Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“I ardently wished to extinguish that life which I had so thoughtlessly bestowed.”
- Source
- Frankenstein
- Date
- 1818
- Local voice
- Fictional narrator · Victor Frankenstein
Meaning of “I ardently wished to extinguish that life which…”
Victor’s regret is inseparable from responsibility and revenge: after William and Justine’s deaths, he wishes he could reverse the act of creation whose consequences he believes he failed to foresee or govern.
Where does it come from?
Frankenstein, Chapter 9 in Project Gutenberg #84. Victor narrates the wish to extinguish the life he created after William’s murder and Justine’s execution, amid remorse, guilt, hatred and a stated desire for revenge. It is fictional first-person narration, not a healthy coping model or clinical guidance.
Why the local voice matters
Victor narrates this after William and Justine’s deaths while overwhelmed by remorse, guilt, hatred and responsibility for creating the creature.
