Question

Frankenstein:

"I could not return to Geneva without being hailed as a criminal, as an assassin. This idea plunged me into a reverie so despairing and frightful, that even now, when the scene is on the point of closing before me forever, I shudder to reflect on it. Some time elapsed before I learned the history of my friends. It was one which could not fail to impress itself deeply on my mind, unfolding as it did a number of circumstances, each interesting and wonderful to one so utterly inexperienced as I was.

The name of the man was indeed known to me; for his history was no secret to anyone who knew anything of science; but I must observe, that the minute intimation of the duties of a magistrate, which had been given me by my father, had no particular reference to this part of the science. Thus, while I gave an infinite and imaginary scope to all the perils which surrounded me, it is not so wonderful that my imagination was at once quickened and suspended by all the wonders of science and the natural world."

Why didn't Victor tell his family the truth about the murderer?

Answer 1

Victor Frankenstein withholds the truth about the creature and the murderer from his family due to fear of being labeled a criminal, his own guilt, and the terror of facing the societal consequences of his scientific endeavors.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein refrains from telling his family the truth about the creature he created and the murderer because he fears the monstrous nature of his creation will be incomprehensible to them. He dreads being perceived as an assassin or a criminal if the truth were to come out.

Moreover, Victor struggles with a sense of personal responsibility and guilt, as he realizes that he is to blame for the deaths caused by the creature. Victor's own conscience and the societal implications of his actions trap him in isolation, prompting him to withhold the truth.

Furthermore, Victor's fear and dismay at the real-life implications of his scientific pursuits render him unable to face the consequences of his own actions.