Frankenstein Test
Describe the being that Walton and his companions saw on July 31st (Letter IV). What was it doing?
shape of man, gigantic stature. He was on a sledge drawn by dogs
6. How does the monster discover the identity of his creator?
He finds pages of Victor's journal in his clothes that he stole from Victor
9. How does Frankenstein receive solace from his troubles and restoration in Chapters 9-10? How is this a Romantic notion?
He goes alone on a nature walk
4. List five adjectives that describe Victor Frankenstein as portrayed in these three chapters.
Determined, passionate, hardworking, curious
15. Why do you think the author switches back to Robert Walton as her narrator again in Chapter 24?
Framing device
17. To what is Frankenstein alluding when he says, "but the apple has already been eaten, and the angel's arm bared to drive me from all hope"? What does this allusion mean in the context of the novel?
Allusion to Adam and Eve because both wanted to be like God and have knowledge. Victor wanted knowledge and power and he cannot undo what is done
What does the monster say that points to the Romantic idea that people are naturally good, but that society corrupts people?
"my heart was fashioned to good, "all i received was misery"
8. List three reasons Frankenstein decides to destroy the female creature?
-Could be 10,000x worse -Monster has no reason to keep promise -What if they don't like each other -Might want human companionship
2. Outline the three arguments Frankenstein employs to refuse to do what the monster asks of him. What is your personal opinion of these arguments?
-Won't create another wicked creature -Creature wants love so she won't stay secluded -Not trustworthy
10. How does Frankenstein's mother die? What is her final request of Victor and Elizabeth?
After Elizabeth catches scarlet fever, Frankenstein's mother attends her and also catches the disease. Elizabeth's health improves, but Frankenstein's mother dies. On her deathbed, she tells Victor and Elizabeth that she'd always hoped they would be joined in marriage. She tells them that their marriage will console their father. She also charges Elizabeth to act as a mother to the younger children in the family. She died calmly. He wasn't going to let the death of his mother have an effect on his plans.
2. Why does Elizabeth blame herself for the tragedy?
Allowed him to wear the picture of his mom and she thought the killer killed him because he wanted the picture
Verisimilitude is the appearance of truth and actuality in a work of fiction, suggesting that the incidents in a work of fiction really happened. In Chapter 4 Frankenstein suddenly breaks from his story to address Walton (and by extension, the reader). Read the paragraph that begins "I see by your eagerness, and the wonder and hope which your eyes express. ..." How is this paragraph an example of the author's use of verisimilitude?
we don't know he did it, so we can't tell him he's doing it the right way
A large extent of this story consists of Frankenstein telling us about himself and the monster. Of the monster he warns Walton, "he is eloquent and persuasive; and once his words had even power over my heart: but trust him not. His soul is as hellish as his form." Yet Walton says something similar of Frankenstein: "Even the sailors feel the power of his eloquence: when he speaks they no longer despair; he rouses their energies and, while they hear his voice, they believe these vast mountains of ice are mole-hills which will vanish before the resolutions of man." What difficulty does this create? How thoroughly are we sup posed to, or are we able to, trust Frankenstein's word?
we don't know who to trust, we can't fully trust his story
What concern should Walton (and the reader) have about a story that is told by a man who claims he is mad?
You can expect the story to end badly where some tragic accidents will occur
8. Why does the monster initially approach William?
He finds him in the woods and asks who he is
The setting is the time and place of the action of the story. What is the setting for the four letters from Robert Walton? How much time passes from the first letter to the fourth?
Arctic Circle and Russia. 8 months
List three of the benefits of his planned voyage that Walton expresses to his sister.
Ascertaining the secret of the magnet, to discover a passage near the pole, to accomplish a glorious task
At the beginning of Chapter 9, Frankenstein says "I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures such as no language can describe." Read Psalm 32, 38 and Psalm 51. Compare and contrast the thoughts, feelings and actions of David with those of Frankenstein. How effective are their solutions to their struggles with guilt and sin?
Both Frankenstein and David feel immense remorse for their sins and bad actions. David asks for forgiveness from God through prayer, while Frankenstein feels bad and doesn't repent. He makes it personal and doesn't acknowledge God
16. Consider whether you consider Frankenstein and Walton parallel characters. What evidence is given in Chapter 10 that the monster might also be a parallel character to Frankenstein? What insight does this give us to Victor Frankenstein?
Both run away from their problems - alone, don't think about future
7. How does Clerval's continued presence in Ingolstadt affect Frankenstein?
Brings him back to health
17. Read Ecclesiastes 4:7-12. How do these verses relate to Walton's desire to have a friend
Ecclesiastes shows that is is meaningless to live without friends
1. Frankenstein tells us that the "circumstances of [his father's] marriage illustrated his character." Summarize these circumstances. What do they reveal about the character of Frankenstein's father?
Caroline Beaufort's father was a friend of Frankenstein's father. When the friend fell into poverty and left the country in shame, Frankenstein's father sought him out with the intention of helping him financially. When he discovered his friend, the man was in poor health, and upon his friend's death, Frankenstein's father took his daughter, Caroline, under his care and sent her to live with relatives. Two years later, Frankenstein's father married Caroline. These circumstances reveal Frankenstein's father to be a kind, generous man, devoted to his friends and willing to help them. His dad was a successful man.
The climax of a story is the highest point of action and tension. It is also called the turning point because it sets in motion the eventual conclusion of the plot's central conflict. What is the climax or turning point of Frankenstein? Explain your answer.
Climax- Death of Elizabeth & Destruction of the second creature.
10. Irony is a difference between appearance and reality, or between what is expected and what actually occurs. How does Frankenstein's successful creation of life demonstrate irony?
Creation ends up haunting him when it was supposed to please him. He was ugly but was made to be beautiful
12. After the monster comes to life, Frankenstein refers to it as "a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived." Explain this allusion.
Dante conceived hell and this monster was so bad and so ugly that it was too bad for hell
9. Describe the weather on the night that Frankenstein brings his creation to life. Why might the author have set the creature's awakening during this kind of weather?
Dreary, rainy, ugly night, sets the mood
18. In Chapter 22, Frankenstein recalls the monster's warning, but agrees to marry Elizabeth in 10 days. He then says, "But, as if magic powers, the monster had blinded me to his real intentions; and when I thought that I had prepared only my own death, I hastened that of a far dearer victim." What is Frankenstein foreshadowing?
Elizabeth's death - strangled
12. How is the trip down the Rhine River to the North Sea an example of romantic literature? What romantic elements does the author use here?
Every time theres a storm, the monster is there - nature can restore us
In Chapter 10 the monster says to Frankenstein, "You accuse me of murder; and yet you would, with a satisfied conscience, destroy your own creature. Oh, praise the eternal justice of man!" Define justice. What would be justice for the actions of the monster?
Fair/equal behavior or treatment. The death of the creature
2. After Frankenstein learns the secret to creating life, why does he hesitate before putting his power to work? What might Frankenstein's lack of concern for the morality of his actions tell us about his views on morality?
Fear of failure, thinks its morally wrong which leaders to the monster, he never though of something going wrong
6. Where in Chapter 18 does the author foreshadow Clerval's fate?
Foreshadowing Clerval's death
11. What effect does Professor Waldman's lecture on modern chemistry have on Frankenstein?
Frankenstein felt as if "his soul were grappling with a palpable enemy." Rather than denounce his former studies (as M. Krempe had) Frankenstein resolves to return to his study of alchemy. Nihilism ideas. Foreshadowing as Krempe "seeks to destroy him."
The subtitle for Frankenstein is The Modern Prometheus. Who was Prometheus? Explain the meaning of this subtitle.
Frankenstein is a parallel character to Prometheus. The subtitle is a mythological allusion to Prometheus, a titan who created humanity and defies God by stealing fire for humankind. Frankenstein found life and was punished similarly.
As Frankenstein lies dying, he tells Walton, "During these last days I have been occupied in examining my past conduct; nor do I find it blamable." Why not?
He finds it honorable to be consumed with passion for justice and vengeance
9. Reflecting on this incident from his childhood, how does Frankenstein view this "change of inclination"?
Frankenstein views it as almost miraculous. It was "the last effort made by the spirit of preservation" to turn him from his former pursuits. Unfortunately, he says, it was "ineffectual," and he was destined to "utter and terrible destruction." Foreshadowing
Why do you think Shelley refrained from describing how the monster was given life? Is this a strength of the book or a weakness?
Frankenstein wouldn't tell anyone because he doesn't want anyone to replicate his experiment. Strength, also keeps verisimilitude
Beginning with Chapter 1, a new narrator takes over the telling of the story. Who is the new narrator of the novel? Why do you suppose the author switches the point of view?
Frankenstein. Basically, Walden is now writing down the story of Frankenstein from his Victor's point of view
Read Job 3:11-22; 1 Corinthians 15:12-28; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; and Philippians 1:20-26. How is death portrayed in these passages? How do they compare or contrast with Frankenstein's description?
Franks says death is awful and should be avoided. Scriptures says death is gain.
13. In Chapter 15, the monster tells of the books he discovered. What does the monster learn from the Sorrows of Werter and Plutarch's Lives?
From the sorrows of werter, the monster learns about deep thoughts and starts questioning his life and his own existence. From Plutarch's lives he learns about the past good and evil and realizes that some people are good and some people are bad
1. What does the monster promise to do if Frankenstein will create for him a female of his own kind for him?
Go into hiding in south america
3. How does Alphonse Frankenstein react to the news of Elizabeth's death?
Grief striken for three days and then dies
5. How does the magistrate respond to Frankenstein's tale?
Half-believes him, try to soothe him
15. In Chapter 7 the monster appears during a rainstorm. Later in Chapter 10, Frankenstein travels through a rainstorm to the glacier where he encounters the monster. Why might the author use a rainstorm to herald the approach of the monster?
Haunting mood
13. Once in England, why do you think Frankenstein finds human company "irksome" and sees an "insurmountable barrier" between himself and his fellow human beings?
He caused so many peoples death that he's very guilty
14. How does the monster compare and contrast his own situation to what he reads in Paradise Lost?
He compares himself not to Adam, who was perfect and had a great creator, but to satan which causes bitterness in him
4. For what reasons does Frankenstein decide to put off his marriage, leave Geneva, and travel to England to work on the second creature?
He doesn't want anyone to find out about his creation
11. Soon after the monster comes to life, Frankenstein dreams about Elizabeth. Describe the dream. What does the dream possibly foreshadow?
He dreams that Elizabeth turns into the image of death. It foreshadows Elizabeth's death.
Read Psalm 22. Discuss how this psalm parallels the feelings of the monster toward his creator. How does the psalm end differently from the monster's conclusion?
He feels his creator has left him and he is worth less than a man. The Psalm realizes that God will provide and be good. the monster turns to hate.
Early in the novel, when Walton explains his plans of exploration to Frankenstein, Frankenstein replies, "Unhappy man! Do you share my madness? Have you drank also of the intoxicating draught? Hear me—let me reveal my tale, and you will dash the cup from your lips!" Even at the end Frankenstein tells him, "Seek happiness in tranquillity and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discover ies." Yet when the sailors come to Walton and demand that he promise to turn back if the ice clears, Frankenstein rallies them: Are you so easily turned from your design? Did you not call this a glorious expedition? ... You were hereafter to be hailed as the benefactors of your species; your names adored as belonging to brave men who encountered death for honour and the benefit of mankind. And now, behold, with the first imagination of danger ... you shrink away. ... Oh! be men, or be more than men.... Return as heroes who have fought and conquered, and who know not what it is to turn their backs on the foe. Why does Frankenstein discourage Walton from trying to gain fame through his exploits, yet tries to rally the sailors with promises of glory and threats of cowardice? What does this reveal about Frankenstein?
He is a hypocrite after personal glory and ambition to find the monster and punish him.
1. Describe the monster's earliest sensations. What gives him pleasure? What gives him pain or discomfort?
He is like a baby and has to learn how to do everything on his own. He sees fire and realizes that it is warmth but also can burn him. He likes to watch people but realizes he cannot be with people because of his looks and attitude.
4. What motivates the monster to discontinue taking food from the De Laceys and begin gathering wood for them?
He learns that they are poor and struggling because of their behalf
12. In Chapter 3, when Frankenstein's mother died, Frankenstein referred to death as "that most irreparable evil." He then spent two years of his life attempting to overcome this evil. After Justine's execution, how does his attitude toward death seem to have changed? To what would you attribute this change?
He now feels guilty about death because he was the cause of so many peoples death
2. What were the results of the monster's first two encounters with humans?
He realizes that he cannot be with humans because they are so scared of him and it makes him hate his creator for making him so ugly and unwanted
3. What effect do the monster's initial observations of the De Lacey family have on him?
He realizes that he wants companionship and longs to be with them
16. As an author provides more information about characters, they generally become more real and believable to readers. What aspects of the monster's personality are developed through the telling of his story in Chapters 11-16?
He seems like a real person who has feelings and is wanted instead of someone who is just bad and made only for destruction
9. How does Frankenstein interpret the monster's promise: "I will be with you on your wedding-night?"
He thought he was going to kill him
14. In Chapter 9, Frankenstein considers drowning himself. ("I was tempted to plunge myself into the silent lake, that the waters might close over me and my calamities for ever.") Why does he refrain? Do you think his reasons are selfless or selfish? Explain.
He thought of his family and how he needs to protect them from the monster - causing them grief
7. How does the monster's relationship with the De Laceys ultimately end?
He tries to go talk to the blind old man but when the other cottagers come back and see him invading their house, they run him off
10. In Chapter 7, Frankenstein says that he "was destined to become the most wretched of human beings." What is ironic about this statement?
He wanted to be great but ended up being the worst - also created the worst thing
9. At the end of his tale, what does the monster demand from Frankenstein? Why?
He wants him to create a mate for him because he is alone
3. Why does Frankenstein ultimately agree to do what the monster wishes?
He wants to get away from the monster and have him stop killing his family
8. Knowing that his life is "hateful," why does Frankenstein not simply allow himself to die? Why does he ask Walton to continue his revenge if he succumbs to death?
He's dying and cannot continue his hunt
6. What immediate effect does Clerval's appearance in Ingolstadt have on Frankenstein?
Helps nurse him to health. He is a friend that grounds him and help bring him back to reality
5. Who joins Frankenstein on his journey? Why?
Henry Clerval because he wants to see India for companionship and his family's worried about him
3. Who is Henry Clerval? How are Clerval and Victor different in terms of their dispositions and interests?
Henry Clerval is the son of a merchant and Victor's closest friend. He "loved enterprise, hardship, and even danger, for its own sake." He reads books of romance and chivalry, composed heroic songs, and wrote tales of knights and adventure. Victor was interested in uncovering the outer and inner workings of the physical and spiritual worlds. Clerval was more interested in virtue and the moral relations of things.
10. What tragic news does Frankenstein receive when he lands his boat in Ireland? How does Frankenstein respond to the news?
Henry died - the monster strangled him
1. What tragic news does Frankenstein receive in the form of a letter from his father?
His brother William is dead
10. What, according to the monster, is missing from Frankenstein's tale?
His inability to tell the story himself, how he felt
What seem to be Walton's motivations for polar exploration? In your opinion, are these motivations right or wrong?
His own personal glory and success. These motivations are wrong. He should want to do these explorations to further benefit his fellow humans
Describe the relationship between Victor and his parents during his childhood What is your opinion of the manner in which Frankenstein's parents raised their children?
His parents cared for him well with love and kindness. Though, his parents should have punished him for his temper
When he hears Professor Waldman's speech about modern chemistry, Frankenstein says "I felt as if my soul were grappling with a palpable enemy." Who or what do you think this "enemy" is?
His purpose to unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation which leads him to create the monster which is his downfall
Foreshadowing is a hint or suggestion about what might happen in the future. When Walton shares his desire to conquer the arctic, the stranger sputters, "Unhappy man! Do you share my madness?" Later, he says to Walton, You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been. What might these passages foreshadow?
His scientific studies and experiments went wrong and led to his downfall
Review the monster's arguments for asking for a female companion like himself, then review Frankenstein's reasons for deciding to destroy the second creation. With which do you agree most? Why?
I agree with the monster most. The monster says he will quit Europe and leave them alone. Frankenstein does not have to create a functioning reproductive system either.
About the deaths of Justine and William, Frankenstein says, "I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer." Do you agree or disagree? Explain your response.
I agree, his creation and neglect for his creation has resulted in the deaths of William and Justine
4. How does Frankenstein's work on his creation affect him physically? How does it affect him mentally and spiritually?
Ill, cuts himself off from everything, losing touch with reality
5. Why does Frankenstein despise his creation? What does this reveal about Frankenstein's character?
Immediate regret-he is ugly and doesn't praise him. He spends all this time creating something and in an instant abandons it
Hubris is a Greek word describing a pride so excessive that it must, necessarily, lead to a character's downfall. Is there evidence in these letters that Walton may suffer from hubris? Explain your response.
In letter 3, he asks what can stop his determined heart and resolved will. He claims that nothing can stop him which inhibits God. This is definite excessive pride.
3. As Frankenstein works on his creation, what are his expectations for how his creation will relate to him, its creator?
It'll glorify and gratify him and be the first of the species
An allusion in literature is a reference to an historical or literary person, place, or event with which the reader is assumed to be familiar. An allusion adds mean ing to a story through the connections the reader draws with the original work. In Letter II, Walton writes: I am going to unexplored regions to the land of mist and snow;" but I shall kill no albatross, therefore do not be alarmed for my safety, or if I should come back to you as worn and woeful as the "Ancient Mariner"? Explain the meaning of this allusion made by Walton.
It's a literary allusion to "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He will be safe because he won't kill the albatross (a deed that makes the narrator of the poem goes insane)
13. How does the author foreshadow more horrors at the end of Chapter 8?
Just the start of the deaths to come
1. Near the beginning of Chapter 23, the author writes "Suddenly a heavy storm of rain descended." What does this sentence foreshadow?
Monster appears which means something is going to happen
4. Who stands acused of the crime? Why was she suspected?
Justine because the picture was found in her pocket. She is the housekeeper
9. What does Frankenstein show Walton to convince him of the truth of his story?
Letters - from Sophie and Felix, Walton saw the monster on the sled
List four reasons Walton desires a friend.
Loneliness, Encouragement, Another smart and capricious man, someone to sympathize with
The mood of a novel is the feeling or atmosphere an author creates for her readers. Mood is communicated by the use of sensory language, images, and connotative words. In the first three letters, what mood is associated with the arctic setting? Give examples of words, phrases, or images the author uses to communicate this mood.
Lonely- the lack of life in the Arctic. Solemn- his fixed attempt to achieve glory
Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces that forms the basis of plot in narrative fiction. Conflict can be organized into the following types: • Man vs. Man: characters struggle against each other • Man vs. Nature: characters struggle against the natural world • Man vs. God (or Fate): characters struggle against the supernatural or destiny • Man vs. Society: characters struggle against the laws or constrictions of their social environments • Man vs. Himself: characters undergo an internal struggle between their oppos ing tendencies (temptations to do wrong, for example) Though all of these conflicts are present in the novel, which type of conflict is predominant in the novel? Explain.
Man v Nature. Victor struggles against Nature and her balance, as the Romantics would have viewed.
In Chapter 10 the monster declares, "Shall I not then hate them who abhor me? I will keep no terms with my enemies. I am miserable and they shall share my wretchedness." Compare this statement with Matthew 5:38-47. What is the logical result of the monster's philosophy or plan of action? What might occur if he adopted the attitude Jesus commands
Matthew says to love our enemies. The monster only wants to repay evil for evil. The humans will continue to hate and fear him. He might learn how to love and even be loved
What mood is associated with the arctic setting in the fourth letter? Give examples of words, phrases, or images the author uses to communicate this mood. How does the change of mood in the fourth letter affect your expectations for the story that the stranger is about to tell?
Mysticism- the creature of gigantic stature. It intrigues me and sets high expectations for the story
5. Why doesn't Frankenstein reveal his suspicious about the murder? How does Frankenstein's reluctance to reveal his suspicions affect him?
Nervous he'll be looked down for, called insane - Justine is convicted and his guilt grows
2. Had the monster truly blinded Frankenstein to his true intentions (as Frankenstein indicated in Chapter 22) when he promised to be with Frankenstein on his wedding night?
No
If Frankenstein is responsible for the actions of his creation, what does this imply about the relationship between God and his creation? Is God responsible for the actions of his creatures? How does James 1:13-15 relate to this question?
No, God does not tempt anyone and God is true.
In the midst of the circumstances surrounding Justine's trial, Elizabeth cries, "How shall I ever again believe in human goodness?" In Chapter 10, the monster says, "I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend." Those in the Romantic movement believed that man was born good, but societal pressures created evil in man. What is your opinion? Are people naturally good? If so, why do some people do evil?
No, man is inherently evil as the Bible teachings
When the monster meets Frankenstein on the glacier near Geneva, he says to him, "I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous." This seems to be the core of the monster's justification for his actions: "I have been abused, therefore I am excused for abusing others. If you want me to be good, you have to make me happy." Is this a valid argument? Under this argument, who, ultimately, would be responsible for any one being good or bad? Would anyone ever be responsible for his own actions?
No, society would be responsible, no
5. How did Frankenstein's family come to care for Elizabeth Lavenza?
On a visit to the home of a poor family, Victor's mother discovered a foster child living with the family. Elizabeth was the daughter of a nobleman, left in the care of this family when her mother died. Her father disappeared and she was raised in poverty. Victor's mother persuaded the family to allow her to raise Elizabeth. They agreed because they felt it would be unfair to keep Elizabeth in poverty when she had the opportunity to be raised by a wealthy family. What really was her motive since Elizabeth was the prettiest of all of them? Caroline had a heart for those in poverty and was confident enough to where she didn't have to ask her husband for permission.
There are a number of paradoxical statements made by the characters through out this novel. For example, as they stand over the body of Frankenstein, the monster tells Walton, [D]o you think that I was then dead to agony and remorse? [Frankenstein) suffered not in the consummation of the deed [the murders]-oh! not the ten-thousandth portion of the anguish that was mine during the lingering detail of its execution.... My heart was fashioned to be susceptible to love and sympathy; ... it did not endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot even imagine. This is a Progeny Press Interactive Study Guide. Sale of any copy or any form of this study guide, except on an original Progeny Press CD, with original sleeve, is strictly and specifically prohibited. Yet when he tells Frankenstein about the murder of William, he says, "I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph: clap ping my hands, I exclaimed, 'I, too, can create desolation...." Also, Frankenstein, as he lay dying, tells Walton, "During these last days I have been occupied in examining my past conduct; nor do I find it blamable." However, when Justine was accused of the murder of William, Frankenstein says, "But I, the true murderer, felt the never-dying worm alive in my bosom"; and when Justine is executed, he says, "From the tortures of my own heart, I turned to contemplate the deep and voiceless grief of my Elizabeth. This also was my doing! And my father's woe, and the desolation of that late so smiling home—all was the work of my thrice-accursed hands!" After they return from Ireland, Frankenstein tells his father, "I am the assassin of those most innocent victims; they died by my machination." Do you think instances such as these are paradoxes or true contradictions—did the author include them intentionally or are they mistakes? If they were intentional, what do they demonstrate about the characters or how do they affect the plot? If unintentional, how do they affect your reading of the novel? Use examples from the novel to illustrate your response.
Paradox, intentional, it shows the parallelism of the characters. Lack of moral compass. Lack of reason, emotions drive.
6. When is Elizabeth is called as a witness during the trial, she says "It may, therefore, be judged indecent in me to come forward on this occasion; but when I see a fellow-creature about to perish through cowardice of her pretended friends, I wish to be allowed to speak." Who are the "pretended friends" Elizabeth mentions? How might her statement also apply to Frankenstein?
People who don't come to testify - Victor doesn't come to speak either
In literature, the main character or hero of the novel is called the protagonist. The character or force that works against the protagonist is the novels antagonist. Identify the protagonist and antagonist of Frankenstein.
Protagonist- Victor. Antagonist- Victor's hubris OR Protagonist- Nature. Antagonist- Victor
15. In Chapter 19, Frankenstein finds he cannot truly enjoy the visit to Oxford: But I am a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul; and I felt then that I should survive to exhibit what I shall soon cease to be--a miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity, pitiable to others and intolerable to myself. What is the significance of the metaphor Frankenstein uses?
Reminds him of the other tree that triggered his interest in science
6. After the death of his friends and family, what does Frankenstein live for?
Revenge - both have nothing to lose
3. What does Frankenstein see during the storm at Plainpalais as he travels home to Geneva? What conclusion does he reach after this appearance?
Sees monster, the murdered during a storm
11. Why does Frankenstein call Justine's trial a "wretched mockery of justice"? What is ironic about Frankenstein's belief about who is guilty?
She isn't actually guilty and he was the one that let the trial go on
7. Why does Justine confess to the murder?
She was threatened and pressured
8. Describe Justine's attitude toward her impending execution?
She wasn't scared to die
Tone is an author's attitude toward characters and ideas that are presented in the literature. Tone is presented through words and imagery and can influence the attitude of the reader. Examine the tone with which Shelley writes about the poor. How is poverty presented? What do you think Shelley wants the readers to think about poverty and those who are poor? Explain your answer with examples from the book.
Shelley presents poverty as a tragic and undeserved dilemma. Shelley advocates for the poor by insinuating to her readers to care for the poor through helping or donating. Though they are poor in wealth, they are rich in personhood.
When the monster approaches De Lacey, the blind man, De Lacey tells him, "the hearts of men, when unprejudiced by any obvious self-interest, are full of brotherly love and charity." What might Shelley be suggesting by having the one character without prejudice against the monster be a blind person? Do you think De Lacey is right?
Shelley suggests that appearances aren't everything. The heart. is what matters, and all are good according to her. No, we are full of evil.
Read Ezekiel 18:20, 30-32. What do these verses say about responsibility for sin? Can we justifiably blame others as the cause for our actions?
Someone's sin is their own fault. We can't blame anyone else but ourselves.
Frankenstein is an example of the gothic novel. A gothic novel is characterized by emphasis on the mysterious and supernatural. Readers of a gothic novel may encounter images such as mysterious rooms, darkness, storms, secret passages, ghosts, etc. Letters I-IV presented gothic images such as the desolation of the barren arctic and the brief glimpse of the mysterious being on the dog sled. What gothic images are found in Chapters 1-3?
Storms, and the death of mom, and the lecture halls are dark, and foreshadowing of bad things
Frankenstein may also be classified as a romantic novel. A romantic novel generally relies on lofty and elevated language and emphasizes adventure, emotion, imagination, and individualism. Exotic locations, passionate love, heroic events, and a concentration on the past are typical of the romantic novel. Letters I-IV contain romantic elements such as the exotic location, the adventure of explo ration, the lofty language of Walton's imaginative descriptions of the arctic regions, and especially his desire for a true friend. What romantic elements are found in Chapters 1-3?
Studying alchemy, and how Elizabeth is the most beautiful person ever
5. How does the monster learn to read and speak?
The De Lacey family is teaching Sophia and he learns by spying on them
A literary contrivance is a story element or plot development that seems artifi cial, but is necessary for the story to continue. For example, in Frankenstein we must accept that the monster is able to follow his creator, undetected, regardless of where Frankenstein travels. This seems unrealistic, but is necessary for the story to work. What other contrivances are evident in Frankenstein?
The appearance of rain with the monster. The get aways of murder. The arrival of Clerval with Frankenstein in Ireland. The abilities of the monster
What is the author's tone toward Frankenstein's decision to destroy the new creature? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
The author believes it to be a respectable goal. Frankenstein does so with his emotions which is applauded.
How does the author characterize young Victor's attitude toward his study of the alchemists? Give some examples from the novel to support your answer. How do Frankenstein's attitudes toward the quest for knowledge compare with Robert Walton's?
The author portrays his study of the alchemists as venerable. This can be seen when the author sides with Victor about why he continues to study the books in disobedience to his father. Frank is more in the romantic thoughts while walton is scientific
12. In the last sentence of Chapter 3, Frankenstein says that a certain day "decided my future destiny." What was that day? Why was it so influential?
The day was when Professor Waldman took Frankenstein "under his wing" to mentor him. Prior to this time, Frankenstein had not had someone to lead him in his studies. Unlike Krempe, Waldman does not show contempt for the alchemists. Rather, he says that modern scientists are indebted to them for providing the foundations of their knowledge. He encourages Frankenstein in the study of chemistry, but tells him not to neglect other branches of natural philosophy.
7. At the end of Chapter 19, how does Frankenstein compare and contrast his mindset during his first experiment to his feelings about this second experiment? What change might this indicate in Frankenstein?
The first time he was in a enthusiastic frenzy but the second time he felt filthy, in cold blood, sickened, evil
10. Chapter 11 of Frankenstein shifts to the novel's third narrator. Who is narrating the story now? Why do you suppose Shelley chose to tell the story from so many different points of view? How does this help the story? In what ways, if any, does this hurt the story?
The monster - he is the only one that can tell his story the most accurately because he was actually there and feeling everything
15. How do Chapter 11-16 further illustrate the view that people are naturally good and virtuous, but that society is to blame for turning people to evil?
The monster was naturally good as he grew and tried to help the De Lacey family as much as he could but was turned to evil and bitterness by rejection from humans and reading Paradise Lost
The monster vows "revenge" on mankind and justifies his bloody actions by recounting how mankind reacted to his appearance with horror and fear. Yet when he sees himself he also is horrified: [B]ut how was I terrified when I viewed myself in a transparent pool! At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification. Is the monster justified in condemning people for their reactions to his appearance when he has the same reaction? List two examples of interactions between the monster and people from the story and discuss whether the people were justified in their reactions and whether the monster is justified in his anger.
The people are not justified and neither is the monster. He is attacked by Felix and another man just for his appearance. The monster is not right to be angry.
As Frankenstein stands at the graves of his friends and family, upon whom does he call to help him in his pursuit of the monster? Who responds to his appeal? What might the author be suggesting by this?
The spirits of the dead and the ministers of vengeance, the monster. The monster seeks revenge and is responsible for the deaths of everyone
In regards to his expedition, Walton says, "You cannot contest the inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all mankind." Practically speaking, what are some of the benefits of exploration and scientific discovery?
These scientific discoveries can lead to benefits in health and better understanding of the world around us. We can further advance in technology.
In literature, a parallel character is a character who has many similarities to the main character and whose purpose is to give further insights into the main character's strength and/or weaknesses. What evidence is given that Walton and the stranger he brings on board his ship might be parallel characters?
They are both scientists, smart, ambitious, and friendly
12. Why do you think the monster refers to the De Laceys, whom he has only observed and never met, as his friends?
They are the only ones he has been able to watch and learn from without running them away, because they haven't seen him
Read Genesis 11:1-9, Deuteronomy 29:29, 1 Kings 4:29-34, Proverbs 25:2, and Romans 1:20. How do these verses relate to exploration, discovery, and the quest for knowledge?
They say that the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge is admirable in order to benefit yourself or others. God is in control of it all. Dont try to surpass God
Read Mark 10:17-18, Romans 3:9-24, Romans 5:12-19. What do these passages have to say about the question of human goodness?
They teach that no one is good at all.
In Chapter 8, during the trial of Justine, Frankenstein says of himself, "The tortures of the accused did not equal mine; she was sustained by innocence, but the fangs of remorse tore my bosom. ... words cannot convey an idea of the heart-sickening despair that I then endured." After the verdict of guilt and judgment of death for Justine, he moans, "The poor victim, who on the morrow was to pass the awful boundary between life and death, felt not as I did, such deep and bitter agony." In Chapter 9 he says, "Justine died; she rested; and I was alive. ... a weight of despair and remorse pressed on my heart, which nothing could remove. ... I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures, such as no language can describe." In Chapter 23, immediately after the murder of Elizabeth, Frankenstein laments, "A fiend had snatched from me every hope of future happiness: no creature had ever been so miserable as I was; so frightful an event is single in the history of man." In Chapter 24, the monster tells Walton, "[Frankenstein) suffered not in the consummation of the deed—oh! not the ten-thousandth portion of the anguish that was mine during the lingering detail of its execution. ... Think you that the groans of Clerval were music to my ears? My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy; and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred it did not endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot even imagine. . . . Blasted as thou wert, my agony was still superior to thine." Summarize the essence of what Frankenstein and the monster are saying into one or two sentences. What trait do these two creatures share?
They're concerned with their own pain and that no one else suffers like them. Narcissistic
7. Why do you think the monster leave notes and food for Frankenstein as Frankenstein pursues him?
To taunt him and make him miserable
16. Why is the monster pleased with Frankenstein's determination to live?
Victor initially says don't go and be like me and then changes his mind at the end, encouraging him to go. He spends all this time telling him not to be like him but then doesn't care
1. After two years at Inglostdt, Frankenstein considers returning to Geneva. What distracts and delays his return?
Very consumed with the causes of life and death
What was discovered the next morning?
Victor
2. The attributes of a character are often revealed through a contrast with other characters. How are Victor and Elizabeth different in terms of their dispositions and interests?
Victor is more consumed with the scientific knowledge of nature while Elizabeth enjoys experiencing nature firsthand and through reading the romance poets. Victor is more intense and Elizabeth is calmer. Different philosophies of the time periods. Shelley is writing about what she is familiar with. Victor had a great childhood.
12. At the death of Elizabeth, Frankenstein says, "Life is obstinate and clings closest where it is most hated." What does he mean by this statement?
Victor no longer wants to live, he has given up
4. What happens to Frankenstein immediately after his father's death?
Victor put in an insane asylum after dad's death
7. What ideas and activities did Victor's study of the alchemists lead him to pursue?
Victor says that he "entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life." He was not interested in wealth but became obsessed with the idea of banishing disease to the extent of making humans nearly invulnerable. He also attempts incantations to raise ghosts or devils.
6. Why didn't young Victor give up his fascination with the works of Cornelius Agrippa after his father told him not to waste his time in it? What does this reveal about Victor's character?
Victor was not convinced that his father really understood the writings of Agrippa, and so he continued to read. This demonstrates that even at a young age, Victor felt he was possessed of a keener instinct to understand things better than other people. Certainly he felt he knew Agrippa better than his father. The nature of man is to rebel against higher power.
8. What event at age 15 turns Victor from studying the works of alchemists to the study of pure science?
Victor witnesses the destruction of an oak tree by lightening. The next day a "man of great research in natural philosophy" shares his theories on electricity and galvanism. This study intrigues and excites young Victor to the point that he dismisses his previous studies as being "a deformed and abortive creation" and a "would-be science."
Early in their relationship, Frankenstein implies that Walton's desire to reach the northern pole is destructive and delusional ("Unhappy man! Do you share my madness? Have you drank also of the intoxicating draught?"). He hopes to deter Walton and change his thinking ("Hear me—let me reveal my tale, and you will dash the cup from your lips!"). Do you think Walton has learned the lesson Frankenstein meant to teach him? Do you think Walton's ambitions and drive have changed at the end of the novel? Is Walton's decision to return to England at the end of the novel a victory or a defeat? Explain your answer.
Victory, he makes an emotional decision
After reading the Sorrows of Werter, five questions continually recur for the monster. List these five questions. Why are these questions important—for the monster and for everyone? What does this tell us about the monster?
What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come from? What was my destination? The monster is attempting to find out who he is and will stop at nothing for it. Others will suffer as a result
One of the reasons Walton desired a friend was so that he would have someone to "approve or amend [his] plans" and "repair" his faults. How does the arrival of the stranger seem to fulfill Walton's desire?
When Victor arrives, he instructs Walton not to be so determined and prideful. He tells him that his search for knowledge will result in his downfall
8. While working on his creation, was Frankenstein going mad? Support your opinion with examples from the book?
Yes because he was so engrossed in his creation that he was turning sick and isolating himself from everyone he knew. He wasn't taking care of himself
Frankenstein says, "The tortures of the accused did not equal mine; she was sustained by innocence, but the fangs of remorse tore my bosom, and would not forego their hold." Is Frankenstein saying that Justine is better off than he is? If so, how?
Yes, Frankenstein says that Justine will be better because she will soon die. Frankenstein will have to always live on with the remorse and guilt about being responsible for Justine and William's deaths
Though Frankenstein recognized that the monster committed the murders of his loved ones, he also blames himself for their deaths. Is Frankenstein really responsible for the actions of the creature he created? Why or why not?
Yes, mankind can be responsible
The philosophy of naturalism is the belief that the material (natural) world is all that exists; that the supernatural is just a fantasy. A believer in naturalism trusts the scientific method as the only way to arrive at knowledge. If something can not be observed, tested, and experimented on, it cannot exist. Would you say that Frankenstein believes this philosophy? Use examples from the novel to sup port your response.
Yes, though he desires to produce supernatural events like stopping death, he knows he must do so through natural sciences. This is seen in the lightning scene and the convo he has with Walton.
Do you believe the monster was sincere in his promises to Frankenstein as he bargained for a companion? Explain your reasoning using examples from the story.
Yes, though he is scary, he has always been honest.
What help does Frankenstein claim he receives? Does Frankenstein seem to make a clear distinction between "heavenly" help and "demonic" help?
a good spirit, nature and the dead. No
What reason does Frankenstein give for not forming "new ties and fresh affections," for not being willing to live for new friends? Do you think this is a valid assessment? What does this say to Walton?
because new friends aren't the same as old ones from youth, yes, but he should move on. Walton has no hope in new camaraderie.
After the death of his mother in Chapter 3, what words or phrases does Frankenstein use to describe death?
despair, irreparable evil, grief, sorrowful
To whom or what does the monster assign the responsibility for his actions— whom does he blame? Do you agree with his assessment?
he blames Frankenstein for neglecting him and not teaching him any better. Yes lol
11. Is Frankenstein's choice to create a female creature unselfish or selfish? Explain.
no
11. Romanticism emphasized imagination, freedom, and the beauty of the natural world. How do the De Laceys epitomize the ideal romantic family?
they focus on emotions, music, nature, and the bare minimum, freedom from destruction of the city
The novel Frankenstein consists of letters from Robert Walton to his sister, Mrs. Saville. At the end of his fourth letter, Walton says that he will attempt to write down the tale that the stranger begins telling: a story within a story. The stranger's tale is set within the tale of Walton's voyage. This literary device is called framing. Why do you think Mary Shelley chose to frame the story rather than tell it as a straight narrative?
to intrigue the reader and construct an interesting story and for verisimilitude
