1. The novel Frankenstein moves through three different narrators as the novel goes on in four stages. The first and last of these narrators is Robert Walton then-in the first it moves on to the point of view of the man this book was written about Victor Frankenstein. The third narrator the creature then comes in in the second segment of the novel as he explains his life after he left the room he was created. Narrator is a very powerful language feature and Mary Shelly used it well in her novel, Narrator is so strong because it allows us to see different perspectives very clearly and as such we become a “god” figure who is able to understand a lot more than if we were simply reading a first-person singularly narrated novel! The first perspective we read from is in the prologue and as mentioned earlier it is the perspective of Robert Walton a ship’s captain who was exploring the arctic! From his point of view, we gain an understanding of the main character in the novel before we even hear from his perspective. We see victor through Roberts’s eyes as an intelligent but wild and distraught man. Next, we step into the mind of Victor Frankenstein who leads us through his childhood and the creation of the Creature this part of the book leads us to a deeper understanding of Victor, where he came from, what his dreams were, his love, his joys, and his passions. Next Mary Shelly puts us in the eyes of the creature who explains to our deep interest what happened since his creation and his abandonment by Victor. This, in turn, shows us another side of victor and the story this side is full of pain anger loathing and disgust. We switch back to Victor Frankenstein’s narration for the majority of the last segment of the book as he fights his inner moral compass until he ends up chasing the Creature Through the Arctic Wastes. Shortly before the end, Victor Frankenstein dies and the Narration switches back to Robert Walton who describes meeting The Creature. Overall The Creature and Victor Frankensteins opposing views contrasted by Robert Walton’s third-person view on the situation strengthen our understanding of this Novel. It allows us to reflect on the other characters from more than one point of view and make judgments based on all three views well dissecting the novel!
2. Mary Shelly puts the narrators in a specific order! First Walton then Victor and Finally The Creature I believe that this is for a specific reason. That reason is to support the big question and theme of the novel “Who is to blame?” She keeps us hooked to the novel all throughout by changing the narrators and using it as a way to play hot potato with the blame. When we first hear Robert Waltons story we are uneducated and so settle no blame but decipher that whatever Victor Frankenstein is chasing must be something truly frightening for it to cause Victor to say “But I—I have lost everything and cannot begin life anew”. Next, through Victor’s eyes, we learn of the arrogance and prestige and intelligence and hope that lives in the young Victor Frankenstein and we wonder and think whatever could cause such a great man to become such a withered hulk reduced to living meagerly and barely able to survive! Next, we hear from the view of the creature who has been abandoned and despised his whole life due to his creation by Victor Frankenstein as we view life through the eyes of the creature we begin to see Frankenstein in a new light, a selfish and self-absorbed, arrogant, foolish man and it brings back the question “Who is to blame?” again with a new perspective. We next return back to Victor to and finally back to Robert Walton giving us a fresh look through both of their eyes as we begin to notice things we did not notice before through their eyes. We begin to see that Victor has made some very bad decisions and really isn’t the saint that we thought he was. We also at the very end hear and see through Robert Walton’s eyes The Creature saddened at the death of Victor – A very humane trait – and Victor admitting he has become as the Creature himself if not worse!! The way that Mary Shelly Changes Narrators throughout the script keeps us hooked and always questioning ourselves. This is a strong writing technique as it keeps us interested and eventually makes us feel empathy for one or two of the characters. Without the Narration change, I believe that the novel Frankenstein would not be such a resounding success as it would not touch your emotions in the same way!

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Character:

Victor Frankenstein: Victor Frakenstein is a swiss intellectual. Born to a well off and well respected family he is prodigious, arrogant, intelligent and hardworking. The roles he plays in this play are The Creator and the Aggressor. He is the creator because he creates the monster and The Aggressor when The Creature begins to kill his family he quickly switches to an aggressor and chases The Creature around the continent 

1.His most significant personality traits are probably pride, intelligence, arrogance and a strong will and determination to never waver from his views and a large tolerance threshold to deal with challenges arising to challenge his point of view. This last one is reflected in the quote “On perceiving me, the stranger addressed me in English, although with a foreign accent. ‘Before I come on board your vessel,’ said he, ‘will you have the kindness to inform me whether you are bound?’” This quote shows he is willing to risk death in the most unpleasant forms to achieve his objective and hold by his opinion and motives!

2. Victor’s strengths are that he is intelligent, resourceful and has the confidence to express himself comfortably, I believe ironically this is also partly his weakness. His arrogance allows him to view himself as superior to everyone else and offhandedly disregard their opinions causing him to spiral into large self-depression cycles according to Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs. The human lives in one of five states and they must satisfy one to get to the next. I believe that it is Victor’s own arrogance and Stubbornness against listeninging to other people over his own opinion that drives him down these states several times and finally to his demise!

3. To me victor helps to understand the ways that human lust can drive a man downhill so quickly and helps me understand the quote “If our impulses were confined to hunger, thirst, and desire, we might be nearly free; but now we are moved by every wind that blows….” this quote is about living on that bottom tier of Maslows Heirachy and how if we were confined to only wanting food, drink, and sex we might be free. When he says he is free he means modern man has other cravings and to satisfy himself he must fulfill them. Victor is a very good model for a man in todays- and two hundred years ago’s- society he represents the downfall that his cravings for power and knowledge led him to!

The Creature : The Creature was created in a hostel room in England by Victor Frankenstein he is hideously ugly and as such has large self esteem issues. The crux of the matter however is that The Creature is actually a sweet individual tainted by the way he has been treated! The Roles he plays are the Mistreated, The Sorrowful and The Aggressor and The Broken. He plays the mistreated obviously at the start of the play where he is cast out by victor later he plays the Sorrowful and is full of grief and pain at the fact no one loves him. Getting angry he then becomes The Aggressor and starts to kill Victor’s Family and Taunt Victor. However in the end he becomes The Broken when Victor dies and The Creature feels like there is no longer any point in his existence. 

1. The Creatures most significant personality traits are his ability to learn fast, his large empathy and emotional reserves and his speed at which he angers and the hastiness of his decisions. I believe these last to are from never being brought up with a family he is #self-made. Because of this he doesn’t understand the intricacies of human nature and tends to live on a lower level of Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs. He craves food support and love and as a result of this he makes dumb desicions. Like the scene during which he chases the girl he has saved from the stream and her lover into the forest and then gets shot. Afterwards he is devastated “‘This was then the reward of my benevolence!”.

2. The Creatures Strengths are quite literally for one his strength being made un-naturally he poses superhuman stature, strength and speed. His weakness however is his lack of human intricacies -making him seem less evolved almost caveman like- as discussed in the last paragraph. Another example of this lack of knowledge of human nature is when he captures William Frankenstein “As soon as he beheld my form, he placed his hands before his eyes and uttered a shrill scream; I drew his hand forcibly from his face and said, ‘Child, what is the meaning of this? I do not intend to hurt you; listen to me.” The monster in his innocence truly believes he can convince the child and De’Lacey of his kind spirit. 

3. The Creature Represents the whole idea of judging a book by its cover. I believe that The Creature was judged by his “cover” and underneath his exterior lies a developed human who can love and care for others, no-one can see this as they are all too frightened by him. Which is not calling out any of the humans in the book who were scared of him; it is by no means their fault humans were programmed to make snap judgements way back when it was a matter of life and death. However The Creature represents the sad truth to me that there are some parts of life you cannot run away from!

Walton-Frankenstein: Walton and frankenstein have a semi-significant relationship with forming the core text themes. They have an influence on one plot theme being the idea of pushing boundaries. Well frankenstein pushes the boundaries of human naturalization walton pushes the boundaries of human exploration! He journeys to the arctic with a ship’s crew. However both of them end up worse off for their efforts-victor with his family dead and walton frozen starving amongst large fields of ice- and are lonely! Putting in place the theme of Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs again. The idea that if his impulses had been confined to “hunger thirst and desire” maybe he would be a happier man! That the pursuit of knowledge is dangerous!    

Frankenstein-Creature: Being the Relationship that the novel is mainly written about, this is a very significant relationship in relation to forming the core text themes of the novel. It shows many different core themes but the one I’m going to be focusing on primarily on the idea of family. Nurturing is very important in the “early” years of anyone’s life; they say that your first thousand days define who you are going to become. In the first thousand years of The Creature’s life he was abandoned and then rejected significantly twice more by humans. This also links into the idea of “Who is to blame?” Many people have discussed the possibility of had Frankenstein raised The Creature like a good father and brought him up with the appropriate manners then maybe none of the problems that arose would have arisen. This idea and theme is also supported by the fact that Victor’s Father was a good father himself!

Creature-Walton: Well The Creature walton have one conversation during the whole text they are also a semi-significant relationship to establishing core text themes. They develop the idea of nature. This theme is that messing with the natural order of things is wrong must not be done. When frankenstein created the monster he did just this and messed with nature eventually nature caught up with him and he died of fatigue starvation and cold in the arctic The Creature and Waltons conversation soon afterwards when the monster is crying over Frankenstein’s body ends up with the creature throwing himself into the arctic sea and saying “The light of that conflagration will fade away; my ashes will be swept into the sea by the winds. My spirit will sleep in peace”. This whole sentence has the nature theme motif to it. He will return back to nature where he belongs and not in the human order by becoming “ashes” and floating away in the “sea”. When the creature says his spirit will sleep in peace it is partially metaphorical- as well as him being at peace(dead)-nature will finally be at rest as the natural order has been restored. 

Connections to society: 

Frankenstein: Well society had little influence on Frankenstein when he was a young man or during his time creating The Creature, after The Creatures creation it begins to control him. Frankenstein is so embarrassed of what he has created that he dares not share it with anyone his parents, siblings or closest friends. It is also this same embarrassment that restrains him from ever asking for direct advice or help from anyone in the Situation of the Creature. Furthermore how could he admit to the creation of something that caused the death of his brother and cousin. Society controlled him to never speak out about The Creature. This was one the most consequential decisions of the whole play had he spoken of The Creature upon its creation none of the suffering or misery would have occured.  

Walton: Out of all of the Characters Robert walton is Influenced the Least by society. Like victor he is driven to succeed in the pursuit of knowledge and wants the limelight of society. However unlike the other two characters society does not hold such a strong grip on him and he is able to abandon his knowledge pursuit and lives to tell another story! 

The Creature: Society had the biggest influence on the creature out of all of the main characters, you could say that he was “brought up” by society in a way. Since the abandonment by victor he has to turn to other civilized humans to learn the ways of men. What he turned to was society!! Well society was not very helpful to him it still had a big part to play in his life, It shunned him for his looks and his ways. Causing him to experience deep emotional turmoil. The main scene in which The Creature is influenced by society I believe is when he is chased out of the De’Lacey cottage for his looks. Shortly after this he swears revenge on the Frankenstein family. It is due to society’s rejection of him that he murders the young Frankenstein boy and his life begins to follow even further downhill! ‘‘Frankenstein! you belong then to my enemy—to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge;”   

SETTING

The first of the three key settings that I am going to be using is the arctic where the story begins and ends. The use of descriptive language shows how it’s a desolate and barren place where the ship is surrounded by ice and there are no inhabitants around them. In this second letter to his sister he describes the arctic “encompassed as I am by frost and snow!” This idea of being encompassed by frost and snow demonstrates the loneliness of  travelling in the arctic and the ice itself seems personified in the idea of wrapping around Robert and trying to swallow him up. The purpose behind this was to bring The Creature and Victor away from the villagers and into the cold north where the loneliness could be used to develop both the characters. 

The second setting I’m going to be using is the Creature’s Hovel outside the De’Lacey cottage. This little shack is a symbol of the Creature’s loneliness as he is forced to live in the rundown little house with none of the human comforts. It develops the idea of his inhumanity to the readers as though he is not worthy of a proper dwelling. “I quitted the cottage, and in the general tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel”. The Hovel is like a prison to him – the text makes a metaphor out of it as his own detention camp-  somewhere he is forced to return to because no one will accept him anywhere else. It is the only place he is safe from the cruelness of society. The purpose behind this setting was to make the reader feel the depths of the creature’s pain and rejection! 

The third setting I will be using is the dorm room in which Frankenstein creates the Creature! “The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit. It was a most beautiful season; never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest or the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage, but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature.” This is comparison: it compares the beautiful summer, the plentiful harvest and a more luxurious vintage whereas in the apartment Victor is “insensible to the charms of nature” meaning he felt none of them, this suggests that victor was in a dark gloom and wrapped up in his work. In other words his work isolated him from the joy and fun of the outside world making him a stranger to natural life. The purpose behind this setting was to show how nature was against Victor. He should’ve been out amongst the harvest but he went against nature stayed inside and created the creature – a punch against nature in itself. 

ENLIGHTENMENT PERIOD!!:

European politics, philosophy, science and communications were radically reoriented during the course of the “long 18th century” (1685-1815) as part of a movement referred to by its participants as the Age of Reason, or simply the enlightenment. This time period was a massive step forward for humans> before the enlightenment period humans led a more simple life. Anything good happened god was blessing them anything bad, god was punishing them. Anyone did weird unexplainable things “it’s a witch kill her”! During the enlightenment period humans began establishing more civilized concepts like democracy, physics and physcology! It was near the end of this period that Frankenstein is set. It makes sense that it would be set in this era, spurred on by his forefathers success Frankenstein would have begun to learn the new ways of science not that of god. Upon hearing that Frankenstein as arrogant as ever would have wanted to top the exploits of everyone who came before him!! Due to his education in these new ways. He decided he needed the ultimate challenge to test his prowess. Raise an being from the dead! 

LANGUAGE FEATURES…

These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger and or death, and induce me to commence this laborious voyage with the joy a child feels when he embarks in a little boat, with his holiday mates, on an expedition of discovery up his native river.” – Walton, Letter One:

This is comparing the joy that Robert Walton believes he will feel, when he completes his exploration of the north pole, to the expedition of a small child going away up the river with his mate – the dream trip. The descriptive language he uses when he says embarked upon this labouries voyage shows that even though he knows that there’s danger ahead, he is still excited to be heading towards it and sees it as the trip of a lifetime! He is uncontrollably in love with the idea of exploring nature.

“…when I would account to myself for the birth of that passion, which afterwards ruled my destiny, I find it arise, like a mountain river, from ignoble and almost forgotten sources; but swelling as it proceeded, it became the torrent which, in its course, has swept away all my hopes and joys.”

This is Victor explaining his draw to the attraction of exploration of nature. His interest for recreating human life is like a river, as soon as the idea came to him it started gushing and flowing into him consuming him until it ruled him and he was no longer victor frankenstein but became the recreation. It ruled him until he forgot about human interaction and human feelings!

“No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success.”

This is similar to the last quote victor is speaking about the consumption of his mind and body by the disease of inquisitiveness. The simile of it being like a hurricane shows how uncontrollable it was gusting around and sweeping up his entire existence.

“Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind, when it has seized on it, like a lichen on the rock.”

This is a similie. It is comparing the way that desire for knowledge clings to the mind to that of a lichen – a parasite that latches into rock and feeds from it – on a rock. 

The subtitle of the novel is “The Modern Prometheus”. Research the story of Prometheus and reflect on how he is connected to Victor Frankenstein. Discuss what we are able to understand about Frankenstein’s actions and punishment from unpacking this allusion. 

Prometheus was the first ancient greek entity to give fire to the human race. For this he was punished by being chained to a rock and having an eagle eat out his insides. The allusion to prometheus is comparing victor’s experimentation with nature to prometheus and their resulting punishments! 

The Ancient Mariner is a poem that is referred to throughout the novel. At times, it is even quoted (like in chapter five after Franensteins runs away from the creature). Research this poem and its meaning. Compare the similarities between the poem and the novel. Locate the extract of the poem in chapter five and analyse why it was inserted at this point of the text- what purpose does it have?

The ancient mariner is a poem about a ship that has been washed to the south pole and almost magically finds its way back to the country of it origin the poem explores the idea of ambition and meddling with nature, the mariner kills and albatros in sea breaking natures order, in a similar way to the way that frankenstein breaks natures order by creating the Creature. The power of nature takes over the Ancient Mariner and pushes it deep into the southern oceans where its captain is met by Death and the angel of life, this is again similar to Frankenstein as he suffers the consequences for breaking nature’s order. In the fifth chapter there is a quote there is a quote directly from the ancient mariner “Like one, that on a lonesome road / Doth walk in fear and dread / And, having once turned round, walks on / And turns no more his head /Because he knows a frightful fiend / Doth close behind him tread” These quotes all reflect of the similarities of both the Captain of the ancient mariner and Victor Frankenstein after they realize their crimes against nature. Originally they both seek to isolate themselves however the marier eventually owns up to his crimes well Victor never actually does.  

In Chapter 2 of Volume 2, Shelley refers to a poem called ‘Mutability’, written by her husband. Find a copy of this poem and explore the connection between the meaning of the poem and one of core ideas of the novel.

The mutability relates to Frankenstein with the theme of nature being a controlling force and Frankenstein breaking it and being punished for his actions. “…the clouds that veil the midnight moon… streaking the darkness radiantly.” This quote from the poem mutability shows how nature can change things suddenly and swiftly like the moving of clouds across the sky that block out the moon and send the world into darkness. 

In Chapter 4 of Volume 2, there is a reference to ‘the ass and the lap-dog’ which is from La Fontaine’s ‘L’Ane et le petit chien’. It the text, when the ass sees the lap-dog’s master petting it as a reward for its friendly fawning, it tries the same thing but gets beaten for its pains. Look into this reference. Comment on how this relates to the Creature’s experience in the novel.

This is similar to part of the story of the creature. The biggest thing that the creature struggles with is that he is a kind being who was a mistake of nature making him so horribly ugly that people detest him without ever hearing his story. In L’Ane et le petit chien’. The lap dog is cuddling up with the master – a pretty household animal – the Ass(donkey) tries to do the same as he wants the attention of his master. However the Ass is stinky and ugly and is not wanted. To the Ass however he feels hurt because he cannot control how he looks and and smells. This is how the Creature feels, he is deeply hurt. 

“A new species would bless me as its creator.” – Victor Frankenstein

Frankenstein’s arrogance here has got ahead of him; he believes that if he creates a new species they would thank him for his creation and worship him and thank him for their creation. He would be a god figure to the Creatures as god is to us. This is although a presumptuous and arrogant assumption a logical one as we worship god for our creation. God however did not abandon us at birth but instead gave us fire. Opposingly the Creature never really whorships Victor “Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live?”

“I ought to be thy Adam but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”

The creature is comparing himself to Adam the first man. Who lived a great and prosperous life instead he is comparing himself to lucifer and outcast angel who fell from the heavens and was cast into hell to rule there for eternity.

“I had heard them, on these occasions, utter the words ‘good spirit’…but I did not then understand the signification of these terms.”

The good spirit is something that the Creature never understood. He is not a religious Creature being of very scientific creation. 

Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different to mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and proposerous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator; he was allowed to converse with and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature: but I was wretched, helpless and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me.”- The Creature

This is again building on the biblical allusion that The Creature is another adam. It compare’s situation – abandoned by his wretched creator – to that of Adam – a son of god protected by the most righteous being in the world. He compares the way that Adam was allowed to converse with everyone he met and gained knowledge from them to his situation where society shuns him. He considers himself closer to Satan, an outcast who can only view and admire the best in everyone else, we’ll never actually be involved himself.

…the fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone.” – The Creature

The Creature continues with the biblical allusion bringing up the fact that even the devil has friends and followers down in hell well he is truly alone in this world.