• an object

    Victor here unconsciously slides between the terms "subject" and "object," that is,
    between what would possess a substantive being and what is merely a thing upon which
    an action is committed. The odd inversion of the question, with its verb placed at
    the end, likewise contributes to an effect of syntactical estrangement. This brief
    moment of panic is thus highly illuminating, employing a linguistic shorthand to reveal
    how Victor's thought processes characteristically distance and demonize his Creature.