Guilt and Revenge (V.2, Ch.1)
Elizabeth writes to Victor that Justine’s wrongful conviction has shaken her faith in people. Victor knows who the real killer is. Why does her letter matter for our charge?
Trial link?
She is suffering from a lie Victor could have corrected. The reader knows the truth and she does not, which makes his silence look worse.
Trial link: Elizabeth’s witness statement, and prosecution evidence about the cost of Victor’s silence.
After Justine’s death, Victor travels to Chamounix. Give one reason the author might send him to the mountains.
Trial link?
To heal him, to show the power of nature, or to prepare the setting for the meeting with the Creature.
Trial link: Victor chooses to go off alone again.
The Creature says he was “benevolent and good” until this changed him.
Trial link?
Misery
Trial link: The nurture argument, but it is only his own account.
Both Victor and the Creature retreat into nature. Who chooses this, and who is forced? Why do you think they retreat into nature?
Victor chooses it. The Creature is forced because people reject him.
When the Creature opens his eyes, Victor runs away. Who is left to look after the Creature? Name one thing a parent should give a child that Victor did not give the Creature, and explain how the Creature suffers without it.
Any reasonable answer works. Examples: protection (he wakes cold and alone), teaching (he must learn language by watching strangers), or love (everyone he meets rejects him).
Victor says he was “the true murderer,” but “not in deed, but in effect.” What is the difference, and why does it matter to our charge?
Trial link?
He didn’t kill anyone himself, but his choices caused the deaths.
Trial link: This is the charge itself.
The story moves from sad, closed-in Geneva to the huge open glaciers. How does the mood change?
Trial link?
It moves from small and sorrowful to vast and awe-inspiring, with a feeling of danger.
Trial link: This is the setting for the confrontation.
The Creature says he ought to be Adam but is “rather the fallen angel.” Why does this comparison blame Victor?
A good creator cares for what he makes. Victor rejected the Creature, so he acted like a bad creator.
Victor says that if our feelings were only hunger, thirst and desire, we would be nearly free. What is he saying about human feelings?
Our emotions and memories control us, so we are never fully free.
Trial link: Helps explain why people act as they do.
Victor sees the Creature near Geneva after William’s death and tells no one. How can this be used against him in court, and could he have changed the outcome? Explain.
Warn people or speak up at Justine’s trial.
Victor calls himself “the author of unalterable evils.” Give one reason to doubt that the evils are truly unalterable.
Trial link?
He could still confess, warn people or stop the Creature. Calling it unalterable excuses his inaction.
Trial link: Prosecution evidence: guilt without action.
In Chapter 2 the setting becomes more dangerous, with ice and avalanches. What does this suggest about nature in Romanticism?
Nature is powerful and cannot be controlled by humans, and it matches Victor’s emotions.
The Creature points out that Victor accuses him of murder but wants to destroy his own creature. What is he saying about Victor?
Victor is a hypocrite: he condemns killing but is willing to kill.
The Creature tells Victor, “Remember, thou hast made me more powerful than thyself.” Right after that, he says he will not set himself “in opposition” to Victor. Is this a reminder of Victor’s responsibility, a threat, or both?
Both work with a reason. It reminds Victor that he chose to make a being stronger than himself, so he is responsible for it. It is also a warning that the Creature could hurt him but is choosing not to, for now.
Victor says he stayed quiet because no one would believe him. Is that a good excuse?
Either answer with a reason. Weigh his fear against Justine’s life.
Why do Victor’s feelings of guilt and his desire for revenge contradict one another?
Trial link?
Guilt blames himself, and revenge blames the Creature.
Trial link: He holds the evidence to prove that both sides are guilty.
The glacier is cold and still, but it is also at risk of an avalanche. How does this match the meeting between Victor and the Creature?
Trial link?
Cold rejection on the surface, with anger and violence ready to break loose.
Trial link: It shapes the mood of the evidence.
The Creature says, “Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine.” Is this a fair offer or a threat?
Either answer works with valid reasoning.
The Creature stops stealing the cottagers’ food when he sees it hurts them. What does this show about him? And how can this help him in court?
He has sympathy and a conscience, even before anyone is kind to him.
Victor tells his story to Walton. Why might he tell it in a way that makes him look better?
He wants Walton to feel sympathy for him and to blame him less.
Victor withdraws from his family instead of telling them the truth. What does this choice show when set beside the Creature’s isolation?
Trial link?
Victor chooses isolation, while the Creature has it imposed on him.
Trial link: The main difference between the two characters.
In Chapter 2, “Nature” is capitalized. Why might the author treat nature almost like a person?
Trial link?
It makes nature feel like a judge or moral force, and Victor has gone against it.
Trial link: A possible prosecution argument against Victor.
The Creature says everything that happened is Victor’s responsibility. Is that fair? Give one reason yes and one reason no.
Yes: Victor abandoned him and left him without help. No: the Creature still chose to kill William and frame Justine.
We only know about the Creature’s secret kindness because he tells us. Is this reliable or not? Explain your answer.
He wants Victor’s help, so he might shape the story to look good. He is not a fully reliable narrator.
Victor had several chances to stop the tragedy. Name the 3 chances he had. What might the author be saying?
At the creation, at William’s death and at Justine’s trial.
Creators must take responsibility for what they make, and staying silent can be a form of guilt.