Justine Moritz

Background Information:

Justine Mortiz is a minor character in the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. She was adopted into the Frankenstein family, because her mom treated her horribly. Justine was falsey accused of killing William Franktenstein. Because there was a lot of solid evidence against her, and because she admitted to murdering William, although she really did not, she was hanged. Even though Justine only has a minor role, her character has a huge importance on the topics of blame, guilt, and injustice.

Autobiography:

My name is Justine Mortiz. Madame Mortiz, my mother, always rejected me for some reason. I have three siblings and I was my father's favorite. When my father passed away, my mother treated me even worse. Horrified by the way my mother treated me, a kind woman named Caroline adopted me into her loving and caring family when I was twelve. I moved to Geneva with them and became their servant and Victor Frankenstein's and Elizabeth's cousin. The customs were a lot different there; being a servent in Geneva did not include the idea of ignorance like it did in France and England. I was their housekeeper but they treated me like family.

My mother came to apologize to me after my siblings died, but as she apologized she also blamed me for their deaths. After my mother died I felt horrible and it occurred to me that maybe it was my fault for my family's death. To make it even worse, I was accused of killing William Frankenstein. I even admitted to killing him even though I didn't. "I did confess, but I confessed a lie. I confessed, that I might obtain absolution; but now that falsehood lies heavier at my heart than all my other sins. The God of heaven forgive me (p.69)!" I am miserable and I feel guilty for something that is not even my fault. I cannot bear the thought of going to hell, and I honestly think if I admit to the crime, I will go to heaven; I would be set free, because God will believe I am innocent, even though no one else does. Therefore I will put the blame on me.

SONG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26WBT1ZdLdc

"Sorry, Blame It On Me" by Akon is my favorite song. In the song he is apologizing for things he really doesn't have to apologize for. He feels guilty, just as I do for things that aren't even my fault.