Of what materials was I made that I could thus resist so many shocks, which, like the turning of the wheel, continually renewed the torture?
Chapter 21 · Victor Frankenstein
Context
Still feverish, Victor wonders what makes him able to endure repeated shocks and suffering without dying.
Analysis
Victor asks 'Of what materials was I made,' ironically echoing the question he never asked about the creature—what materials, literal and moral, went into its construction. The simile of 'the turning of the wheel' evokes both a torture device and a cycle, suggesting suffering that repeats mechanically rather than building toward resolution. This positions Victor as passive, as if torment is something done to him rather than something his choices set in motion.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Victor's self-questioning mirrors the creature's existential questions—both ask what they are made of, but Victor applies the question only to justify his own endurance, not to examine his actions.