Frankenstein
by Mary Shelly
Table of Contents
- Introduction and Background
- Cast of Characters
- Plot Summary
- Major Characters - Analysis
- Summarization and Analysis by Chapter
- Walton, in Continuation
- Story Symbols and Themes
- Language and Texts
- Key Facts
- Significant Quotations
- Points to Ponder
- Discussion Topics
- Take the Quiz
- Further Reading
- Flashcards
- Biography of Mary Shelly
The Monster
The monster has been created solely by Victor Frankenstein. He was assembled from chemicals and body parts, and a mysterious spark was used to animate him and bring him to life. He is incredibly strong and more than eight feet in height, but his mind is like that of a newborn baby. Because Victor finds him so grotesque he feels confused and abandoned. He wants to become part of society because he is intelligent and sensitive but everyone shuns him because they are frightened of the way he looks. Upon seeing himself in a mirror he realizes why people run from him and why they find him so hideous. His looks completely overshadow his kindness or the gentle nature he possesses. He is in so much emotional pain that he wants to bet revenge on Victor for creating him. He does this by killing Victor’s younger brother, William, in the woods near Geneva.
The monster persuades Victor to create another monster who will be female so he will have a companion. In the middle of doing so Victor changes his mind and destroys the creature, angering the monster. After that, the monster kills Victor's best friend. Later he also kills Victor's new wife on their wedding night. Victor completely hates the monster he has created, but the monster is able to show that he is deeply tormented and not really evil. He is able to eloquently narrate events and it shows Victor how sensitive of a creature the monster actually is. There are also times when the monster shows great benevolence, such as helping a group of peasants and saving a girl who was drowning. Even though he does nice things for others, those others only see how hideous he looks and are disgusted by him. They beat him instead of praising him and he becomes more frustrated.
The monster is basically compassionate but he is also filled with frustration at the kind of life he must live and how his creator does not even want anything to do with him. He is remorseful for the killings of innocent people just because he was angry at Victor. That, coupled with the fact that everyone shuns him for the way he looks, leaves...
Sign up to continue reading The Monster >