I promise, this is my last Frankenstein post (for now), and I am going to be taking a more casual approach towards my language instead of my usual MLA format. There is a clear dichotomy between emotion and reason in Frankenstein, similar to that of mind-body dualism: how do we know that emotion is separate from reason? How should we judge when to use emotion and reason? Should we find a balance between the two? Is it necessary to find a balance between the two in order to stay human?

In terms of the conflict between emotion and reason, neither Victor Frankenstein nor his monstrous creation ever achieves this balance, and thus never quite attains the ideal of true humanity. As a reader, one can see that each character only embodies the extremes of the two mentalities. Victor starts out the novel as a symbol for total reason and deviates to total emotion as the plot progresses; Frankenstein’s monster symbolizes the opposite, or starts off as emotionally dependent and transitions to cunning, unfeeling being.