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﻿Frankenstein Reading Blog

The letters at the beginning of the novel inform the reader that the narrator, Walton, is heading on a voyage to the north pole in order to satiate his curiousity and in order to "tread land never before imprinted by the foot of man". His main objective of the journey is to discover untroden territory, find a passage to the pacific, and mainly to reveal the source of the earth'﻿s magnetism. Good. What motivates Walton? Walton is the stories main narrator, a explorer searching for the 'country of eternal light'. He is depicted as being used to "roughing it" and as having very strong values and opinions on the way of life. In the novel, his character is used in order to provide further insight into the world of the story. Consider his own quest and the question below....
 * Letters: **
 * 1. The novel begins with a serious of letter in which the narrator of the novel is writing his thoughts and plans to his sister. Where is the narrator going? Why has he chosen to make this voyage? Of what does the narrator dream? What is his goal? **
 * 2. What sort of man is Walton? Does he serve any thematic function in the novel, or is he included largely as a 'story teller' - that is, is he included simply as a mechanical narrative device? **

Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein can both be seen to be very socially lonered or isolated and selfish. Walton's ambition is to discover new land, untouched by others, in order to achieve glory and to satisfy his curiousity, and Frankensteins ambition is similar ( he believes) as they both set out to recieve glory and fame, at any cost.
 * 3. Is Robert Walton's ambition similar to Frankensteins, as Frankenstein believes? **

**Chapters 1-5:** Victor Frankenstein values at the beginning of the novel are innocent and eccentric. He is interested in science and its prospects and desires the power of being able to create a new life by means of scientific experiment. he is a very determined and ambitious character, searching for the recognition and fame which he sees to be associated with the creation of this new life. His moral intergrity is quite lacking, as he fails to realise the implications and affect on others that his creation will make, but this however heightens his enjoyment of being alone, seen in the quote “company was irksome to me”.
 * 4. Work out a character sketch of Victor Frankenstein, concentrating on his moral values and psychological makeup. What does he value? What motivates him? What appears to be his "moral standards"? **

Victors personality is very strongly willed, deeply motivated by both the desire to create a new being similar to a human, and by natural philosophy. Elizabeth on the other hand can be seen as a more sophisticated character who has a greater sense of reality compared to Victor.
 * 5. Compare Victor and Elizabeth. **

**Chapters 6-17:**

The characters of Henry and Elizabeth are similar as they both are supportive, loving and loyal which is completely contrasting to the selfish and egotistical character of Victor. Victor and Henry are both affected by Elizabeth as they both have a high regard and admiration for her.
 * 6. Compare Henry to Victor and to Elizabeth. How does Elizabeth affect Victor and Henry?. **

I think that Mary Shelley devoted such a long section of the novel to the descriptions of Victor’s upbringing in order to heighten the importance she feels around the base of the character. By doing this, we, as the reader, are able to comprehend more intellectually the choices and actions made by Victor and the various other characters.
 * 7. The first three chapters tell us about Victor Frankenstein's childhood and youth; the fourth, about his "discovery" of the principle of life. For movie fans these chapters may seem irrelevant: after all, we want to see the Creature being created and--amid bursts of smoke and flashes of lightning--"born." Why, then, does Mary Shelley devote so much space to Victor's childhood environment and his education? **

Victor describes the principle of life as useless without a deep and educated understanding of death. “To examine the causes of life, we must first have recourse to death” is how Victor describes his feelings towards to the discovery of the principle of life. This statement bringing the reader further knowledge about Victors attitude towards his scientific endeavour because he also goes on to say that becoming acquainted with the science of anatomy was not enough, and that it lead to him to need to explore natural decay and corruption of the human body.
 * 8. How does Victor describe his discovery of the life principle? Does the discovery itself bring about a further change in his attitude towards scientific endeavor? If so, describe the change. **

Although the description of Frankenstein’s creation is not deeply discussed, the creature is enormous and a very unusual look character for the society. His appearance makes him feared by others, which consequently results in him despising human kind. Mary Shelley does however depict the character as having pearly white teeth, dull yellow eyes and skin, with big muscles, and lustrous black hair.
 * 9. Describe the appearance of the creature that Frankenstein creates. **

The creation of Frankensteins creature is more focussed on the work and research Victor undertook before the creation rather than the creation itself, although there is significant reaction to his disgust to the creatures appearance. This is seen on page 60, when we read “...The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”.
 * 10. When the Creature is created, where is the focus in this section? On the process of creation? On the Creature? Somewhere else? **

When Victor meets his creature, they meet at the top of Montanvert. This setting is very isolated, from both society and the other surrounding Alps, both highlighting the creatures lack of acceptance into society. It is here that Frankenstein’s creation accuses victor of giving him a life in which he has no one else to have contact or communicate with. “...the Desert Mountains and dreary glaciers are my refuge” page 118.
 * 11 .When the creature tells his story, notice the place Victor Frankenstein meets his creature. Why is this setting particularly appropriate? The novel now begins to zero in on its major themes. Of what does the creature accuse Victor? **

The creature’s story reveals to the reader that naturally Frankenstein’s creation desires acceptance from mankind, therefore being the “natural instinct” of humans. It is only when the creature feels rejected and alienated from society that he becomes angered and enraged. By the creature’s admiration of the lives of the DeLacey family, we are also given insight into the fact that love and respect are highly valued by the creation. the reader also learns that the creatures education consists of the observance of the family’s life, and their own education.
 * 12. What does the creature’s story about the creature’s “natural instincts”? What gives him pleasure? What does he value? (Consider, for instance, how he describes the DeLaceys and their cottage.) Of what does the creature’s education consist? **

Generally speaking, human beings are sadly materialist, afraid and judgemental of the outward appearance they initially observe, distinguishing what and who is and isn’t worth trying to understand. Acceptance of the creature seems especially hard in the novel, as the Being bears such a dissimilar and abnormal appearance to the rest of the community. I think such emphasis was placed on the physical difference to heighten humans instincts to accept the familiar and outcast the different, being able to be clearly depicted through a physical means.
 * 13. Why can’t ordinary humans accept the Being’s appearance? What does this inability imply about the basis of human community? In other words, why so my emphasis on physical similarity or dissimilarity? **

The argument put forward by the creature is that Frankenstein create a female partner to be his companion, in return for the being promising to live separately from other human beings in the wilderness of South America. “I am alone, and miserable; a man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me” the creature talking, page 175. Personally, I think this a very reasonable request of the creation because he, like others, is searching for love and acceptance, and is willing to give up living in society in order to have this companion ship.
 * 14. What argument does the creature offer in support of his demand? Why? Is it a reasonable argument? **

**Chapters 18-23:**

Frankenstein feels as if he is unable to tell anyone because he feels responsible and ashamed that any creation of his could have harmed or killed anyone, let alone his family. He is in fear of rejection and the lack of forgiveness he would receive from his family if they were to find out.
 * 15. Why can’t Frankenstein tell anyone- even his father or Elizabeth- why he blames himself for the deaths of Williams, Justine, and Henry Clerval? **

The fact that the monsters quote “I shall be with you on your wedding night” also puts Elizabeth at threat is not realised by Victor because Frankenstein has no intention to marry, especially, at this point of the novel, that his wife would ever be Elizabeth.
 * 16. Why doesn’t Frankenstein realize that the monster’s pledge “I shall be with you on your wedding night” threatens Elizabeth as well as himself? **

**Chapters 24:**

Both the characters of Victor and his monster share similar traits. It is almost as if Victor creates a creature which he feels reflects him and how he olor: #2fe999;">4. Woriety. I think this because victors creation is socially isolated and left out, where as Frankenstein isolates himself. Their lives revolve around the idea of revenge and the need to kill the other, but we also see the “good” in both characters throughout the novel. One place which I can recall encountering this sort of “parallel making” would be in creative writing. I agree with the statement “...to build a believable character you must know your character. He/she must become like a real person”. ([])
 * 17. As victor becomes more isolated, we begin to see most clearly in Frankenstein’s isolation from his fellow creatures a parallel to the creatures own situation. In what other ways are Victors and the Creature beginning to be strikingly similar? Have you encountered this sort of “parallel-making” anywhere else in literature or the arts? If so, where? Does this device have a formal name? **


 * 18. Note the surrealistic environment of the chase scenes. Are we getting into a different sort of novel than we were originally led to expect? If so, what is the nature of the difference? **

Both the characters of Frankenstein and his creation are ultimately miserable, obsessed with revenge and bereft of the companionship of humans. These emotions affect Victor because he feels guilty for the deaths of his family and friends, and therefore feels responsible to get revenge, whilst the monster feels this animosity because Frankenstein refuses to create a friend to provide companionship for the being. This creature’s anger and frustration because of the isolation and therefore resentment and an obsession for revenge are very strongly present. By the end of the novel, both characters are taken with these strong emotional feelings, but it is fact the ‘monster’ who decides to give up his quest for revenge.
 * 19. Why are Frankenstein and his monster both ultimately miserable, bereft of human companionship, and obsessed with revenge? Are they in the same situation at the end of the novel? **

Even when Walton has the chance to kill the beast, he does not carry out the murder because once he has been told the beasts story, he feels a certain compassion towards him. Another main reason that i think Walton resists killing the creature, is that he is told directly from the monster that he intended to kill himself, and therefore Walton has no need to carry out such an act.
 * 20. Why doesn’t Walton kill the monster when he has the chance? **

Although the actions of Victor had an impact upon Walton, it seems to be more that Walton’s personality and knowledge of his own responsibility is heightened by observing Frankenstein’s mistakes. I also think this is the case, because Walton’s main focus is to safely return his crew back from the journey, where as Frankenstein’s agendas are simply for himself and his own personal gain.
 * 21. Has Walton the scientist learned anything from victor? If so, what has he learned? If not, why not? **

Although I can see both sides of the argument, it is dependent on the perspectives and emotional connection of individual readers as to who they choose to place their sympathies with, be it Victor or the creature. In my opinion, I side with Harold Bloom and his decision to place the sympathy with the creature. This because although both characters experience hardship, lack of companionship and isolation, the monster created by Frankenstein was created as an ‘outcast’ where as Frankenstein was born similarly to the rest of society and therefore has more chance to be able to fit in with the social norms and be accepted.
 * 22. In an influential essay, the Romantic scholar and critic Harold Bloom wrote that the reader’s sympathy lies with the creature, but in his book ‘The Romantic Conflict ‘ (1963) Allan Rodway says the reader’s sympathy lies with Victor Frankenstein. Who is right? **

If Victor Frankenstein was to merely inquire into the origins of life, i would definitely say there was nothing ‘wrong’ with doing so. What could be said to be ‘wrong’ of him is that once he hasd created his monster he was not willing to accept any responsibility for what he has created, and therefore was unable to accept the consequences of creating such a monster which are placed on both society and the beast itself.
 * 23. Was it wrong for Frankenstein to inquire into the origins of life? **

As the reader are set up to believe that the creature is a manmade ‘evil monster’, although personally I am not so sure that he is not more similar to human beings than given credit for. The term ‘monster’ is thrown around in order to highlight the lack of acceptance and to describe the creature’s different scary appearance and the acts that he carries out. However, the acts in which he performs are also committed by humans, although they are not labelled as monsters. I think personally, that this name giving highlights human insecurity of the unknown and I would prefer to be a ‘monster’ for being different, than accepted for being simply ‘normal’.
 * 24. What makes the creature a monster rather than a human being? **

As the reader, we are shown no evidence that the monster is lying nor telling the truth. This creating ambiguity and leaves room for the reader to make up their own mind as to who requires their sympathy, be it Frankenstein or his creation. At the end of the novel however, when we read of how the beast plans to end his own life, it seems like the natural reaction to believe what we are reading to be true.
 * 25. Is the monster, who can be persuasive, always telling the truth? **