Frankenstein Reading Questions

Where is this letter written?

St. Petersburg, Russia

What attitudes and beliefs does the letter writer (Robert Walton) have about the Arctic?

He's excited about going to the Arctic because it is an adventure. He's never been there before and wants to do observations on the magnetic pull of the Earth. He thirsts for knowledge.

What does Walton want to discover in the Arctic?

He is going up to the Arctic for science but also for the natural beauty. He wishes to nourish his soul.

In what career did Walton fail?

He failed as a poet.

What has Walton been doing to prepare himself for his Arctic exploration?

He has been reading books about sailing, staying in cold climates, and conditioning his body to deal with hunger, thirst, & lack of sleep.

Look on page 3. What does Walton believe he deserves?

Glory.

What does Walton plan to do in Archangel (another city in Russia) and thereafter?

He plans to sail to the Arctic Circle on a whale fishing boat.

What does Walton Lack? What does he say this thing would do for him?

He lacks a friend. He wants a friend to encourage him and cheer him up when he's discouraged.

What does Walton say about his education? What problems does he see with it?

He lacks formal education.

To what literary work does Walton attribute his attachment to and passionate enthusiasm for the dangerous mysteries of the ocean?

Rime of the Ancient Mariner (tragic adventure story).

How does Walton say he will be when he encounters danger?

Not rash, cool, persevering.

What strange sight did Walton and his crew see?

A giant man driving a dog sled.

Walton describes how his crew helped an emaciated, exhausted man. What did the man say he had been doing in the Arctic?

Victor says he is chasing after the one who fled him (calls him a demon).

How does Walton feel about the man they rescued? What reasons does he give?

Walton enjoys Victor's company. He finds him friendly, interesting, and encouraging. He feels sympathy for Victor's struggles.

What warning does the rescued man give to Walton?

He warns Walton against chasing after forbidden knowledge. (Have you drunk from the cup of madness?)

What modern day country would Victor be from if he says he is "by birth a Genevese"?

He is from Geneva (Switzerland).

Describe the history of the relationship of Victor's parents and his family history.

Father- well-respected counselor for the country, was older when he started a family.

Mother- poor working woman with a sick father. Victor's father married her and saved her from poverty.

Fill in the blanks of the description uses for his parents' treatment of him:

"I was their plaything and their ____, and something better - their child, the ________ and ________ creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to _________________, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me."

idol, innocent, helpless, bring up good fortune, direct happiness.

What is the story of how Elizabeth joined the Frankenstein family?

Elizabeth is adopted from her family living in poverty.

How did Victor's parents present Elizabeth to him?

She is presented to him as a gift.

How did Elizabeth and Victor's individual personalities complement one another?

Elizabeth- calm, gentle, intelligent, artistic, emotional, appreciates poetry.

Victor- tends to have a temper, science-minded, curious, thirsts for knowledge.

How else did the Frankenstein family expand?

Victor has a brother, William (7 years younger).

Who is Henry Clerval? Describe his personality.

Henry is the son of a merchant and Victor's best friend. He is a true romantic and enjoys King Arthur stories.

How did Victor feel about his parents and childhood?

He is grateful and loves his family.

What does Victor say was the reason why he could have a violent temper and vehement passions when he was young?

Because he pursues knowledge. He loves to learn.

What even led Victor to pursue knowledge in the natural sciences?

He read a classic science book by Cornelius Aggripa.

Victor's father says the works of Cornelius Aggripa, which interested Victor, are "sad trash." Why didn't this stop Victor from reading it? What didn't his father say?

He was intrigued to read it because his father said it was trash. His father simply made a judgement, he didn't necessarily disagree with the theory.

Victor remarks that he was "left to struggle with a child's blindness, added to a student's thirst for knowledge." With those qualities, Victor began his search for the philosopher's stone and "the elixir of life," but soon focused on the latter. Why?

Victor cannot feed his intellect. He pursues the Elixir of Life because it prevents death and disease.

What else did Victor want to accomplish?

He wanted to learn how to create life from nothing (learn how to Galvanize).

What event changed the focus of Victor's studies? What else did he decide to study instead of the natural sciences?

Victor saw a tree get hit by lightening and decided to stop studying "crazy" science and studied normal science/mathematics.

Who does Victor credit for the change in his studies? (And then how does he create some suspense at the end of the chapter?)

Victor is swayed by "her" (Elizabeth) and he speaks of "her" (destiny) as leading to his destruction.

In keeping with the characteristics of gothic literature, Victor describes how there was an "omen... of my future misery" the day before he left for college at the University of Igolstadt (in Germany). What was it?

His mother's death.

What is denied to Henry?

A college education.

What does Victor say led him to M. Krempe, the professor of natural philosophy? What does this suggest about Victor?

He is studying classes that go behind the scientific realm (forbidden knowledge).

What does M. Krempe think of Victor's previous studies?

He thinks the books that Victor read were trash.

What did Victor believe he would be able to do at college, after hearing the inspiring lecture from M. Waldman, the chemistry professor?

He would explore the unknown powers of creation.

How does M. Waldman's attitude toward's Victor differ from that of M. Krempe's?

M. Waldman encourages Victor and doesn't make fun of him.

Why doesn't Victor go home (to Geneva) from college for two years?

He is too caught up in his studies.

How does Victor say scientific studies are different from other studies?

You can always discover new things and improve the field.

What "bold question" began to fascinate Victor as he progressed in his studies?

What is life? How does life exist? Why does life exist?

What else did Victor begin to study?

Anatomy/physiology.

What did Victor discover and be able to do?

He learned how to reanimate corpses.

Why won't Victor tell us readers/listeners about the secret he knows?

He is trying to protect our souls.

Relating to the previous answer, how is Victor similar to the Ancient Mariner?

The Ancient Mariner hangs the albatross around his neck to warn people of his sin he committed. Victor is essentially doing the same thing.

What did Victor plan to create?

A reanimated corpse.

What result did Victor (arrogantly) imagine from his experiment?

Victor thinks he will find a key to everlasting life. He also wants to be looked at as God.

Where was Victor locating the materials for his experiments?

Graveyards.

How did Victor's experiments change him physically and mentally?

Physically- so focused that he doesn't eat, sleep - he's emaciated.

Mentally- wavers between anticipation and horror over what he is doing.

What does Victor say a "human being in perfection" ought to do?

A perfect human should have a calm, peaceful mind and not let any desires disturb that.

What does Victor say about his studies that have a "tendency to weaken your affections to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix"?

The studies that cause starvation and lack of sleep are probably immoral.

What does Victor say was the cause of Greece being enslaved, Caesar harming his country, America being discovered rapidly, and the empires of Mexico and Peru being destroyed?

He says the causes for these historical tragedies is the lack of motivation from people. (Get things done, but be careful.)

List the physical details of the creature that Victor brought to life.

Yellow skin, black hair, watery eyes, shriveled complexion, tight skin barely covering arteries, strong build, 7 feet tall.

How did Victor respond to the creature?

He fled.

Why does it matter that Ancient Mariner is referenced?

The reference is to Victor's fear that the monster is chasing him.

What suddenly distracts Victor for the better? What does Victor suddenly worry about?

Henry arrives from Geneva. Victor is worried that the monster is still in his house and Henry will see.

What then affected Victor for several months?

A nervous fever/breakdown.

What does Henry study at the university (which Victor also begins to study)?

He learns languages of the Orient (Chinese, Sanskrit, Arabic). Victor is there for a distraction.

What do Victor and Henry do for a fortnight (two weeks) in spring?

They take a two week vacation.

How does Victor feel at this point?

He feels joyful and high-spirited.

What are the circumstances of William's death?

William is found murdered (strangled) in the woods.

Why did Elizabeth blame herself for William's death?

Because she gave William the locket of his mother. The mother's beauty (or locket's worth) killed the boy.

As Victor returns to his hometown in Switzerland, what is illuminated in a flash of lightning? What does Victor realize?

The lightening illuminates the creature. Victor realizes that the creature killed William.

Why does Justine get blamed for William's murder?

She was discovered with the locket picture that William had.

Why doesn't Victor explain who the real murderer is?

He doesn't want to look crazy, nor does he know where the creature is. He also doesn't want to confess to creating something so terrible.

Why does Justine confess to committing William's murder?

She was pressured into confessing by the court. She also wanted absolution in order to go to heaven.

How does Justine describe the world?

Cruel and cold. She is going to die as a martyr (dying for a cause).

What is Justine's final advice for Elizabeth?

To live well. "I bless you with eternal happiness."

How does Victor describe William and Justine, collectively?

The first victims to his unhallowed art.

How does Victor, at the beginning of the chapter, begin to portray himself as a tragic figure?

Justine died and Victor had to live in guilt with a horrible secret.

What was Victor "seized by"?

Guilt and remorse.

How does Victor often deal with his grief?

Going out and sailing at night.

How has the death of William affected Victor's father?

His health was shaken.

How has the death of William affected Elizabeth?

She is depressed, guilty and always crying.

What sudden decision does Victor make to try and restore his spirit?

He decides to take a trip through the alps.

What does Victor credit for giving him "the greatest consolation that I was capable of receiving"?

The beauty, terror, excitement, and grandness of the mountains & glaciers.

Victor suddenly encounters the creature he made. What does the creature accuse Victor of treating like "sport"?

The creature accuses Victor of treating life as a joke.

Why is it so difficult for Victor to attack the creature?

Victor is physically much weaker than the creature, but he also feels a type of connection to the creature. He is almost like a father figure.

According to the creature, what made him a "fiend"?

The way he is treated makes him a fiend. He is alone and hated by all.

What seems to make the creature so sad?

The fact that Victor abandoned him.

How does the creature point out Victor's hypocrisy?

The creature asks Victor to kill him, and he can't bring himself to do it.

How did the creature satisfy his basic needs in his earliest days? How did he develop?

He ate what was available (berries and roots) and drank from rivers. He learned how to make a fire and stole clothes from Victor. He developed without a parent figure and he developed quickly.

How do the people in the first village that the creature visits react to him?

They flee, fight him, and drive him away.

Where does the creature take up residence?

He camps out in a barn next to a cottage.

How does the creature really seem to learn about human nature? What kinds of things does he observe?

He watches the family living in the cottage. He learns about candlelight, chores, social interaction in a family, music, and books (education).

What does the creature learn about the people that live in the cottage?

They are very poor. He learns their names and relations to each other.

How does the creature show a sense of morality? Where does he seem to have gotten the idea for this action?

The creature realizes they are poor and stops stealing their food. Instead he scavenges for his own food.

Identify the people who lived in the cottage.

DeLacey- father

Agatha- sister, daughter

Felix- brother, son

What things does the creature do in hopes of winning over the family?

He gathers wood for the family. He wants to learn how to speak and communicate with them so they know what he has been doing.

What terrified the creature and filled him with "the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification"?

He sees his reflection in a pail of water.

What lifts the creature's spirits?

Hope. He hopes to eventually be a part of their family.

What makes Felix happy in a way that the creature had not witnessed?

Safie, a Turkish woman that Felix is in a relationship with.

What barrier is between Safie and the cottagers?

She can't speak their language, but she is learning.

What does the creature learn from hearing the cottagers read Ruins of Empires?

He learns about past civilizations and their rise & their fall (Greeks, Romans, Indigenous peoples).

What thoughts about "man" did Ruins of Empires provoke in the creature?

He learns about the "dark side" of man (cruelty, murder, abuse, greed).

The creature recognized that he was powerless in society. What qualities made him thus?

He lacked money, friends, family, and he was physically ugly.

What does the creature recognize as missing from his infant days?

He missed family love (paternal guidance, maternal love).

What is the cottagers' background and reason for their current living situation?

Felix, Agatha and DeLacey are political refugees from France. Felix was caught breaking Safie's father out of prison. The family was thrown out of France, penniless.

Besides wanting to be with Felix, why did Safie not want to live with her father in Turkey?

She is Christian and her father is Muslim. She has better opportunities as a Christian woman than a Muslim woman during this time.

How did Sorrows of Werter make an impact on the creature?

He felt sad/depressed after reading it. The story is about a man that commits suicide.

What questions puzzle the creature?

Who am I? What am I? How was I created?