creature had done it. I couldn’t say that though, right? I mean, who would have believed me? Also, I would have looked bad. So I was really depressed when they hanged her. Why does everything happen to me? First, this creature I created turns out to be ugly, then my brother is murdered, then our servant is hanged for it, and I’m standing here helpless this whole time. Fate really did a number on me, that’s for sure.

But wait, it gets worse. I went to the mountains to relax, and that THING found me! He gave me a sob story about being abandoned by his creator, and about being hideous. I mean, it’s alright for him to be ugly, the rest of us have to look at him, for heaven’s sake. Turns out he learned to speak and read while spying on a family that lived in a cottage. He thought maybe they could be his friends (the father was blind), but once the son saw him, they drove him away and abandoned their home, and who can blame them? So this creature tells me I’m responsible for his loneliness and asks me to make him a mate. I was certainly in a tight spot, so I considered doing it. When it came down to it, though, I had too much moral fiber to unleash another monster on the world, so I destroyed my work. Now this thing is in the process of tracking down everyone I love and murdering them.

So, Reddit, AITA?

TLDNR; I created a sentient being and abandoned it. Now it’s killing people. Note: You can read the full manuscript of my story here.

toughlove: Dude, without a doubt YTA. You created a giant, intelligent being and then let it loose to kill people. In what world are you NTA?

gothgirl: It’s worse than that, he talks about being doomed by fate. He’s not taking any responsibility for his actions at all. He stood around and watched Justine get convicted and hanged without even trying to save her. Then he talks about how much he is suffering. Have you read his manuscript? He says, “The tortures of the accused did not equal mine; she was sustained by innocence, but the fangs of remorse tore my bosom, and would not forego their hold.”  Ugh! You created this thing, you are responsible for it! YTA

toughlove: “Desitiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.” Yeah, the guy is definitely delusional.

aholeslayer: Are we sure this is true? I saw a similar item cross posted on r/ghoststories. I smell troll.

gothgirl: I have no doubt it’s true. I went to college with guys like this. Think they can just bring something to life and abandon it and not take responsibility.

toughlove: Also this quote, “Thus strangely are our souls constructed, and by such slight ligaments are we bound to prosperity and ruin.”

gothgirl: So true. He was bound to prosperity by nature of his birth. He had every advantage in life and now he’s bitching about how “fate” screwed him over.

softhearted: OMG, what about that poor creature? What will become of it? He was alone and scared and had to learn everything on his own without a mother or father. What is going to happen to him? Verdict, YTA.

truthspeaker: This may be an unpopular position, but let’s not forget the creature murdered a child and is vowing to kill again. I agree OP is the bigger asshole, but I’m gonna have to say ESH.

softhearted: If you release a wild animal and it kills people, is the animal to blame? The creature never had anyone to teach it right from wrong.

truthspeaker: According to OP, the creatures said, “I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity: but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me.” That he says he was once benevolent shows that he knows right from wrong. ESH

softhearted: I disagree. If  he did once know right from wrong, he was driven mad when he was rejected by his creator and by society. We can’t judge his experience.

classclown: #creaturelivesmatter

moralscientist: YTA, but not just because you rejected your creation and it killed people; did you ever consider the ethics of this situation? You decided to play God without weighing the consequences of those actions. According to your manuscript, you want to destroy the creature, but that’s because you want revenge, not because you realize that the entire experiment was unethical. You should be reported to the scientific community and the dean, college boy. YTA

anarchist: Not to mention, this creature is so intelligent it learned to speak like an Oxford don basically by eavesdropping and reading a few books. Who bestows that kind of intelligence and then cuts it loose to murder and destroy? Besides God himself, I mean.

inquisitor: Info please: What’s the deal with this adoptive “cousin” of yours? Why did you even mention her in your description?

doomedbyfate: My parents adopted Elizabeth when I was 5 years old. They sort of raised her as my sister, but they always intended that I’d marry her. I brought it up because when the creature vowed revenge on me, he said he’d be with my on my wedding night. I figure he intends to murder me then, just as I’m ready to start a happy marriage.

classclown: Your parents adopted a sister for you to marry? That’s messed up.

inquisitor: Um, OP, are you completely self-absorbed? Has it even occurred to you that the creature might be planning to murder Elizabeth? Get over yourself for a second and start thinking about somebody else for a change!

doomedbyfate: You think he might want to kill Elizabeth? But I’m the one he hates. . .oh, shit.

inquisitor: BTW, YTA.

 

Filed Under: Fiction, Science Fiction Tagged With: cbr12, classic literature, classics, KimMiE", Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

KimMiE"'s CBR12 Review No:19 · Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction · Tags: cbr12, classic literature, classics, KimMiE", Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ·
Rating:
· 11 Comments

About KimMiE"

CBR13 participantCBR12 participantCBR11 participantCBR10 participantCBR  9CBR 6

I love reading nonfiction books, especially ones about nature, zoology, brain chemistry, and psychology. I also love the classics, especially Victorian lit, but I'm pretty open to new genres. View KimMiE"'s reviews»

Comments

  1. Malin says

    May 23, 2020 at 9:04 pm

    I love this review SO much! You are a genius for thinking of writing this as an AITA (since Victor Frankenstein quite clearly is one of the original assholes (other notable candidates Edward Rochester and Heathcliff and/or Catherine).

    So good. I’m in awe of you.

    Reply
    • andtheIToldYouSos says

      May 24, 2020 at 2:44 pm

      PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE write more of these as Rochester, Heathcliffe, and/or Catherine.

      Reply
      • KimMiE" says

        May 24, 2020 at 10:39 pm

        Haha, I don’t think I can handle re-reading Wuthering Heights, so somebody else had better take that one. Even as a sappy teen I hated Heathcliffe. I have to admit I have a soft spot for Rochester in spite of his asshole tendencies.

        Reply
        • andtheIToldYouSos says

          May 25, 2020 at 11:52 am

          ugh I am unfortunately still smitten in the Rochester department. I blame the Cary Joji Fukunaga adaptation.

          Reply
  2. Emmalita says

    May 23, 2020 at 10:25 pm

    This is brilliant. And it reads like every AITA thread.

    Reply
  3. KimMiE" says

    May 24, 2020 at 12:49 am

    Glad y’all like it. It was fun to write! 😄

    Reply
  4. Alexis says

    May 25, 2020 at 12:29 am

    This is so wonderful.

    Reply
  5. Bothari43 says

    May 25, 2020 at 9:32 am

    I think this needs to go in the CBR Hall of Fame along with PattyKates’ bible reviews.

    Reply
    • KimMiE" says

      May 25, 2020 at 8:33 pm

      😮 I wish to thank the Academy, my family, and Mary Shelley for this honor. 😭

      Reply
    • blauracke says

      May 26, 2020 at 7:04 am

      I second this motion. This is the stuff of legends!

      Reply
  6. denesteak says

    May 28, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    This is amazing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Recent Comments

  • andtheIToldYouSos on CBR Diversions – It’s Never too Late to Have a Happy Childhoodunfortunately yes : (
  • Scootsa1000 on CBR Diversions – It’s Never too Late to Have a Happy ChildhoodWhen I was little, my grandmother had a little reading table next to her couch, and The Thorn Birds, North & South, Mommy Dearest, and...
  • Scootsa1000 on when I hold you like I hold that bakelite in my handsYes, yes, yes to all of this. I love the story but really don't care one way or the other about ANY of the main...
  • MsWas on CBR Diversions – It’s Never too Late to Have a Happy ChildhoodFarmer Boy!! A bunch of years ago, I went into my jr. Cannonballer's room while she was reading the series, and she looked so sad....
  • MsWas on CBR Diversions – It’s Never too Late to Have a Happy ChildhoodThe Thorn Birds!!! I read that early on too. I don't think I read it when it came out in 1977, I would have been...
See More Recent Comments »

Want to Help Out?

CBR has a great crew of volunteers, and we're always looking for more people to help out. If you have a specialty or are willing to learn, drop MsWas a line.

  • How You Can Donate
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
  3. Google Pay
© 2021 Cannonball Read | Log in