Gothic Themes & Motifs
This weather element appears every time something "evil" or "pivotal" happens, such as when Victor first sees the Creature in the mountains.
Lightning or Thunderstorms.
Victor’s childhood home is located in this city and country
Geneva, Switzerland
Victor spends nearly two years in this type of room building his creation.
A "workshop of filthy creation" (or an attic/laboratory)
This loyal servant of the Frankenstein family is accused of William’s murder because she had his locket in her pocket.
Justine Moritz
Grimly uses this color palette to distinguish between the "past" and the "present".
Sepia/brown tones and blue/cool tones (Color) vs. Black and White
Victor often retreats to these high, snowy locations to escape his problems, a common setting in Gothic literature.
Mountains (the Alps/Glaciers).
This woman was "presented" to Victor as a gift and became his closest companion and future fiancé.
Elizabeth Lavenza
This is Victor’s immediate reaction when the Creature finally opens its "dull yellow eye."
Horror, disgust, or regret (he flees)
Despite her innocence, Justine is executed after she does this because she was pressured by a priest.
Confesses to the crime
Instead of a lab coat, Victor is often drawn wearing this type of messy, steampunk-style clothing.
An apron (often blood-stained or dirty)
In Volume 1, Victor is often shown surrounded by these—symbolizing his attempt to "play God" by assembling life from dead parts.
Bones or Skulls
Victor leaves his family to attend the University of Ingolstadt in this country
Germany
After the Creature disappears, Victor falls into a "nervous fever" and is nursed back to health by this person
Henry Clerval
Seeking peace from his guilt, Victor travels to this valley in the Alps to see the glaciers.
Chamounix
In the illustrations, the Creature’s skin is often depicted as this, showing the individual parts Victor used.
Stitched or sutured together
This theme is explored through Victor’s choice to keep his experiment a secret, which ultimately leads to the death of his family members.
Isolation (or Secrecy/Alienation)
While his friend Henry Clerval loves literature and chivalry, Victor is obsessed with this subject
Natural Philosophy (Science)
Victor receives a tragic letter from his father informing him that ________ has been murdered.
William
Victor encounters the Creature on this specific glacier, where the Creature proves he can speak eloquently
Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice)
Grimly often uses these "mechanical" looking objects in his borders and background to represent Victor’s obsession.
Gears, clocks, or scientific instruments.
This literary term describes a "double" or a "mirror image" of a character. Many critics argue the Creature is Victor’s ______, representing his dark side.
Doppelgänger
Victor is inspired by "ancient" alchemists like Cornelius Agrippa, but his professor, M. Waldman, encourages him to study this instead.
Modern Chemistry
Victor spots the Creature for the first time since its "birth" during a lightning storm in this specific location.
Plainpalais (outside the gates of Geneva)
The Creature compares himself to this biblical figure, though he says he is treated more like the "fallen angel."
Adam
This is the primary emotion shown on Victor’s face in almost every panel after the Creature is born.
Anxiety, fear, or exhaustion (gaunt/wide-eyed)