Elizabeth alone had the power to draw me from these fits; her gentle voice would soothe me when transported by passion and inspire me with human feelings when sunk in torpor.
Chapter 22 · Narrator
Context
Victor describes how Elizabeth is the only person who can calm him during his periods of madness and despair after returning to Geneva.
Analysis
Victor describes himself as needing to be "inspire[d]...with human feelings," as if his default state is no longer fully human. This phrasing suggests he has become something other—closer to the Creature he abhors—and requires Elizabeth's intervention to temporarily restore his humanity. Yet this framing also makes Elizabeth responsible for managing his emotional state, turning her into a kind of medicine he consumes rather than a person with her own needs.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Victor's dependence on Elizabeth is fundamentally dehumanizing to both of them—he casts himself as less-than-human and her as the cure, which allows him to avoid responsibility for his own psychological state while positioning her as an instrument of his recovery rather than an autonomous person.