Edition note: An independent English essay on Frankenstein. Full-book spoilers.
On a remote island, Victor looks at the unfinished female body and tears it apart while the creature watches through the window.
He had promised to make a companion in exchange for the pair leaving human society. Now he imagines that she may reject the agreement, refuse the first creature, reproduce, or become more violent than he is. Her possible freedom appears to him only as risk.
The creature asks for someone who will not recoil from his appearance and can share a life beyond human settlements. He is not wrong that companionship is a condition of flourishing, or that Victor helped make ordinary companionship almost unreachable.
But no deprivation gives one person title to another. A newly created woman could not be born already owing love, exile, or sexual partnership. If she is truly alive, she must be able to refuse the role for which she was made.
The proposed compensation therefore repeats the original mistake. Victor and the creature negotiate over a third life as though her future were property that could settle their account.
The unfinished being has not awakened. Destroying the body is not identical to murdering the conscious creature at the window. Victor is entitled to stop an experiment whose consequences he no longer accepts.
Yet he does not stop through a public reckoning or a plan for the life already created. He acts alone, driven by fantasies of control, and makes the destruction a spectacle for the creature. The gesture says again: I alone decide which lives may begin and which relations count.
Afterward, the creature vows to be with Victor on his wedding night. Both now use people outside their conflict as messages to the other.
The creature kills Clerval and Elizabeth; Victor turns revenge into the only purpose keeping him alive. Their pursuit reaches Walton's ship, where another ambitious man has placed a crew in danger for discovery.
Walton finally turns back when the sailors ask to return home. The decision does not make him less daring. It shows ambition meeting other people's right not to be spent by it—the limit Victor repeatedly refused.
After Victor dies, the creature mourns beside the body and announces his own death. Walton cannot verify what happens after the figure disappears onto the ice. The open ending withholds the ownership both men wanted. Creator and creation have destroyed nearly every relation between them; the last witness can only watch the remaining life move beyond the story, carrying guilt that no final act can make clean.
版本说明：中文原作；简体与繁体同页切换。涉及完整剧情。
偏远岛屿上，维克多望着尚未完成的女性身体，在造物隔窗注视下把它撕毁。
他曾答应为造物制造伴侣，条件是两者永远离开人类社会。现在，他开始想象新生命也许拒绝协议、拒绝第一名造物，或者繁衍后代，甚至比对方更加暴力。她可能拥有的自由，在维克多眼里只以风险出现。
造物想要一个不会因外貌退缩、可以在远离人群之处共同生活的人。他没有说错：陪伴是良好生活的条件之一，维克多也确实使普通陪伴变得几乎无法抵达。
可匮乏不会给任何人对另一条生命的所有权。新造出的女人不能从出生起便欠下爱情、流亡与性伴侣关系。若她真的活着，就必须可以拒绝自己被制造来承担的角色。
这项补偿因此重复了最初错误。维克多与造物谈判第三个人的一生，仿佛她的未来是一件可以结清双方旧账的财产。
尚未完成的存在没有醒来，毁掉身体并不等同于杀死窗外那个已经有意识的造物。维克多有权停止一场自己不再愿意承担后果的实验。
可是，他没有通过公开审视停止，也没有为已经活着的生命提出安排，而是再次独自行动，受控制幻想驱动，还让销毁成为给造物观看的场面。动作又一次宣告：只有我能决定哪些生命可以开始、哪些关系算数。
此后，造物发誓会在维克多的新婚之夜出现。两个人都开始使用冲突之外的人，向对方传递消息。
造物杀死克莱瓦尔与伊丽莎白，维克多则把复仇变成维持生命的唯一目的。追逐抵达沃尔顿的船，另一名怀抱宏大雄心的人也正为了发现让全体船员陷入危险。
水手要求回家以后，沃尔顿终于返航。决定没有使他变得怯懦，只是让雄心遇见别人的拒绝权——他人不该被雄心花掉。这正是维克多一直不肯接受的界线。
维克多死后，造物在尸体旁哀悼，又宣布将结束自己。身影消失在冰面以后，沃尔顿无法证明发生了什么。开放结局拒绝把所有权交给任何一方。创造者与造物已经摧毁两人之间几乎所有关系，最后的见证者只能看着剩余生命离开故事，带走一份无法被最后动作洗净的内疚。
版本說明：中文原作；簡體與繁體同頁切換。涉及完整劇情。
偏遠島嶼上，維克多望著尚未完成的女性身體，在造物隔窗注視下把它撕毀。
他曾答應為造物製造伴侶，條件是兩者永遠離開人類社會。現在，他開始想象新生命也許拒絕協議、拒絕第一名造物，或者繁衍後代，甚至比對方更加暴力。她可能擁有的自由，在維克多眼裡只以風險出現。
造物想要一個不會因外貌退縮、可以在遠離人群之處共同生活的人。他沒有說錯：陪伴是良好生活的條件之一，維克多也確實使普通陪伴變得幾乎無法抵達。
可匱乏不會給任何人對另一條生命的所有權。新造出的女人不能從出生起便欠下愛情、流亡與性伴侶關係。若她真的活著，就必須可以拒絕自己被製造來承擔的角色。
這項補償因此重複了最初錯誤。維克多與造物談判第三個人的一生，彷彿她的未來是一件可以結清雙方舊賬的財產。
尚未完成的存在沒有醒來，毀掉身體並不等同於殺死窗外那個已經有意識的造物。維克多有權停止一場自己不再願意承擔後果的實驗。
可是，他沒有通過公開審視停止，也沒有為已經活著的生命提出安排，而是再次獨自行動，受控制幻想驅動，還讓銷燬成為給造物觀看的場面。動作又一次宣告：只有我能決定哪些生命可以開始、哪些關係算數。
此後，造物發誓會在維克多的新婚之夜出現。兩個人都開始使用衝突之外的人，向對方傳遞消息。
造物殺死克萊瓦爾與伊麗莎白，維克多則把復仇變成維持生命的唯一目的。追逐抵達沃爾頓的船，另一名懷抱宏大雄心的人也正為了發現讓全體船員陷入危險。
水手要求回家以後，沃爾頓終於返航。決定沒有使他變得怯懦，只是讓雄心遇見別人的拒絕權——他人不該被雄心花掉。這正是維克多一直不肯接受的界線。
維克多死後，造物在屍體旁哀悼，又宣佈將結束自己。身影消失在冰面以後，沃爾頓無法證明發生了什麼。開放結局拒絕把所有權交給任何一方。創造者與造物已經摧毀兩人之間幾乎所有關係，最後的見證者只能看著剩餘生命離開故事，帶走一份無法被最後動作洗淨的內疚。