FRANKENSTEIN By Mary Shelley THE STORY The novel

FRANKENSTEIN By: Mary Shelley

THE STORY… The novel is composed in epistolary form or the form of letters exchanged between Robert Walton and his sister Margaret Walton Saville Their correspondence frames the story at the beginning and at the end The middle of the story is narrated by the ill-fated protagonist, Victor Frankenstein Third narrator- the Monster, we see his point of view

THE BEGINNING: THE LETTERS The Letters begin the novel - Walton is the writer and writing to his sister - Margaret Walton is adventuring into the frozen north § Why does he journey so far from home? What is his quest? What was the strange sight that Walton and the crew saw when they were trapped in the ice sheets? What does Walton greatly desire and how does this come true?

THE PLOT: VICTOR’S STORY ON HIS CREATION Victor first describes his early life in Geneva. At the end of a blissful childhood spent in the company of Elizabeth Lavenza (his cousin in the 1818 edition, his adopted sister in the 1831 edition) and friend Henry Clerval, Victor enters the university of Ingolstadt to study natural philosophy and chemistry. There, he is consumed by the desire to discover the secret of life and, after several years of research, becomes convinced that he has found it. Armed with the knowledge he has long been seeking, Victor spends months feverishly fashioning a creature out of old body parts. One climactic night, in the secrecy of his apartment, he brings his creation to life. When he looks at the monstrosity that he has created, however, the sight horrifies him. After a fitful night of sleep, interrupted by the specter of the monster looming over him, he runs into the streets, eventually wandering in remorse. Victor runs into Henry, who has come to study at the university, and he takes his friend back to his apartment. Though the monster is gone, Victor falls into a feverish illness.

THEMES

THEME: KNOWLEDGE Use of Knowledge for good and evil purposes § Ethical framework of knowledge for the good and advancement of mankind. § "How can we harness the knowledge that we have so that it is not self destructive and for the benefit of all mankind? " The pursuit of knowledge is at the heart of Frankenstein and evident in the main characters: VICTOR: § Victor attempts to surge beyond accepted human limits and accesses the secret of life. His act of creation eventually results in the destruction of everyone dear to him. § This ruthless pursuit of knowledge proves dangerous as Victor’s obsessive hatred of the monster drives him to his death. WALTON: § Walton reaches beyond the normal limits to surpass previous human explorations by endeavoring to reach the North Pole. § He finds himself perilously trapped between sheets of ice yet ultimately pulls back from his treacherous mission, having learned from Victor’s example how destructive thirst for knowledge can be.

THEMES: TECHNOLOGY/CREATION VS. NATURE Advancement of Technology/Science vs. Nature § Victor becomes a lost soul when he tries his over reaching experiments on the dead § He loses his moral compass when he becomes obsessed with animating the dead. § Victor's overindulgence in science leaves him with the consequences of these actions

THEME: NATURE Shelley presents nature as very powerful. Victor often seeks to refresh his mind and soul when he seeks solitude in the mountains of Switzerland, down the Rhine River in Germany, and on tour in England. Shelley devotes long passages to the effect that nature has on Victor's mind. He seems to be regenerated when he visits nature; his mind is better after a particularly harrowing episode. Nature also has the power to change man when Victor uses the power of lightning's electricity to give life to dead human flesh. The awesome power of nature is also apparent when storms roll into the areas where clear skies had previously prevailed. Victor ignores all of the warnings against natural law and must pay the ultimate price for the violation of those laws.

THEME: MONSTROSITY Obviously, this theme pervades the entire novel, as the monster lies at the center of the action. Eight feet tall and hideously ugly, the monster is rejected by society. However, his monstrosity results not only from his grotesque appearance but also from the unnatural manner of his creation, which involves the secretive animation of a mix of stolen body parts and strange chemicals. He is a product not of collaborative scientific effort but of dark, supernatural workings. Perhaps Victor himself is a kind of monster, as his ambition, secrecy, and selfishness alienate him from human society. Ordinary on the outside, he may be the true “monster” inside, as he is eventually consumed by an obsessive hatred of his creation. Finally, many critics have described the novel itself as monstrous, a stitched-together combination of different voices, texts, and tenses.

THEME: AMBITION Frankenstein shows that human beings are deeply ambitious. Victor and Walton dream of transforming society and of bringing glory to themselves through their scientific achievements. However, their actions are deeply flawed and bring misfortune for all.

THEME: RESPONSIBILITY Frankenstein runs from his responsibility as the Monster’s creator. Victor has usurped the role of God and has created a Being in complete violation of natural laws. But as some critics feel that his more heinous crime is his abandoning his creation. Normally when children are born, they are looked after, their parents take full responsibility of rearing and nurturing them till they become fully familiar with the world they are brought into. Victor assembled the bones and other tissues from various charnels and graves and animated the frame. Yet, when he observes the Being, he is so horrified that he at once rushes out of his workshop, taking not a bit of care to nurture him. The Monster actually stretches his arm and tries to say something, Victor rushes out of his bedroom and spends the whole night in the courtyard and as the gate opens he goes away. The monster made him feel that only creating is not sufficient, but nurturing is important which he fails to do. And the result is the monster’s violent form.

THEMES: LONELINESS, ALIENATION MISUNDERSTANDING, CRUELTY Victor chooses to be alienated because of his desire for knowledge. Victor’s alienation is self- imposed; he does not share his thoughts and ideas even with Clerval who nurses him back for over a month. He worked on his project in an apartment completely cut off from human habitation, All his fear, horror and agony continue to gnaw his heart and mind and yet he cannot open up his heart to anyone. He is embroiled in a trap of his own creation.

THEME: ALIENATION Conversely, people turn from the Monster because of his looks. He seeks companionship yet he finds none. His alienation is due to the unjust treatment he gets from mankind. At no stage is he a welcome guest. He is treated as a monster and beaten up, even shot at. His hideous shape and appearance frighten all, even when he tries to befriend some. He seeks domestic bliss, but is rejected by the people. In fact, he is isolated from the moment he is created, and after getting full selfeducation and trying all means to get sympathy and love from society and the people, he becomes a rebel and then demonic. Thus, it is his loneliness, his isolation and then miserable treatment he received from all those he tried to befriend that turned him into a true monster. He in turn wants others to feel as he does and commits acts of murder in revenge or retaliation of his feelings. He demands a female, exactly like him, as deformed as he is, explains his isolation; he knows that he will not be accepted by the society: § “I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species, and have the same defects. This being you must create. (Vol. II, Ch. VIII)”

THEME: REVENGE The Monster began his life with warmth and an open heart but was abandoned and mistreated by Victor and then by the De Lacey family thus he seeks revenge “feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom and I bent my mind toward injury and death “ Revenge became the Monster’s only companion because after his fateful deeds, no one would accept him into society