Characters
Textual Evidence
Allusions
Critical Plot Scenes
Themes, Motifs & Symbols
100
Who is William? What is the controversy caused from his death?
William is Victor’s younger brother. Justine is identified as the murderer, but Victor claims he knows who the real murderer is (the monster). However, he does not say anything because he believes people will think he is insane. Victor becomes filled will despair and horror over his creation.
100
“It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night.” (Ch. XX, pg. 149) What is significant about the repeated line “on your wedding-night.”?
The Monster seems to be warning Victor of his plans. Since Victor destroyed the Monsters hopes of ever having a wedding night of his own, the Monsters plan is to destroy Victor’s.
100
Who does Victor resemble in Paradise Lost? And why?
Victor resembles Satan in Paradise Lost. Like him, Victor attempts to take over God's role as a creator. Victor imagines that this achievement, will be a superior one, and everything that he creates will worship and honor him.
100
What happens when the Delacey family leaves their cottage because of their fear of the monster harming them?
The monster is extremely frustrated and burns down the village.
100
In the context of this novel, what does ice represent in the symbol of fire and ice?
The ice symbolizes the cold hearted side of humans and seclusiveness
200
How do the Victor’s life and the Monster’s life run parallel?
Victor isolates himself from his family due to his studies. When Victor creates the monster, the monster feels very isolated and alone as well, causing him to grow angry toward Victor for making him live in misery. His feeling of abandonment compels him to seek revenge against Victor. They soon both feel very lonesome and isolated.
200
“William is dead! - that sweet child, whose smiles delighted and warmed my heart, who was so gentle…” (Ch. VII, para. 2) How is Mary Shelley showing her life through her writing in this quote?
William was the name of Mary’s first son who died after the book was published
200
"But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine?" (Shelley 127) Who does this quote allude to? And what point is the monster trying to get across?
In this quote Eve resembles the monster and his loneliness. The monster reminds Victor of the obligation he gave him; his request for a mate.
200
Why is Victor accused for the murder of Henry and who proves him Innocent?
Victor is accused because of the coincidence that Victor is on a boat near Henry's body which was washed up on shore. Mr. Kerwin ends up proving that Victor is innocent.
200
How is Victor the PERFECT example of the theme of humans make their own misery?
Victor's misery, which is from the tragic deaths of his family and friends and the revenge piling inside him, is all caused because of the monster that he made. None of this misery would of happened to Victor if it wasn't for his idea of creating life
300
Who is M. Krempe and M. Waldman and what impact do they have on Victor’s life?
M. Krempe- professor of natural philosophy and M. Waldman-professor of Chemistry. Krempe tells Victor that all the time he has spent studying has been wasted. After in confrontation with Krempe and a lecture with Waldman Victor decides to pursue his studies in the sciences.
300
“What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?” What theme does this quote capture? What relation does this quote have to both Walton and Victor?
This quote capture the theme of light, symbolizing knowledge and exploration. It pertains to both Walton and Victor because they are both on a journey of discovery. Walton is on a journey to the North Pole and Victor is on a mission to discover the secret of life.
300
What are the similarities of Victor and Prometheus and what ended up happening to them?
Victor and Prometheus were both interested in the power of electricity.Prometheus stole fire from the Gods for the man he created out of clay and was punished by having a his liver ripped out for eternity. Frankenstein tried to unlock the secrets of life and his punishment was to see everything he loved destroyed by his actions.
300
When the monster is close to Geneva he encounters a boy and then a girl. Who are they and what happens?
The creature encounters the boy first who is William Frankenstein. He screams at the monster causing the monster to kill him. The monster than tries to cover up the murder by placing William's necklace in Justine's pocket.
300
What scene in the book is the motif of abortion most significant?
The motif of abortion is best shown during the creation of the female monster. When Victor stops his work on the female monster and destroys it halfway through, he is aborting his creation, which prevents the female monster of life.
400
Who is Robert Walton and how does he play a role that parallels Victor?
Walton’s letters to his sister open and close Victors tragic story forming a frame around the main storyline. Walton meets Victor while on a chase after the monster, and Victor tells Walton his life story. They begin to form a good relationship. Walton and Victor’s lives run parallel, Walton’s quest to reach the northernmost part of the earth is similar in spirit to Victor’s quest for the secret of life: both seek ultimate knowledge.
400
“The nearer I approached to your habitation, the more deeply did I feel the spirit of revenge enkindled in my heart.” Who is this quote coming from in chapter 16, what theme does it express?
This quote is coming from the monster, showing his aggression toward Victor for putting him in a world where he feels abandon and isolated and it expresses the theme of revenge
400
Name the 3 books that are mentioned that the creature read and what he learned from them.
Plutarch’s Lives, Goethe’s Sorrows of Werter, Paradise Lost. The monster learned about the harshness of war and the nature and thoughts of a man.
400
What does Victor ask of Walton before he dies, how does Walton react when Victor dies and why is the monster there?
Victor asks Walton to destroy the monster as he tried before failing to illness. Walton is very disappointed and cries over the death of Victor. The monster is there to ask for forgiveness of Victor
400
How does fire affect Victor in the beginning of the book and what are the 3 specific ways in which the symbol of fire is represented?
It affects Victor by changing his field of study into the realm of chemistry. Fire not only represents creation and destruction, but also the gaining of knowledge. The monster is created by and intends to kill himself by cremating himself. The monster learns that fire can be a source of light and warmth but that it can also burn him.
500
Who is Elizabeth Lavenza? What is her story and what motif does she symbolize in the story?
Elizabeth Lavenza is a beautiful, blonde girl that is the orphaned daughter of two Milanese nobleman and a German women that could barely afford to feed her. Caroline Beaufort discovers her while visiting a poor family in Italy and adapts her as a present to Victor. She symbolizes a passive women as she patiently awaits Victor’s attention for years.
500
In chapter five right after the Monster is created Frankenstein is explaining his dream “I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms…” What is significant about the substitution of Elizabeth for Victor’s mother in this quote? What is Victor trying to show?
Victor is showing his affection for his mother and that Elizabeth is responsible for her death. It may also be foreshadowing Elizabeth’s death.
500
Shelley's purpose in including the allusions she did was to parallel her story throughout different parts of the novel. In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the Mariner kills the albatross which ends up leading his ship to the right route. He goes against nature and is forced to tell his tale over and over again. There is a parallelism between the Mariner,Walton,Victor, and Frankenstein. Walton is also disrespectful to nature by insisting that his ship stay stuck in the polar ice because he needs to reach the North Pole. And Victor trying to "copy" God , creates the monster and tells his tale to Walton. From what you already know about theses characters and the short summary provided, what characteristics link these characters together?
It can be interpreted that the quest for knowledge, glory, and defying God & Nature are the things that links these 3 characters to one another. This was really the ultimate role of Mary Shelley including The Rime of The Ancient Mariner in her novel.
500
What does the creature say when he speaks for the first time? Based on what we knew about Frankenstein up to that point, was this expected?
The creature says that he has been suffering from loneliness. This is not what we expected as the monster showed intelligence (that we did not know he possessed) when he expressed his feelings to Victor. BONUS of 500 to whichever team can find the exact quote of Frankenstein as he is speaking for the first time. HINT: It is in Chapter 10
500
The theme of social acceptance and belonging is present throughout the novel in Frankenstein's life. What makes it so hard for him to fit in and why is it extremely difficult for him to deal with it?
The creature starts to realize that he truly is a "monster" and it is caused by his horrifying appearance. He is the only one of his kind which makes it hard for him to fit in, and even as he tries to help humans he just gets more and more pushed away and isolated. It got even worse for him as Victor broke the promise of creating a female monster for him by destroying it halfway through its creation.
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