This is closely linked to the themes of living in a close community and isolation. Without companionship and close relationships to stimulate them, each character is driven into isolation and left to dwell o their own negative thoughts or obsessions. For example, Walton and Victor, as they have left their families concentrate on their ruthless ambitions, causing hem to sacrifice anything to get what they want. Evidence of this is Walton’s sacrifice of his crewmembers and Victor’s refusal to return to Elizabeth. The monster’s ambitions are quite innocent to begin with: the desire to learn. However, when he is spurned by the cottagers, and attacked by Felix, he longs for a companion. His appearance makes him a social outcast and when a man shoots him after he has saved his daughter from drowning, he declar3es that he will get revenge on mankind, particularly Frankenstein. Thus, after the murder of William he asks Victor to make him a “wife”. Victor’s delaying causes the ultimate horrific events of the novel: the death of Elizabeth. The monster’s isolation has let him to dwell on thoughts of revenge. We hear hi threaten Victor “deny me of my wedding night and I shall be with you on yours!” Isolation has left him to dwell on jealousy and despair and it is this, which leads him to destroy Victor.
These themes are emphasised by the use of three different narrators and increase the reader’s understanding of them.
In the novel Frankenstein, events don’t happen Chronologically. The novel begins on Walton’s ship, in his letters to his sister. Most of the events have already happened, and to make sense of the mysterious appearance of Victor, the story is related back to Walton using flashbacks. Victor’s childhood and his university career lead up to a new mystery: the murder of William. To understand this, the author uses more flashbacks to relate the monster’s story to the reader. This style of writing keeps the reader enthralled for longer as minute details, which seem to have no significance play major parts in the development of the story, which we realise later on. This way, the reader has more independence in piecing together the story themselves and can lave some parts as a mystery. However, this format is quite confusing and hard to understand.
At this point, when the creature begins his narrative, the two stories converge, “thus he began his tale.” Victor’s said. After the monster’s tale, the relationship between he and Victor is explored further and narrated by Victor.
This brings the novel in a full circle as the novel goes back to Walton’s ship from Victor’s perspective and then back to Walton’s letters. “You have read this strange and terrific story, Margaret; and do you not feel your blood congeal with horror like that which even now curdles mine?” This very last section is the real dramatic climax, and the three characters are all brought together. This technique shows how the past events influence the future, with the theme of there being no escape from your problems. It also shows how the destiny of both Victor and his creation are inseparable. This again implies that you cant run away fro your problems and responsibilities, they always catch up with you, like the monster always catches up with Victor. It also links it with the theme of guilt, as both the monster and Victor cannot escape the memory of their past actions, which haunt them in the present and crush their spirits.
One interesting aspect of the story is that Victor is the main narrator who tells Walton what the monster told him. This technique is called Chinese box narration: each story is inside another story, which is inside another story. This helps the reader feel as if they are going deeper into the story, learning more each time about the situation. Behind each story, is one told from a different perspective enabling the reader to understand the novel more clearly. All three narrators tell their accounts from their own point of view. Their viewpoints are in turn biased. However, because we see all three we are able to make up our own minds about who or what is to blame and we see a fairer, wider picture.
Our sympathy and loyalties lie at first with Victor. This is due to the deaths of his family, friends and the general distress caused by his guilty conscience, “a weight of despair and remorse passed on my heart, which nothing could remove.” However, the monster’s narrative persuades you that his situation is far worse. Shunned and both verbally and physically abused by all people who see him, he grows up an orphan with no farther figure to guide and teach him how to behave. He is miserable and lonely because his appearance is so revolting. “I bore a hell within me; and finding myself unsympathised with, wished to…spread havoc and destruction with me.” In the last section, however, our sympathies are divided. We feel sorry for Victor for losing his beloved Elizabeth and being accused of the murder of Clerval; and we sympathise with the creature because Victor reuses to live up to his responsibilities to him and he is denied the companion he was promised.
The letter format is used throughout the novel and unifies it. This way, extraordinary events seem more credible as a letter is intended to inform with facts, rather than entertain like a story. Victor’s evidence of the letters between Felix and Safie make both the monster and Victor’s tales more believable for Walton and the reader. It is also used to inform you of character’s lives in the meantime, for example Elizabeth’s and Alphonce’s letters to Victor.
Walton’s meeting with the monster at the end makes sense of Victor’s tale, makes it more credible for the reader and acts as a sort of resolution.
It is in this way that the use of three narrators helps us to understand the complex time and structure of the novel.
The first narrator we hear from in the novel is Robert Walton. At 28-years-old, he is ambitious and extremely volatile. At times he seems very passionate and excited about his voyage, and at others deeply depressed about the hardships it brings. For example, Walton quotes “My courage and my resolution is firm: but my hopes fluctuate and my spirits are often depressed.” His letters often reflect these sudden mood swings between optimism and gloom.
His determination leads to ruthlessness: his need to succeed blinkers his understanding of the crew’s threat of mutiny. He is unable to understand that the life of a crewmember is the life of a man, which should not be sacrificed just to fulfil blind ambition.
Walton and Victor are very alike. Both see themselves as victims in situations that they are to blame for. Walton is a Romantic, with a thirst to express his intense imaginings and daydreams to companion. His dreams of exploration were first inspired by poems and stories and childish fantasies at a young age. This shows that strong imagination and being naïve of moral consequences are a dangerous mix. Although he is aware that his fantasies need to be controlled he is unable to do so, and lets his imagination take hold of him with no regard for logic or morality.
These characteristics make him an impractical sea captain-as his lack of rational thinking leads him to sacrifice one man’s life to achieve his goal. “The men, unsupported by ideas of glory and honour, can never willingly continue to endure their present hardships.” His selfish desires prompt the main tale, as the paths of Victor, Walton and the monster cross at the North Pole- a suitably cold and desolate setting. Shelley uses pathetic fallacy to show how empty each of their lives has become.
Shelley shows that Walton and Victor are similar characters. Victor’s story warns Walton. He sees in Victor a version of himself in the future. Both don’t realise the effect their actions have on other people, but eventually, Walton sees sense. The relationship between Walton and his crew mirrors the relationship between Victor and his creation. Walton employed them and brought them together. Now he, like Victor, neglected his “creation” and therefore they rebel.
The second narrator we come to is Victor, who is also the central character in the novel. To begin with, Victor is adored by almost everyone: his parents; his siblings; the servants (Justine) and his teachers. For example, he makes this quote about his parents: “I was their plaything, their idol, and something better-their child…” Even Walton describes him, as a “Celestial Spirit” who has “never-failing power of judgement” it is obvious that he is loved. The reader knows that this particular quote is only half true, as Victor has made some very poor judgements in the past. The reader can interpret this to achieve and open minded view of Victor and shows the imperfections and limitations of Walton. For example he must have very poor judgement to be able to describe Victor thus.
The reader feels ambivalent to Victor. He is portrayed as a typical Byronic hero, a tragic, brooding hero whose personality traits make him great and powerful but also lead to his destruction. Walton describes his as “ a noble creature in his better days, being even now in wreck so attractive and amiable”.
He has a “thirst for knowledge” with a child’s blindness”-a dangerous combination. This is also a trait, which we see in Walton. Whilst he is buried in his work he neglects everything else, leading him to become isolated.
Victor is partially aware of his faults or else unable to admit them. His ambition and passion for glory seem to be his own worst enemies. This idea is re-enforced by the quote “when younger, I believed myself destined for some great enterprise…” he then goes on to describe his passion whilst creating the monster and his “senseless curiosity.” However, he still blames others for his downfall. He like Walton sees himself as a victim, the implication being that he swears to “pursue the demon, which caused this misery”. This he says without realising it was him who caused the monster to act as such. He seems to feel that fate was inevitable but he hypocritically believes Walton can change his by warning him against ambition.
Although he blames the monster for his downfall, Victor alternately blames himself for the deaths of William and Justine. He also seems to believe in destiny and divine judgement, yet has no guilt over grave robbing to create his monster and believes him destined for happiness even though he has sinned. This leads us to believe that Victor is full of self-contradiction.
Our feelings alter towards Victor throughout the novel. From chapter five onwards we see him as a lonely spirit, plagued by sorrow and remorse. This creates pity and in keeping the monster a secret, tension. Yet, when we meet the monster, we realise that Victor has not faced up to his responsibilities and we dislike and feel critical of him. Towards the end of the novel we dislike and pity both of them.
Victor is portrayed as a typical Byronic hero right until his death. His tragic demise is very Romantic, the quote “I have myself been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed” as he parts from the world implies that he has the Romantic hope that some may succeed in ambition where he has failed. He cannot abandon his noble character, even in the face of death.
Towards the middle of the novel, the monster relates his story and becomes the third narrator. Constructed from parts of corpses, Victor achieves the impossible by bringing him to life. Victor describes his appearance as such: “his yellow skin scarcely covered the muscles and arteries beneath; his lustrous black hair; teeth of pearly whiteness; watery eyes; shrivelled complexion; and straight black lips.” This description of his gruesome appearance fills the reader with both disgust and pity. His physical strength is greatly enhanced, subsequently making him invulnerable to anything but a violent death. This is how he is able to survive the dreadful conditions of the North Pole.
Fitting in with his monstrous appearance, Shelley uses satanic imagery to depict the creature’s emotions, for instance, he says, “I bore a hell within me.” Victor also calls him “demon” and “devil” at various points in the novel. This emotive language describing the monster implies that he is an evil and demonic character who deserves to be hunted and feared. He seems to enjoy the murders of William and Justine, as if it justifies in some way, Victor’s neglect and hatred of him. He is only satisfied when he reduces Victor to complete despair, the same level as himself. Evidence of this is when Frankenstein has sworn to hunt the monster, he quotes “I am satisfied: miserable wretch! You have determined to live and I am satisfied.” His merciless killing of Clerval is the consequence of Victor’s destruction of his half finished female companion. He seeks to destroy Victor emotionally and mentally, rather than physically at first.
This massacre of Frankenstein’s family and his fury are the result of the creature’s loneliness and rejection. He begins life as an innocent creature; a theory held by many philosophers at the time the novel was written, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He influenced the young Mary Shelley in his novel Emile. His natural attraction to humans and child-like wonder at the world around him excites our attention and evokes sympathy as we realise he is just like an innocent child struggling through the world alone. This great appreciation of nature, society and literature is evidence that the Romantic Movement influenced Shelley’s writing too. We see goodness in him when he collects wood for the DeLacey’s and saves a girl from drowning. The DeLacy family call him the “good spirit”, a total contrast from the imagery Shelley first describes him with.
Our sympathy is again evoked with his desire for friendship and the prejudice he suffers from. The barrier between the monster and humans is ugliness, and the way in which Shelley writes reminds the reader of how cruel we ourselves are and makes us feel guilty. In being blind, DeLacy can accept him for who he is, but when this dream is shattered; Victor is his only hope at fulfilling his demand for a companion, subsequently providing justice, which Victor denies. The way he is mistreated turns him from an innocent creature into a vindictive, bloodthirsty monster.
The three narrators are described by each other in great detail to help us understand more clearly their personalities and their characters.
As the novel deals with some rather fantastical, disturbing ideas, it is understandably difficult to comprehend. However, the use of three narrators helps the reader to understand the complex ideas and breaks the novel down into sections which helps us to appreciate the complicated time and structure. It also shows us a more open-minded view of the characters. We see things from one perspective that we would not see from another, and therefore are able to independently have an opinion of the characters. Although I found the language and structure of the novel hard to comprehend, I did enjoy reading the novel and it has influenced the way in which I view the world, and brought awareness against ambition and isolation.
