Summary
Where was Victor first found at the start of Frankenstein?
He was found on the ice near the North Pole by Captain Walton’s ship while chasing the creature.
Which Freudian element (id, ego, or superego) represents Victor Frankenstein’s uncontrollable desire to create life?
id
“The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.”
Metaphor: "The world was to me a secret"
What was Victor Frankenstein’s ultimate goal in his experiments?
To control life and death itself by creating life from the dead.
In Frankenstein, what feminist idea is reflected in Victor’s fear of creating a female creature?
It shows the fear of female autonomy.
“How dare you sport thus with life?”
Rhetorical Question
What happens to Victor at the end of the story?
He dies from exhaustion while chasing the creature across the Arctic.
What class does Victor represent, and what class does the monster represent?
Victor represents the bourgeois class, the creature represents the working class
“Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world.”
Metaphor, Victor compares knowledge to light
What does the creature ask Victor to do for him after telling his story?
He asks Victor to create a female companion/wife so he won’t be alone.
What archetype does Victor Frankenstein represent across the theories discussed?
The Creator archetype
“I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel.”
Allusion: biblical reference as well as a reference to the book Paradise Lost
Who were the people the creature killed in Frankenstein?
The creature killed William (Victor’s brother), Henry Clerval (Victor’s best friend), and Elizabeth (Victor’s wife).
How does Freudian theory explain why people abuse their power in Frankenstein.
Those in power let their id and desire override their superego/morality.
“Devil,” I exclaimed, “do you dare approach me? Begone, vile insect! Or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust!
Hyperbole: that I may trample you to dust!