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Chapter 24
And now my wanderings began, which are to cease but with my life.
Having reached the end of his story in Chapter 24, Victor explains his new and only goal in life: to find and destroy the monster he created. He tells Walton he made the decision to leave behind his home in Geneva forever and to commit the rest of his days to searching.
Never will I give up my search until he or I perish; and then with what ecstasy shall I join my Elizabeth and my departed friends.
In Chapter 24, Victor explains further how committed he is to finding and killing his creation. He tells Walton the monster sometimes leaves him taunting clues, etched into the barks of trees or inscribed on rocks. This only strengthens the vigor with which Victor hunts him. Though he yearns for the afterlife because it will reunite him with Elizabeth and his other lost loved ones, he swears that only his death or the creature’s will end his quest.
Walton, in Continuation
Behold on these desert seas I have found such a one; but I fear I have gained him only to know his value and lose him.
In Walton’s first direct address to his sister since Victor took control of the narrative, he despairs at the thought of Victor dying. Having finally found companionship, Walton realizes he must now lose it, forcing him once more into solitude. The affinity Walton feels for Victor underscores the significance of human connection and the tragedy of its absence, casting the monster (who has never known love, and rarely kinship) in a sympathetic light.
He is dead who called me into being; and when I shall be no more, the very remembrance of us both will speedily vanish.
In Walton’s final letter to Margaret, he tells her that Victor has died. He is interrupted while writing, however, and discovers the monster weeping over Victor’s body. The above quote comes from the monster’s final speech in which he tells Walton of the prejudice he has faced throughout his life, and of his own self-hatred for the acts he committed in response. He assures Walton he will cause no more trouble; with Victor dead, the monster too can now die, and both will ultimately fade into obscurity.
