Frankenstein Chapters 13-19

After hearing the creature's story, I do not think that he is entirely justified in declaring an "everlasting war" against humanity and his creator, Victor. I do believe that the creature has been wrongly discriminated against and judged based on his appearance, but I do not think that gives him a right to declare war on humanity. I think the creature can be angry and frustrated at his isolation and solitude, and I definitely think that Victor needs to take responsibility for his creature, but I do feel that sometimes the creature is a little too pessimistic and self-pitying. I will probably (or hopefully, at least) never understand how alone the creature feels, but he sometimes reads as kind of melodramatic when he is telling his story, and declaring war on an entire species is also slightly melodramatic in itself. I imagine that it is awful to be and feel like an outcast, tossed aside by everyone he has ever loved, but I do not think that this justifies ruining other people's lives.

I also think that he is not entirely justified in asking Victor to create him a mate. The creature hates his life and his existence, so if he truly hated it that much and was benevolent and good, then he would not wish that existence on another innocent being. I understand where he is coming from in making that request, and that he does not wish to be alone and he wants to be understood. However, he is very well spoken and is supposed to be very smart, so he should also understand that Victor would be creating another creature that would be outcast from society, which would not exactly be the right thing to do. Also, the creature may have begun to create sympathy for his tale, but then he describes killing William and the satisfaction it brings him, so that proves that he is not entirely deserving of this good thing, a mate. I think that he is a product of society and Victor's actions, but I also believe that he still has some control over himself and that he has chosen to commit these awful crimes, including murder even. Therefore, even though I do sympathize with the creature, I also believe that he has made some bad decisions that have ruined lives.

Frankenstein Chapters 1-6

Frankenstein begins with letters 1-4, where Captain Robert Walton is writing to hi sister Margaret Saville while he begins his travels north. Robert laments how lonely his is and how he desires an intellectual equal, then meets Victor Frankenstein while he was chasing after his creature. Victor agrees to tell his story, which Robert then copies down for Margaret. In chapter 1, Victor discusses how he had a perfect, idyllic childhood, and describes how his family adopted Elizabeth, to whom Victor felt an extreme attachment. In chapter 2, Victor discusses his interest in "natural philosophy" (science), and his fascination with alchemy, the secret to life, and the philosopher's stone. In chapter 3, Victor is preparing to go to university when Elizabeth catches scarlet fever, so Victor's mother nurses her back to life, but becomes ill and dies. When Victor arrives at university, he meets M. Krempe, who he does not particularly like, and M. Waldman, who becomes a kind of mentor to him and introduces him to more modern sciences. In chapter 4, Victor becomes obsessed with science and discovering the secret of life, throwing himself into his work, neglecting his health and neglecting to write to his family as he works to give life to a creature. In chapter 5, Victor animates his creature, but runs out of his apartment due to fear, running into Henry Clerval, a friend from back home. Victor falls ill due to months of obsession over his work, choosing to deny the fact that he brought this creature into existence. In chapter 6, Victor finally recovers and receives a letter from Elizabeth, informing him of Justine's (a servant) return to the Frankenstein household. Victor also decides to join Henry in taking language and literature classes at university.

As Victor's character develops, he seems to not take responsibility for his actions. Victor likes to blame fate for many of his actions in his life, he blames his father for not properly dissuading from pursing the old ways of science early in his life, and when Victor animates his creature, he runs away from it and refuses to acknowledge its existence. Henry Clerval is a kind of a foil for Victor because he is a happy, normal, kind, well-rounded man who is interested in languages and literature, while Victor is obsessive and loves science and "natural philosophy." Elizabeth and Justine are kind of similar characters because they are both pretty females who are seen are good and wholesome, who were taken in and cared for by the Frankensteins. A theme beginning to appear in the book is the similarity between Victor and Prometheus, both of whom tried to play God, but will likely face consequences for doing such. Frankenstein is also similar to the Paradise Lost because the monster was cast out by his creator, Victor, like how Lucifer and Adam were cast out by their creator, God.

Introduction to Frankenstein: Chapters 1-4

Question I Have So Far:

Why does Robert Walton yearn to travel?

Is Robert gay?

Does Robert's regret about not receiving a proper, formal education reflect Mary Shelley's feelings about her school?

How does Robert's affection for Victor Frankenstein affect his account of Victor's story?

Why did Victor feel such an attachment to Elizabeth?

What exactly did philosophers like Cornelius Agrippa discuss in their books?

How did the death of Victor's mother, and her deep affection for Elizabeth, affect Victor and influence his actions?

How and why does chemistry relate so closely to philosophy, as M. Krempe discussed?

What did Victor discover to be the secret to life and why will he not reveal it to Robert or the audience?

Thoughts on the Book So Far:

I think that since Robert is telling the story based on Victor's account of his past that there will be a decent amount of bias in the telling, since the audience is hearing from Robert who is hearing from Victor after the events have all occurred already. This allows Victor to reflect on his actions that led to the point where he is with Robert, adding more to the story than if it were told in present tense, as it was happening.

Victor seems to be a very complex main character, with questionable actions despite being the main character and likely the protagonist. In the first couple of chapters, Victor talks about when Elizabeth was adopted, and he describes her as his "more than sister," which I found to be kind of creepy and possessive, which could be an important trait that influences his actions later in the novel. Victor also justifies his actions, which he views as evils and things that led to the sadness in his life, by blaming destiny. This shows that he could struggle to accept responsibility for some of his actions, which may come up again later in his story. Overall, I am interested to see how Victor's character continues to develop and how his story unfolds.