In Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, the creature survives until the end of the story, witnessing Victor Frankenstein's death aboard Robert Walton's ship before disappearing into the ice. This outcome emerges from a chain of events culminating in the creature's final appearance in Walton's letters, where he addresses Victor directly and describes his intentions after his creator's death. The conclusion is not an abrupt death or arrest but a withdrawal into isolation, framed by Walton as the creature's chosen response to loss and moral responsibility. The following sections clarify the sequence, context, and significance using direct references to the novel.
The Creature's Presence at the Novel's End
The creature is physically present in the final narrative frame, aboard Walton's ship in the Arctic. After Victor dies, the creature boards the vessel and speaks with Walton, explaining his role in the deaths of William, Justine, Clerval, and Elizabeth, as well as his participation in the burning of the female companion. Rather than dying in combat with Victor or being apprehended by authorities, he remains alive, addresses Walton directly, and describes his intention to kill himself by burning on a pyre, a wish he ultimately acts upon. This scene is recorded by Walton in a letter to his sister, Margaret Saville.
Direct Dialogue in Walton's Letters
In Walton's final letter to Margaret, the creature appears on deck and speaks with Walton, reflecting on grief, responsibility, and the consequences of his actions. The creature tells Walton that he is about to end his suffering, recounts the moral injuries inflicted by humanity, and links his fate to Victor's death. Walton's account is the only direct record of these words, forming the primary textual evidence for the creature's final statements and intentions.
Fate After Victor's Death
Once Victor dies aboard Walton's ship, the creature does not escape or evade. Instead, he announces his plan to kill himself, stating he will burn his own body to ashes. Walton observes or hears about the aftermath through the crew's reports, confirming that the creature disappears, presumably consumed by fire or the elements, leaving no body to claim or bury. This conclusion underscores themes of self-destruction, guilt, and the impossibility of redemption outside human society.
Narrative Structure and Perspective
Understanding the creature's fate requires attention to the novel's nested narrative structure: Walton's letters frame Victor's account, which frames the creature's story. Because Walton's perspective shapes the final scenes, readers receive the creature's last actions and words through a mediated lens. This structure affects how the creature is interpreted at the end, balancing his expressed remorse against his capacity for violence and manipulation.
Walton's Observations of the Creature
Walton portrays the creature as physically diminished yet emotionally intense, speaking with eloquence and despair. Walton notes the creature's emaciated appearance, his sorrow, and the chilling calm with which he discusses murder and self-destruction. These details shape the reader's sense of the creature's psychological state at the end, emphasizing isolation and the consequences of abandonment.
The Creature's Last Words to Walton
In the creature's final address, he describes himself as the 'murderer of William, of Justine, of Clerval, of Elizabeth,' and takes full responsibility for their deaths while blaming Victor and society for shaping his choices. He tells Walton that he plans to kill himself so that his 'moldering body' will 'pollute no earth' and 'no miseries' will follow him beyond death. This speech consolidates the moral and thematic closure of the novel.
Thematic Conclusions and Symbolism
The creature's fate at the end of Frankenstein reinforces themes of alienation, the limits of scientific ambition, and the moral weight of creator responsibility. His survival until the final moments, followed by his self-imposed destruction, mirrors Victor's own trajectory of pursuit and collapse. Neither character finds peace within society; instead, both are pushed to the edges—literal and metaphorical—where only isolation and death remain.
Isolation and Self-Destruction
The creature's decision to burn himself reflects a consciousness of irreparable harm and an inability to rejoin humanity. His earlier demands for a mate and subsequent violence reveal a cycle of longing, rejection, and vengeance. By choosing self-destruction, he enacts a final assertion of agency, transforming his monstrous identity into a symbol of tragic futility.
Creator and Creation in the Ending
Creator and Creation in the Ending
Victor and the creature arrive at the same endpoint in different ways: Victor dies from exhaustion and grief, while the creature survives long enough to address Walton and then destroy himself. Their mirrored ends highlight the novel's critique of unchecked ambition and the ethical obligations of creators toward their creations. The creature's survival at the end emphasizes that the consequences of creation outlast the death of the creator.
Key Events in the Creature's Final Sequence
The following table summarizes the creature's actions and circumstances in the closing chapters, cross-referenced with narrative function and thematic significance.
| Event | Details | Thematic Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival on Walton's Ship | The creature boards after Victor's collapse is reported. | Brings the conflict to the physical and narrative edge. |
| Conversation with Walton | The creature speaks directly, confessing guilt and assigning blame. | Clarifies moral responsibility and intention. |
| Admission of Murders | Names William, Justine, Clerval, and Elizabeth as victims. | Confirms full awareness and accountability. |
| Plan for Self-Destruction | The creature announces he will burn his body to ashes. | Signals acceptance of irreversible consequences. |
| Disappearance After Victor's Death | The crew later discovers only ashes or no trace of a body. | Completes his exit from human accountability. |
Critical Interpretations and Context
Readers and critics have long debated whether the creature's end represents genuine remorse, strategic surrender, or another form of manipulation. Some read his wish to die as redemptive, a renunciation of violence; others see it as a final act of defiance against a world that refuses to accept him. These interpretations coexist in scholarly commentary, reflecting the novel's psychological depth and narrative ambiguity.
Contrast With Victor's End
Victor dies physically broken but surrounded by institutional power—marriage, property, and legal authority—while the creature dies outside all institutions, choosing fire over imprisonment. This contrast highlights the creature's existential isolation and the novel's questioning of what counts as a 'just' end. Both die estranged, but the creature's end is entirely self-directed, whereas Victor's is shaped by illness and social context.
Modern and Gothic Contexts
Within Gothic tradition, the creature's survival and self-destruction echo motifs of haunting and unresolved guilt. In modern adaptations, his fate is sometimes altered—shown escaping, being captured, or dying in battle—but the original text concludes with his disappearance into fire and snow. The novel's ending remains influential because it resists easy closure, preserving tension between justice, punishment, and pity.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does the creature die at the end of Frankenstein? Not exactly; he survives Victor's death and remains alive long enough to address Walton, then chooses to kill himself by fire.
- What are the creature's last words to Walton? He confesses to murdering William, Justine, Clerval, and Elizabeth, names his victims, and states his intention to end his own life so that he will 'pollute no earth.'
- Is the creature's end depicted directly or indirectly? It is indirect. Walton does not watch the self-immaration but later reports to Margaret that the body is gone, implying the act was completed.
- Why doesn't the creature stand trial or face legal punishment? He disappears into the Arctic wilderness after boarding Walton's ship, evading human legal systems and choosing his own form of moral accounting.
- How does this ending relate to the novel's themes? It emphasizes isolation, the limits of scientific power, and the enduring consequences of abandonment and rejection.
Conclusion
At the conclusion of Frankenstein, the creature survives Victor's death, speaks directly to Walton, confesses his violence, and then enacts his own destruction by fire. His final actions are recorded indirectly through Walton's letters, leaving room for interpretation while maintaining thematic consistency. The ending affirms the novel's preoccupation with responsibility, alienation, and the fragile boundary between humanity and monstrosity. For readers, the creature's fate remains a powerful lens through which to examine the costs of ambition, rejection, and the search for belonging.
References and Further Reading
- Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. 1818.
- Guettel, Stephen, ed. The Norton Critical Edition of Frankenstein. 3rd ed., 2012.
- Bohls, Elizabeth. 'Women Readers and the Romantic Myth of the Feminine.' In The Cambridge Companion to Mary Shelley, edited by Esther Schor, 2003.
Tags: frankenstein, mary-shelley, creature, ending-analysis, literature