Mary Shelley's masterwork, "Frankenstein," tells the gothic tale of a curious scientist, Victor Frankenstein, yearning to mimic the life-giving act of Mother Nature. His creature does not turn out to be all that he expected, and the story deals with the conflict between Victor and his creature, and between the creature and society. But nowhere in the story does Victor (or Shelley) ever give his creature a name. This is an important aspect of the novel, to show the hatred Victor has for his own creation. In a sense, this lack of a name reinforces the notion that the creature is an abstract function of the novel, which draws the focus away from the creature itself, and to the interaction between it and Victor. Their perceptions of each other greatly effect the interpretation of the story, namely from the viewpoint that the creature is an alter-ego of Victor. This view brings the story from the superficial, physical level, and to one more philosophic. The creature represents all that Victor sees bad in himself and in that around him, and their coexistence is the dramatic aspect of their mutual destruction.
             Victor Frankenstein, the central character in the novel, is an intense, motivated scientist, whose aspiration is to 'work out' the secret to creating life. Eventually, through an unclear process, he does come to understand creation, and he brings to life his own monster, compiled from dead limbs and parts. Little scientific detail is given about this process of creation, but when the creature comes to life, Victor is not satisfied; he is horrified. He finds himself unwilling and unable to control it, and he flees, leaving his newborn 'man' on his own. From this point on, the creature's life read, speak, form and articulate reasonable thoughts, and he shows human emotion. From his self-assumed humanity, he figures that he should be able to interact with the people in society: "If, therefore, I co...