The End.

"Fear not that I shall be the instrument of future mischief. My work is nearly complete. Neither yours nor any man's death is needed to consummate the series of my being and accomplish that which must be done, but it requires my own." (pg. 210)

Wow. The ending of this book was definitely eventful. I am almost positive that Waldon was quite relieved at hearing these words (the quote above) from the monster. Al least he knew that his life was not in anymore danger. Once Victor did not create a companion for the monster, i figured that his loved ones were going to die, but I figured that the monster would be out to get Victor too! I was surprised how compassionate the monster was at the end. He was sad to see that his creator had died and he just gave up on himself once he saw Victor had passed away. Since this was made as a "ghost story" or a scary story, I figured that at the end of the book the whereabouts of the monster would be left unknown so that people would be afraid of him seeking them out one day. Instead, the monster feels terrible about what he has done to his master and only sees it fitting that he takes away his own life in return.

Lastly, I just wanted to quickly point out the repeated action of the monster. When the monster was just created, he reached out to his creator while he was in bed. This is the action that scares Victor off and makes him run away. At the end of the story, the reader sees this action preformed by the monster for the second time, but Victor is already deceased, so no action is made in return.

Nature / Weather

"There were no horses to be procured, and I must return by the lake; but the wind was unfavorable, and the rain fell in torrents." (pg. 187)

Nature and the weather play a huge part in this novel. The quote above was taken from Victor right after his wife was murdered by his creation. He first longs to go to the lake because whenever he finds himself in emotional distress, nature is the best cure. Also, "the rain fell in torrents," shows that something terrible just occurred. When the weather is gloomy or it is winter, the scenes in this novel show depression. In contrast, when spring rolls around and nature is alive and blooming, the characters reflect this through their happy actions and good-natured emotions. The beauty of nature seems to heal Victor and the monster in a way that no other man ever could even attempt.

This isn't just a coincidence that Shelley thought would be nice to add to the book. I know that the weather and the seasons affect me and my emotions too. I have also witnessed this change in my peers too. It is always a better day when the sun is shining because hope seems to fill the air.

Reality Check

"... the strange system of human life was explained to me... Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man." (pgs. 114 & 115)

Through out the monster's point of view, I think Shelley tries to convey a very important theme. This theme focuses on the way of human life and how ridiculous it actually is. Every person is born into this life so it is all they know and they take it for what it is, but we are given a reality check when an outsider sees the way we live and then proceeds to tell us how insane it appears. In the first half of the book, the monster learns about the world and hears about war and how awful it is. The monster sees how wrong it is, but since it has always been a part of life for everyone, it seems acceptable. Also, in the quote above, the monster takes another hard hit to the way of life. This new born creature realizes that humans only care about money, popularity, and property. Again, all the people see nothing wrong with it because that is just the way life works. I do think this is a very good message because it shows how our world is focused on the WRONG things. Also, it shows how we measure a human but what he/she has, not who he/she is. I love how Shelley put this hidden theme in here because sadly, she is conveying the truth about humanity.

Foreshadow

"Pardon this gush of sorrow; these ineffectual words are but a slight tribute to the unexampled worth of Henry, but they soothe my heart, overflowing with the anguish which his remembrance creates. I will proceed with my tale." (pg. 149)

Before the reader learns of Henry's death, Shelley makes the reader aware that something is going to go wrong. "His remembrance creates," proves that Victor is speaking in memory of him and Henry's life. The reader now realizes the rest of the book is destined to go downhill. Not only does Shelley show that Henry will die, she also shows that this second creation will fail. This is because the monster promised Victor that if a female monster was not created for him then he would destroy him emotionally. The only way that the monster could do this would be to destroy the few people that surrounded Victor in his life. So, if the reader then knows that Henry will be murdered, the reader can infer that the monster will not stop there. Victor's creation was very serious when he spoke to Victor about making him a friend of "his type." Who will be killed after Henry? ... Alphonse? Earnest? Elizabeth? This element also creates a great amount of suspense for the reader.

Motif

"Do not let this letter disturb you; do not answer tomorrow, or the next day, or even until you come, if it will give you pain. My uncle will send me news of your health, and if I see but one smile on your lips when we meet, occasioned by this or any other exertion of mine, I shall need no other happiness." (pg. 179)

- Elizabeth Lavenza

This is just one example of how Shelley makes every woman look. The novel does not give women much credit at all. From this book, one perceives that women are there to make men happy and wait for their presence no matter what. There are no determined strong females in the book; every female seems to be passive. I believe that all of the women in the story suffer in some way, but Shelley doesn't emphasize this suffering. Caroline, Justine, and Elizabeth all suffer to a terrible degree and then are killed by different means, but the story always revolves around Victor's and the monster's suffering. This emphasis on men might be because of the time period that the book was written. Back then, women were not able to experience the rights that women in today's world are able to.

Foil Characters

"I grasped his hand, and in a moment forgot my horror and misfortune; I felt suddenly, and for the first time during many months, calm and serene joy." (pg. 58) I know that I am going back to previous pages, but I believe that this is a very crucial point to hit. Victor and Henry are clearly foils of eachother and the reader needs to realize this. Ever since they met, they have been opposites, but I guess the cliche is true, "opposites attract." Henry is interested in ethics while Victor clearly is not. Victor pursues science without an ethical base. Also, Victor is all about moving away from his family to do his own thing and pursue his dreams. This doesn't really bother him because he is obsessed with reaching his goal. When Victor sees Henry for the first time in about two years, he says the above quotation. It is obvious that Henry represents all that Victor grew up with. Also, since Henry's presence brings Victor much joy, it it certain that Victor needs his family, but his want for his dream is still stronger.

The Benevolent Monster

" Believe me Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, misrably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me." (pg.96) This "monster" speaks this whole passage. He doesn't grunt or threaten Frankenstein's life. The monster speaks full thoughts and just wants to talk to his creator and be wanted by someone. Here, the reader also sees the theme of lonliness again. I believe that this interaction with the monster is quite ironic. This monster has progressively become more and more human over time and as time passes, it is Frankenstein that becomes less human. Victor is the one who becomes a child and tries to run away from his problems while the monster is the one who simply wants to speak to Victor. The monster displays benevolent qualities while Victor is mean and harsh. Frankenstein never gives his creation a chance at living.

Justine Moritz

"Since you left us, but one change has taken place in out litle household. Do you remember on what occasion Justine Moritz entered our family? Probably you do not; I will relate her history, therefore, in a few words." (pg. 63) This portion of Elizabeth's letter kind of confused me. At first, I was wondering why she was explaining the history of their adopted sister to Victor. Later in the letter, she says, "Justine, you may remember, was a great favourite of yours." There are a couple ways that I am trying to justify why Shelly did this. First, the most obvious reason I could come up with is to give the reader information about Justine. Elizabeth gives her background and everything. Also, I can see this as Elizabeth truly believeing that Victor's illness has probably caused him to forget important thingsin his life. Well, things that used to be important. Lastly, I could aslo see Elizabeth telling this story to be sarcastic and rub it in that he hasn't been home in forever so he probably doesn't remember much of home and the people there. Personally, I think that Elizabeth cares about Victor too much and that she was seriously concerned about his health so she explained the story to him. I can't see her being rude to him.