Just rewatched Frankenstein (2025), and thinking more about the necessity to have that moment of forgiveness for both Victor and the creature.
They've likely spent months chasing after each other- Victor seeking to unmake the creature to erase the evidence of his perceived failures, perhaps to atone for what he sees as having unleashed an abomination onto the world. The creature leading him on a fruitless pursuit, staying true to his words: " You may be my creator, but from this day forward, I will be your master".
It's clear that while Victor may think he is pursuing the creature, the creature holds the power here. He cannot die, cannot be meaningfully harmed physically. This is how he gets his retribution, how he forces Victor to acknowledge him. "You only listen when I hurt you".
But when it's clear that the journey has reached its inevitable end, that Victor is dying, the creature has to confront that the chase has ended. No more revenge, nothing left. If his creator, the cause of so much of his suffering, is dying, what is left to fight against? What is left to live for when you've spent so long living to spite the person who hurt you?
For so long, they are both consumed by their hatred and resentment for each other, but the fighting can't last forever. However justified that hatred is, it won't serve them to cling to it in death. When the creature forgives Victor, it isn't to absolve Victor- it's to free himself.
When he finally steps into the sun, he does so with a weight finally lifted from his shoulders. All he can do is live, and so he will.
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theartofmadeline
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