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Justine Moritz is a young woman who, like Elizabeth, was taken out of poverty and welcomed into the Frankenstein family. She is described as being a pretty, kind-hearted soul. Justine is essentially Victor’s second victim; she is arrested and ultimately executed for the murder of William Frankenstein. If William’s death represents the end of Victor’s innocence, then Justine’s represents his enduring guilt. Victor learns almost immediately that the monster killed his brother. However, he does not do anything to exonerate Justine, claiming that his “tale was not one to announce publicly” because “its astounding horror would be looked upon as madness.” Victor does not tell the judge about the monster because he fears the public response. As a result, his cowardice leads to the death of an innocent girl who had shown nothing but love and kindness to the Frankenstein family. Justine’s wrongful execution weighs heavily on Victor’s conscience and causes him to spiral into a guilty despair from which he never fully recovers.
Justine also serves as one of the several tragically passive women that populate Frankenstein. She maintains her innocence but does not actively fight to clear her name. In the end, she confesses to a crime she knows she did not commit because she believes that it will grant her salvation. Her helplessness is indicative of the subjugation of women in a patriarchal society. She, like Elizabeth, is powerless to stop the execution. Only Victor has the power to do so and he chooses not to, costing Justine her life.
