I ardently wished to extinguish that life
Heavy irony attends this choice of diction. Not only are we reminded of
the "ardent" desire with which, when young, Victor (1.2.3) (and Walton -- Letter 1.2) eagerly pursued scientific
knowledge, but we can associate with that innocent desire the more
complicated ardency driving Victor obsessively toward the scientific
breakthrough that was the birth of this Creature: see 1.3.1 and note. This is the point in the novel
when the language of intense love first is used to embody the designs of a
passionate hatred.
