Frankenstein, through Chapter III

Walton wants to be a poet or a discoverer. Victor wants to achieve greatness through the discoveries of science. Despite these differences, both men are thought of as "artists."

Most people think of this novel as a caution to man to not meddle with God's powers of creation.
HOWEVER, Frankenstein is really an analysis of Victor--in the 1831 version, Victor lets himself off the hook, saying that he was fated. This is not the same as fate driving Victor to do what he did; rather, Victor is too easy on himself, and believes that he was led by fate. We can therefore separate what Victor thinks about his situation versus what Shelley actually thinks. Word choice makes a HUGE difference and Victor's words are constantly being proved wrong by Shelley.
--Example: Victor's description of his childhood is full of loving parents and friends, of boundless educational opportunities, and of genuinely happy times. Interestingly enough, Victor refers to his childhood self as a happy "creature"--which is what he calls the monster he later creates.

In his studies of modern chemistry, Victor desires to do something great--perhaps as great as an alchemist who discovered how to make gold. When Victor talks to Waldman, he is overcome with the idolatry of the modern masters of science, and thus wants to be as revered as they are. Waldman transfers the fame from the alchemists to the modern scientists. Victor claims that reading of the alchemists was a fate that led to his ruin, just as his conversation with Waldman was fated to bring his demise.

Chapter III: What is Victor like in creating the monster?
Victor is overcome by a thirst for power, as well as an increasingly developing "God Complex." He knows that he is in possession of something that the wisest men have been searching for since the beginning of time. Furthermore, he is consumed by the idea that some new being would owe its creation to him: "No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I deserve their's" (34). He wants his creation to worship him, to understand that they would not exist without him--he would be in complete control of the relationship. Victor also discusses his "fate" in the matter of creating the monster: he claims to have been driven by a madness and that he could not control his ability to curtail such an all-consuming process. His belief in his success drives him forward; he is exalted by it and obsessed by it. It is almost as if Victor is possessed by an obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is not worried about the outcome, but rather thinks that since he has figured everything out so far, he will be able to solve any problems in the future. This is in accordance with his ego--he is creating something because he is totally immersed in his own ego. Victor is only thinking about he can gratify himself in making the being; he has no concern with the art object itself. All of this contributes to his "workshop of filthy creation" (35).