Mary shelley’s frankenstein

1. Plot Review and Allusions Mary shelley’s frankenstein

2. Walton’s Point of View • In a series of letters, Capt. Robert Walton reports to his sister the progress of his dangerous mission to the North Pole. • Walton’s ship becomes trapped in impassable ice. • Walton encounters Victor Frankenstein, who has been travelling by dog-drawn sled across the ice and is weakened by the cold. • Walton takes care of Frankenstein, who tells him the story of the monster he created.

3. Frankenstein’s Point of View • From a young age, Frankenstein is fascinated by philosophy and science, as well as his adopted sister, Elizabeth Lavenza. • Death of his mother shakes his spirit and sparks ideas. • Combines chemistry, electricity, and alchemy in order to craft his creation. • Gathers body parts from graveyards and charnel houses. • Completes this work on his own, which both excites him and repulses him.

4. Frankenstein’s Point of View • Frankenstein succeeds at restoring life to the dead. • He is horrified by his creation and quickly abandons him. • He is so disturbed by his actions that only the care of his friend Henry Clerval and affectionate letters from his beloved Elizabeth help him to restore his health and sanity. • When Frankenstein returns to Geneva, he discovers that his youngest brother William has been murdered. • Justine Mortiz, a friend of the family, is found guilty of the crime.

5. Creature’s Point of View • The Creature finds Frankenstein and admits to strangling William and framing Justine for the crime—both acts of revenge. • The Creature explains to Frankenstein his feelings of abandonment and his status as an outcast because of his hideous appearance. • The Creature knows nothing of anger or violence until exposed to it by the humans who reject him for his appearance.

6. Creature’s Point of View • The Creature educates himself while living in the wild by watching a family of peasants for months. • He develops affection for the family, but they reject him as well when he attempts to befriend them. • The Creature requests that Frankenstein create a mate for him so that he will no longer be alone in the world. • The knowledge that a beautiful woman like Justine would never accept him inspired this idea within the Creature. • The Creature promises to isolate himself and his mate if Frankenstein will do this for him.

7. Frankenstein’s Point of View • Frankenstein initially agrees to create a mate for the Creature. • The thought of the mate being violent or the two creations reproducing terrifies Frankenstein, so he destroys his work. • To get revenge, the Creature murders Clerval and Victor gets accused of the murder. • The Creature also murders Elizabeth on their wedding night. • The death of Elizabeth pushes Frankenstein’s father into a deep depression, which kills him as well.

8. Frankenstein’s Point of View • Vengeance now becomes Frankenstein’s main objective. • He tracks the Creature all the way to the Artic, where Walton finds him and restores him to health. • Just before Frankenstein dies, he advises Walton that if he continues on his quest for knowledge that he must do so responsibly. • Frankenstein also requests that if Walton should ever meet with the Creature that he kill him.

9. Walton’s Point of View • Walton consents to his crew’s request to return home. • The Creature boards Walton’s ship to view the body of Frankenstein. • The Creature expresses remorse for the murders he committed and the death of his creator. • He informs Walton that he will destroy himself by fire.

10. Allusions • Definition of an allusion: a reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing that is known from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports, science, or popular culture.

11. Allusions to “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” • An allusion to a doppelganger from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” appears in Frankenstein. • A double figure haunts the Ancient Mariner: Like one, that on a lonesome road, Doth walk in fear and dread, And having turned round walks on, And turns no more his head, Because he knows, a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread. • Shelley includes this stanza from Coleridge’s poem right after Frankenstein succeeds bringing life to the creature.

12. Allusions to “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” • Robert Walton refers to the poem in a letter to his sister: • “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.’” • Victor thinks to himself: • “Could I enter into a festival with this deadly weight yet hanging round my neck and bowing me to the ground?” • These allusions help to develop the theme of the dangerous pursuit of knowledge.

13. Allusions to Paradise Lost • The Creature finds Paradise Lost while observing the De Lacey family and refers to it throughout the remainder of the novel: • “Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.” • “But Paradise Lost excited different and far deeper emotions. Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition….”

14. Allusions to Paradise Lost • Paradise Lost helps the Creature to realize how alone he is: • “But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone.” • These allusions demonstrate how the Creature feels like a neglected Adam without an Eve, making him feel more like Satan, cast out and rejected.