Who is to blame? Mr. Heartless Victor or the Wretch?

“But even if I were condemned to suffer on the scaffold for the same crimes, I would not change places with such a wretch…I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer”(96)

I think Victor is the true murder and he even admits it, yet he still blames the wretch. It is reasonable to think that Victor cannot be blamed for the actions of the wretch, for it committed these crimes on its on. Also, it was clearly conscious of the crimes it committed,"“I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph; clapping my hands, I exclaimed,...and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him”(Kathleen's quote)(144)." It knew exactly what it was doing but because of its rage and anger against Victor it committed these crimes. I completely agree that the Wretch committed these crimes and I can understand why people would take a stand against it. However, think about, would the wretch have committed the crimes it committed if Victor treated it with some respect and love. From the beginning itself Victor ignored the existence of the wretch when he ran away after creating it,"escaped, and rushed down stairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited;." Victor chose to run away and hide from the mess he just created. As intelligent as he says he is, he couldn't even think about going back and fixing it. Instead he leaves and meets up with Henry Clerval. I believe if he had returned to the monster and fixed things, then he wouldn't have had to endure so much pain. Then again, if I came across a monstrous creature, I would have a ran away and pretended like it never happened. However, that is still no excuse for how he treated the wretch after it decided to come back to him to repent its sins and tell its story. After everything that had happened, the wretch still chose to come back but Victor, as arrogant has he is, didn't respect it,""Devil," I exclaimed, "do you dare approach me?... Begone, vile insect!..." This is his exact words when the wretch returned. The tone here is filled with disrespect, arrogance, disgust and hatred. I almost felt sympathy for the wretch because Victor treated it with so much hatred and it realized that this would be Victor's reaction just has everyone else's reaction,"I expected this reception," said the daemon. "All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things!." Here is a guy who gave birth to a hideous creature and runs away from it merely because he didn't like its appearance, and then when the creature decided to come back pleading for love, he treats it with hatred and disgust. This shows the cold heart Victor possesses. This is exactly the opposite of what the biblical parable of the Prodigal's Son depicts. In the parable, we see a son returning to his father after committing sins and the father accepting the son with open hands. However, in this novel, the son-like figure returns but is denied acceptance and he casted out hatefully. No wonder why the wretch goes on a rampage murdering innocent victims, because everywhere he goes, he is rejected hatefully. He tried to approach the blind man but is shunned out by the man's children. He tried to help a young girl but is shot by her father. Finally, he tries to go back to the only person he hopes might love him, his creator, but he too rejects him. Think about it, he has no one in the world to be with or share companionship with,""Shall each man," cried he, "find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?."The fact that he cried while saying this should have evoked sympathy in Victor's heart, but the heartless man still refused to accept him or even respect him. Now who do you think should be blamed? Yes, the monster convicted sins but he came back to the only person he had trusted and pleaded for forgiveness. If your child killed someone but came to you crying and begging for your forgiveness, asking you to help him escape the mess he is in. Would you cast him out? or Would you with teary eyes and a forgiving heart comfort the child and help him get out of the mess he is in. Even if a stranger came to me telling his story and crying for forgiveness and asking me for my help, I would try my best to help the person. It is natural for humans to feel obliged in helping others. However, Victor didn't feel the same way and even in his death bed he cursed the wretch,"Let the cursed and hellish monster drink deep of agony; let him feel the despair that now torments me." Overall, I think Victor is responsible for the crimes the wretch committed and Victor should have felt responsible. If he had treated the wretch with respect, most of the miseries he suffered could have been avoided.