Characters /
Setting
Setting
What does the creature's admiration of the De Lacey family show about his initial perception of humanity?
It demonstrates his innocence in thinking that humans are kind and live in harmony.
How does the narration change from Chapters 10-11?
What is a narration shift from Victor to the creature?
What biblical allusion does the Creature make when describing his situation?
He compares himself to Adam, created alone, but also to Satan, rejected by his creator.
How does Shelley use the Creature’s story to critique society’s superficial judgements?
The DeLaceys are kind and moral but still reject the Creature because of his appearance, showing that even good people can be prejudiced.
Why is Safie's story important in shaping the creature?
It exposes the creature to injustice. (A parallel to his own situation)
How does the Creature's narration differ in tone and style from Victor's
The Creature's narration is more emotional, reflective, and poetic. Whereas Victor's is often self-absorbed and dramatic.
Cause knowledge can be both creative and destructive.
How can the Creature's experiences with the De Lacey family be used to argue that society is responsible for his transformation into a 'monster'?
He begins as kind and curious, but repeated rejection and cruelty push him toward vengeance, suggesting that monstrosity is created, not inherent.
Why is it important that the creature's early life starts out in the forest?
It mirrors how humanity started in the wilderness and shows how he evolved to become more "human" when stumbling upon the cottage.
How does Shelley use embedded storytelling (stories within stories) in these chapters?
The Creature's narrative is within Victor's, who is within Walton's, emphasizing subjective perspectives.
How does the personification to nature contribute to Romantic ideals held in the time?
It illustrates nature as a source of reflection or moral truth.
How does Shelley use the Creature's self education to argue that knowledge can be both enlightening and dangerous?
Learning gives him insight into human society but also makes him painfully aware of his own exclusion and suffering, paralleling Victor's destructive of knowledge.
How is De Lacey's (the father's) blindness serve as a contrast to his family's reaction to the creature?
It allows for him to view the creature without prejudice, major themes of unfair judgment.
What does the Creature's reading of Paradise Lost add to the structure and themes of Frankenstein?
Literary intertextuality, aka framing the Creature as both Adam (a rejected son) and Satan (a vengeful outcast) deepening the theme of loneliness and exile.
Reinforces Romantic emphasis on human kindness over societal corruption.
How does Shelley's portrayal of the De Lacey family allow for an argument about the hypocrisy of human morality?
The family represents idealized kindness and virtue, but their immediate rejection of the Creature shows that even the most moral people are capable of cruelty based on prejudice.