Psychoanalytic criticism analyzes motivations, which are the compelling force behind life's myriad decisions. Mary Shelley inventively evaluates the incentives responsible for pushing Frankenstein's characters towards their fateful downfall; making Frankenstein a primary source for psychoanalytic study. Shelley's novel follows the work of a promising chemist, Victor Frankenstein, who makes an extraordinary discovery that has the potential to forever alter scientific study and the nature of human life. Ultimately, this science becomes responsible for Victor's tragic fate. Before Victor's revolutionary breakthrough, he had begun a process of detachment from the rest of humanity; following the completion of his experiment, his sanity rapidly deteriorated. Victor's shocking creation was abandoned and denied acceptance by society, leading to a violent demand for attention and a corrupt moral code. All the death and destruction Victor experienced could have been avoided if he had never gained the ability to bring the lifeless back to life. The consequences of the scientists' extraordinary experiment were lethal. Isolation from those willing to support him, rejection by society, and the awareness of a dangerous scientific impossibility explain Victor Frankenstein's fatal misunderstanding of reality and his eventual downfall. Isolation from family, friends, and civilization significantly encouraged Frankenstein's characters to lose touch with reality and may be blamed for Victor's defeat. The nature of Victor's secluded lifestyle had its origins in his childhood and his overindulgence towards the subject of natural philosophy. As a child, Victor spent much of his time reading because…half of the paper…are responsible for Victor's tragic downfall. If Mary Shelley's characters, as a whole, had been more open to those who are different or struggle with an abnormality, Frankenstein's monster would not have been subjected to such tormenting desolation, which ultimately led to violence. Although reality may be subjective, society, as well as science in society, cannot escape certain universal principles. No matter how noble Victor's initial intentions for his experiment were, his obsessive and isolated nature prevented the scientist from recognizing the cruelty of his experiment. Some may argue that the pursuit of scientific knowledge is outside the bounds of society and reality. However, history has shown that scientific knowledge consistently has real-world moral and physical implications. Works Cited Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein.