The novel has a unique structure as it has three narrative voices. These three narrative voices are Robert Walton, Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster. There are contradicting points of view that are expressed in the novel from Frankenstein and the Monster, whereas Walton's frame narrative basically supports Victor Frankenstein's point of view. Therefore the value of Mary Shelley's novel doesn’t present a clear moral but it is encouraging the reader to make up their own.
’s life story is at the heart of “Frankenstein”. He is a young Swiss boy and he grows up in Geneva reading the works of ancient alchemists, a background that serves him ill when he attends university at Ingolstadt. There he learns about modern science and within a few years, learns all that his professors have to teach him. He then becomes fascinated with the “secret of life.” Then he starts work on the monster. And brings the monster to life. He realizes his dream is not quite what it was supposed to be as he was meant to create a perfect human being without any imperfections but he has created a hideous monster. “The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”. The monster proceeds to kill Victor’s youngest brother, best friend, and wife by strangling them. The monster also causes the deaths of two other innocents, including Victor’s father. He feels remorse, shame and guilt because of his self obsessed desire for fame and from being incapable to take responsibility for his actions. Victor still refuses to admit to anyone the horror of what he has created, even as he sees the consequences of his creative act spiral out of control because he is ashamed of what he has done.
Victor changes over the course of the novel from an innocent youth fascinated by science into a disheartened, guilt-ridden man determined to destroy the evidence of his arrogant scientific experiment. He changes really from good to bad as his thrust for knowledge takes over him. “… I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation”. This is an example of his desire for knowledge and is belief that he will succeed. “The secrets of heaven and earth that I desire to learn”. As result of his desire to attain the godlike power of creating new life or his avoidance of the public arenas in which science is usually conducted. Victor is ruined by a lack of humanness. He cuts himself off from the world and his family and eventually commits himself entirely to the obsession of creating life. He becomes ill from not eating because he is so obsessive. “A new species would bless me as its creator and source”. This shows that Victor can’t wait to become the father of something or the creator but when it does actually happen it is a totally different story. At the end of the novel Victor relates his story to and then dies.
The monster is Victor Frankenstein’s creation, assembled from old body parts and brought to life by electricity. He enters life eight feet tall and enormously strong but with the mind of a newborn baby. Then his creator abandons him and this makes him confused. He then tries to integrate himself into society but is not accepted. The monster looks in the mirror and realizes that his physical appearance is ugly. This is an aspect of his persona that blinds society to his initial gentle and kind nature as he is constantly beaten by peasants. This turns the monster from good to bad. He then seeks revenge on his creator and kills Victor’s younger brother. After Victor destroys his work on the female monster meant to ease the monster’s loneliness. In retaliation the monster murders Victor’s best friend and then his new wife.
While Victor feels complete hatred for his creation, the monster shows that he is not a purely evil being. The monster’s expressive narration of events reveals his extraordinary sensitivity and compassion. He helps the Delacey’s by harvesting all their crops just before winter so that they will have enough food to survive. He learns from the Delacey’s about what it is to be human as they are a poor family but they survive through loving each other. He saves a girl from drowning but because of his outward appearance he is rewarded only with beatings and disgust. Trying to decide between vengefulness and compassion the monster ends up lonely and tormented by remorse. This shows that the monster is human as he is lonely and he is also feeling compassion towards Frankenstein who abandoned him. Even the death of his creator offers only bittersweet relief. It gives the monster joy because Victor has caused him so much suffering and sadness because Victor is the only person with who he has had any sort of relationship.
Walton plays a role that parallels Victor’s in many ways. Like Victor, Walton is an explorer, chasing after that “country of eternal light.” Victor’s influence on him is ironic as he tells Walton’s men to stay on the path courageously, regardless of danger.
“Frankenstein” has many key images that are repeated in the language throughout the novel. Hands are one of them as they can be used to create things and destroy as well. Hands are used when Frankenstein is making the creation and when the monster strangles someone. The moon is often related to the monster. This use of moons and storms adds to the gothic atmosphere. This type of language is also uses when the monster appears so that the reader feels frightened. This works well as the reader can almost tell when the monster is about to appear as Mary Shelley will describe things such as the moon. Books are a key image in “Frankenstein” because they are uses to gain knowledge and Frankenstein wants to gain knowledge. Knowledge is also sought by the monster as he wants to learn about everything as he has the mind of a new born child. The reader will therefore feel pleased for the monster as he does learn by himself. Birth and death is also a key image as creation is to do with birth while supernatural is to do with death. This relates to Frankenstein as he is unhuman when he rejects his creation. Irony is a theme of the book as it helps the reader take a critical attitude towards the narrator, which means the reader is able to challenge what the three narrators say. Maybe by hearing the three versions, the reader may be able to see who they sympathize with the most.
I feel Mary Shelley’s use of language throughout the novel that is very intelligent as she uses language that connects to the themes. She uses ideas such as mountains to portray loneliness. When Frankenstein goes to find the monster for revenge. Elizabeth says “men appear to me as monsters thirsting for each other’s blood”. This is irony. I think this refers to society in general as people are after each other and people only look after themselves. It is ironic she calls Frankenstein a monster
Throughout the novel Mary Shelley uses language to connect with themes. She uses the symbols of fire and light. “What could not be expected in the country of eternal light?” asks Robert Walton, displaying a faith in science. In “Frankenstein”, light symbolizes knowledge, discovery, and enlightenment. The world is a place of dark secrets, hidden passages and unknown territory. I think the goal of the scientist is to reach light. Frankenstein is desperate to learn and desperate to succeed which shows the reader that he is human. The monster also wants to learn so it also shows the reader that he is human. The monster’s first experience with a flame reveals that he discovers excitedly that it creates light in the darkness of the night but that it also harms him when he touches it. The reader will therefore feel sympathy towards the monster as he learns.
The presence of fire in the text also brings to mind the full title of Shelley’s novel, “Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus”. The Greek god Prometheus gave the knowledge of fire to humanity and was then severely punished for it. Victor is attempting to become a modern Prometheus and is certainly punished. He becomes lonely as he loses everyone he loves and he also doesn’t learn anything, as he still wants to continue. But unlike fire his “gift” to humans remains a secret as he didn’t tell anybody about the knowledge of the secret of life.
Throughout the novel you feel sorry for the monster as is he disowned from his creator and faces prejudice because of the way he looks. Victor and the monster express their sense of the monster’s hideousness. About first seeing his creation, Victor says: “When I thought of him, I gnashed my teeth, my eyes became inflamed, and I ardently wished to extinguish that life which I had so thoughtlessly made.” The monster feels a very similar disgust for himself: “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.” They feel regretful and wish that Victor had never engaged in his act of creation.
I feel that abortion is a motif in this part of the novel. The motif appears when Victor destroys his work on a female monster; he aborts his act of creation, preventing the female monster from coming alive. Abortion occurs in Victor’s description of natural philosophy: “I at once gave up my former occupations; set down natural history and all its progeny as a deformed and abortive creation; and entertained the greatest disdain for a would-be science, which could never even step within the threshold of real knowledge.” As with the monster, Victor becomes dissatisfied with natural philosophy and rejects it.
“Frankenstein” is a novel that makes you feel sorry towards many characters. I think because of the way the story is told the reader can’t help but feel sympathy towards Frankenstein. I feel sympathy towards Frankenstein because he messes up his life. Victor is an innocent youth fascinated by science with a promising future with the world at his feet. He turns into a disheartened, guilt-ridden man who is determined to become the forefather of philosophy. You feel sympathetic towards Victor but in some ways you feel you don’t because it is his own fault for everything that happened. I think that Frankenstein should have thought fully about his actions before he created to monster. I feel towards Frankenstein for not rejecting his own creation. He didn’t even give it a name. I then feel extreme sympathy towards the monster for being rejected by its father.
The monster lies at the center of the action throughout the whole novel. It is eight feet tall and hideously ugly, and is rejected by society. The monstrosity is not only from his appearance but also from the unnatural manner of his creation. A mix of stolen body parts and chemicals created him. He is a product of a scientific effort but also of dark, supernatural workings.
Although the monster is the true monster in the novel some would argue that Victor Frankenstein is the monster. The reader could argue that Victor himself is a kind of monster, as his ambition, secrecy and selfishness alienate him from human society. He looks ordinary on the outside, but he may be the true “monster” inside, as he is eventually consumed by an obsessive hatred of his creation.
Considering “Frankenstein” is a novel written by the daughter of an important feminist, it has a lack of strong female characters. The novel has loads of women who suffer calmly and then are killed. Justine is executed for murder, despite being innocent. And also Victor aborts the creation of the female monster because he fears that he will be unable to control her actions once she is alive. Also Elizabeth waits, impatient but helpless for Victor to return to her. The monster eventually murders her. You could maybe consider Frankenstein as a woman. Would she have rejected her creation or taken responsibility? Most women think that their baby is cute and adorable even if they are ugly and horrible. I think that a woman version of Frankenstein would have taken responsibility of her actions.
Overall I think that the reader feels very sympathetic towards the monster throughout the novel “Frankenstein”. The reader feels very sympathetic towards the monster because his own father rejects him. He is then an outsider to society and has to learn for himself. Mary Shelley represents the monster very well to make the reader feel sorry for him. He is rejected because of the way he looks. I think that Frankenstein was written for a specific purpose to show that society in those days was wrong in the way they treated outsiders. But do we treat outsiders any different today?
By Sam Freeman 11P