FRANKENSTEIN (by Mary Shelley) Informations and Analysis
‘Frankenstein’. When I hear the name Frankenstein, all I think about is that greenish monster with stitches in its head and ripped clothes which is usually worn as costume during Halloween or at Halloween parties. I was wrong! When I started reading the novel, whenever I come across that name, I associate it with the monster. Later on, I realized that Frankenstein is the creator. Maybe they named the monster after its creator since it’s unnamed. Since then, I already heard the name Frankenstein a lot and even saw him (the monster) in movies. I got curious about what his story is all about, but wasn’t able to fill my curiosity. But now, I was.
I love the novel so much. At first I was like, “When will I finish reading this book?”, it was like a burden to me because I’m not really into reading novels, but when I almost finished the book (Volume3 Chapter 6), half of me is excited to finish it but the other half was like “Is it the end already? No!” Although sometimes I find it hard to understand the words Shelley used, I still find it such a great work of art.
A Short Information About the Author:
Mary
Wollstonecraft Godwin was born on 30 August 1797 in London, England, the
second daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), feminist and author of A Vindication of the Rights of
Women (1792) and William
Godwin (1756-1836) father of philosophical anarchism and author of An Inquiry Concerning Political
Justice (1793).
She had started writing Frankenstein in 1816 while in Switzerland,
inspired by their many sailing trips on the lake and nights telling each other
ghost stories. A second daughter named Clara was born in 1817 but she died a
year later.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley died at home in London at
the age of fifty-four on 1 February 1851. She lies buried in St. Peter’s
churchyard in Bournemouth, Dorset, England.
Biography written by C.D.
Merriman for Jalic Inc. Copyright Jalic Inc. 2006.
Characters:
- Victor Frankenstein – He is the oldest of the Frankensteins, and the creator of the monster.
- Elizabeth Lavenza – She is Victor’s cousin/wife.
- Alphonse Frankenstein - He is the father of Victor, William and Earnest.
- Caroline Beaufor t- She is the mother of Victor.
- Beaufort - He is a close friend of Alphonse, and Caroline’s father.
- Justine Moritz - A servant of the Frankenstein who was accused of William’s death
- William -He is the younger brother of Victor who was killed by the monster created by Victor.
- Earnest -He is the younger brother of Victor and the only one who survived in the novel.
- Henry Clerval-He is a friend/ school mate of Victor. Later on, Victor was accused as his murderer.
- Mr. Krempe - He is a professor in University of Ingolstadt who find Victor’s previous study a waste of time.
- Mr. Waldman - He is a professor in University of Ingolstadt who supported Victor in his study of ‘Natural Philosophy’.
- Mr. Kirwin - He is an Irish magistrate who helped Victor be freed from accusations.
- Robert Walton - He is the first character who appeared in the novel. He rescued Victor and heard his stories.
- De Lacey - He is the blind man who lived in a cottage, the monster learned many things by observing his family.
- Felix - He is the son of De Lacey who attacked the monster
- Agatha - She is the daughter of De Lacey and sister of Felix
- Safie - She is Felix’s lover.
Setting:
- Russia
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- Italy
- Ingolstadt
- Lake Como
- Montavert
Plot:
- Exposition- Victor Frankenstein shared his family’s background. She had a cousin named Elizabeth and friend named Henry.
- Rising Action – Victor got interested with Natural Philosophy. His parents send him to the University of Ingolstadt, where he focused on his study. He rapidly excelled in his field. He worked on finding life out of nothing and forgets his own and his family.
- Climax – Victor created a monster, and rejected it. Out of anger, his creation made his revenge by killing the people who are close to him. The monster shared his tale to Victor and asked Victor to make him a female companion.
- Falling Action – Victor agrees but then destroyed his work in front of the monster. The monster continued his revenge until Victor was left with nothing.
- Resolution- Victor promised to take revenge and followed the monster. He failed to finish his mission, but asked his friend Robert Walton to kill the monster.
- Denouement- Victor died, and the monster came, but Robert Walton wasn’t able to kill the monster. The monster ran away.
Conflict:
Victor Frankenstein created a
creator, but then he left it because it was hideous.
Themes:
- Family, Society, Isolation
- Ambition and Fallibility
- Romanticism and Nature
- Revenge
- Prejudice
- Lost Innocence
Symbols:
- Light symbolizes enlightenment
- Fire appears throughout the novel as a dangerous force used for sustenance (as when the monster discovers fire) and punishment (as when the monster describes demons suffering in the lake of fire in hell).
Motifs:
- danger of knowledge;
- obsession
- revenge
www.litcharts.com/lit/frankenstein
www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/f/frankenstein/frankenstein-at-a-glance
STORY ANALYSIS
Volume 1
In the
beginning of the novel, Robert Walton wrote four letters to his sister,
Margaret, about his journey and his urge to find a friend, which afterwards, he
did.
Chapter 1
Frankenstein
shared some information about him. His father, how his father met his mother,
his birth and their trip, how Elizabeth became his cousin, and more about their
family. It is obvious that Frankenstein loves his family so much. I think Mary
Shelley want to emphasize the importance of family because of all, she started
with it.
Chapter 2
More of
Frankenstein childhood is stated here. He gets along with his cousin Elizabeth
though they don’t share the same interest. Frankenstein introduced us to his
friend/ schoolmate Henry Clerval who had the same ambition as him: to leave a
mark in human history. Clerval is into writing stage plays while Frankenstein
is into Natural Philosophy. Frankenstein studied more about Natural Philosophy
and became more interested with it.
Chapter 3
Frankenstein’s
parents decided to send him to the University of Ingolstadt. His misfortunes
started here. Elizabeth had caught scarlet fever and passed it on to
Frankenstein’s mother. Her mother died, and her dying wish is for him to marry
Elizabeth. He then bid his goodbyes to his family and friend Clerval. In
Ingolstadt, he met Mr. Krempe who told him that his previous study was a waste
of time, and Mr. Waldman, who supports his plan.
Chapter 4
Frankenstein
studied more about Natural Philosophy.
He ignores his self and his family, not even sending them a letter. He rapidly
progressed in this field. Until such time, he wished to createlife out og
nothing. He started with one experiment, spending his time in his laboratory,
hoping for a creature that would honor him as its creator.
Chapter 5
Months of
hard work passed by and he was successful, but his creature is not what he
expected. He was horrified by it so he ran away from his apartment. He got ill
but still he went out for he cannot sleep because of his nightmares with the
monster. He wanders and runs into Clerval, who will study in Ingolstadt.
Clerval nursed him and sent Victor’s family a letter. Clerval then received a
reply from Elizabeth.
Chapter 6
Clerval
gave the letter to Victor. Elizabeth updated Victor with the happenings and
that Justine, a former servant, is now staying with them. Victor introduced
Clerval to his professors but then gave up his studies. Instead, he studied
with Clerval. Later in this chapter, Victor and Clerval travelled back to
Geneva and they toured around Germany which somehow raised Victor’s spirits.
Chapter 7
When Victor
returned to Geneva, he received a letter from his father. It is stated in the
letter that his brother, William, was murdered. Victor and Clerval rushed to
Geneva, and Victor decided to visit the spot where William was found dead.
There, he saw his creature and blames his self for he is the one who created
such creature who killed his brother. On the next day, his brother Earnest,
informs him that Justine was accused as the murderer. He told his family that
Justine is innocent and that he is confident that Justine won’t be judged
guilty.
Chapter 8
Victor
wanted to confess, but he couldn’t. Justine remained innocent at the trial but
wasn’t able to explain why he got William’s portrait of his mother in her
pocket. Later, Justine confessed doing it. She was pressured by the jailors and
that she wanted to leave the bitter world. Victor felt guilty of his role in
William and Justine’s death.
Volume 2
Chapter 1
Victor is
in deep pain because Justine died while he is alive. His father observed him
and argued that it’s not only him who’s in pain and that they should refrain
from augmenting their happiness by an appearance of moderate grief. They then
went to their house in Belrive. After all, Victor still thought of leaving the
bitter world and thought of revenge. Later, Victor travelled to Chamonix ,
France. The sights gave him happiness, but it did not last.
Chapter 2
Still,
Victor felt despair. He tried to enjoy himself with the beautiful sights. He
climbs to the peak of the mountain called Montavert. Just as he is already
enjoying, his creature came up and ask him to listen to his tale. He followed
his creature to a cave in the glacier, and sits down to listen.
Chapter 3
Victor’s
creature started his tale. After he escaped from Victor’s apartment, he wanders
the world without knowledge. He experienced cold, hunger, light, and dark. Soon
as he realized that his appearance terrifies people, he avoided them instantly.
He found his hiding place in the darkness near a cottage where he observed a
family and secretly watch their daily works.
Chapter 4
The
creature wished to sleep, but could not. The gentle manners of the family
struck him and he wanted to be friends with them, but dared not to. He learned that the father is blind, that the
boy’s name is Felix while the girl’s name is Agatha and they communicate
through sounds. He gathers wood for them at night to pay the food he ate. He
went to a pool of water and realized why the people are afraid of his
appearance, but then he is hopeful for the future.
Chapter 5
In this
chapter, the creature said that the following scenes made him what he is. An
Arabian woman named Safie came which brought the family happiness. He learned
their language, along with Safie, by observing Felix’s tutorials. He learned
about society and realized that he has no society of his own nor will he fit to
any. He doesn’t even have a family that would take care of him.
Chapter 6
He learned
the family’s history, the De Lacey’s. He also learned about Felix and Safies’s
love story, learned about the family’s misfortunes and how they end up living
in Italy. Safie’s journey to his lover was also stated.
Chapter 7
The
family’s history impressed him. He found three books in the woods: Paradise
Lost, a volume of Plutarch’s Lives, and the Sorrows of Werter. While reading
the Paradise Lost, he compared himself to Satan because his creator doesn’t
love him. Way back to his escape from Victor’s apartment, he took some journal
entries and cursed Victor for creating him ugly. Later, he revealed his self to
the blind man while the rest was away. Suddenly, they came back and Felix
attacked him, so he ran away.
Chapter 8
On the next
day, he came back to talk again to the blind man, but the De Lacey’s moved out.
He saw Felix talking to the landlord and never seen any of them then. He lost
his friends, for revenge, he burns the cottage and heads to Geneva for Victor.
In his journey, he saved a girl from drowning but was only shot by his
guardian. It took him a week to recover, and this made him angry and hungry for
revenge. He found a little boy and was horrified by his looks. By hearing the
boy said the name ‘Frankenstein’, he killed him. He went to a barn to rest, but
saw a beautiful girl, so he put the picture he got from the boy in the girl’s
pocket. In the last part of the chapter, he asked Victor to made him a Female
companion.
Chapter 9
Here, the
story is narrated again by Victor. Frankenstein at first refused to his
creature’s request for he is afraid of the destruction they will make. His
creature blamed him for all the things he did. The creature also promised that
if he’ll make him his companion, they will flee to South America and avoid
people. Frankenstein, with doubt , agreed. The creature told him that he will
be monitoring the progress.
Volume 3
Chapter 1
Victor
still doubt if he’ll make a companion for his creature. His father told him
that only by marrying his cousin Elizabeth will his despair be gone. He told
his father that he love no one but Elizabeth and he excused his trip to England
in finding researches for his work to postpone the wedding. His father allowed
him but that he must return immediately. Clerval then joins him in his journey.
Chapter 2
They
arrived in London. Victor avoided contact with the people until he finds
information for his work, while Clerval is excited to learn and is happy to
meet everyone. They travelled to Scotland. Victor left Clerval to a friend and
continued travelling alone. He went to an island in Orkney’s. There, he set up
his laboratory and started working on his new creature.
Chapter3
Victor is
in doubt again and thought that his new creature might not agree to what his
creature promised to him or they might reproduce and create a family of devils.
He saw his creature peeking at his window, so he destroyed his work. In anger,
his creature went away for a while and came back, threatening him that he will
be there in his wedding night. He was saddened by the thought that his creature
might kill him in his wedding night and Elizabeth will be left without a
companion. Later, he received a letter from Clerval, and so he went on to his
journey, throwing his laboratory tools to the ocean. Though he had a rough
journey, he was able to sleep in his boat. When he woke up the next morning,
group of people were surrounding him angrily, suspecting him as a murderer. A
man approached him and told him to come to Mr. Kirwin.
Chapter4
Victor
meets Mr. Kirwin and many people witnessed that a boat like Victor’s came was
seen last night and the man in that boat was the one responsible for the man’s
death. Mr. Kirwin showed Victor the body and Victor was shocked by the sight of
his friend’s, Clerval, dead body. He was sick for months but was taken cared by
Mr. Kirwin by putting him in a nice cell and giving him a nurse. Victor was
judged as not guilty with the help of Mr. Kirwin. He went home with his father
to Geneva to protect his family from the monster.
Chapter 5
Victor and
his father stopped in Paris in order for Victor to regain his strength. There,
Victor received a letter from Elizabeth, confessing her love and desire to
marry him. Victor remembered what his creature told him but he thought that if
it kills him, at least he’s free. He replied to Elizabeth’s letter and told her
that he can’t wait to marry her. After ten days of their arrival, their wedding
took place. Victor and Elizabeth sail to Lake Como in Italy. Elizabeth tried to
erase Victor’s grief, grief of seeing the monster.
Chapter6
When they
arrived, Victor armed himself with pistols and told Elizabeth to go to bed for
her safety. As he checked the house, he
heard Elizabeth screaming, so he went straight to their room, only seeing
Elizabeth’s body. He saw the monster in his window and fired, but misses. He
came back to Geneva and the news overwhelmed his father, who later died. Victor
goes mad and was prisoned. He confessed his story to the magistrate, but he barely
believed him. He seeks revenge on his
own.
Chapter7
Victor
prepared an amount of money and some of his mother’s jewelry for he will leave
Geneva, his beloved place, forever. He visits his family’s grave and promised
to take revenge, and suddenly he the monster laughing at him. He tried to run
after it, but it was gone. Victor, with the help of the clues his monster left,
follows the monster northward into the frigid Arctic regions. He followed the
monster with sleds and dogs in the frozen ocean but failed to. Now the
narration of Robert Walton, continued. Walton rescued Victor. Victor knew that
he’s dying, so he asked Walton to continue his mission. On the day of Victor’s
death, the creature came but Walton wasn’t able to kill him or even tried to.
- - -
After
reading the book, I learned four lessons.
First, be contented. Being contented
doesn’t mean not changing or improving, but wanting more than worldly things is
not. His misfortunes started because he is not contented. Victor said, “Seek
happiness in tranquility, and avoid ambition.’’ Well, I guess it is fine to be
ambitious as long as you won’t set up a laboratory and try to make a creature
you would then regret.
Second, be careful what you’re wishing
because you just might get it. Don’t wish for anything that you’ll regret
afterwards. Victor was so excited with his experiment, but then rejects it
after seeing the result.
Third, don’t reject. Being rejected
hurts so much. As what Confucius said, “Do not do unto others what you don’t
want others do unto you.” The monster felt so lonely and isolated, in revenge,
he killed all the people who are close to Victor so that he’ll know how it
feels.
Lastly, finish what you’ve started. As
the quote says, “Stop when you’re finish, not when you’re tired.” In the last
chapter, Victor said these lines to the men in the ship: “Be steady to your
purposes, and firm as a rock. This ice is not made of stuffs your heart may be;
it is mutable, and cannot withstand you, if you say that it shall not.”, and
“Return as heroes who have fought and conquered, and who know not what it is to
turn their backs on the foe.”
XOXO,
Sarah
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