Frankenstein Ch. 9-11 Discussion Questions
Ch. 9
1. Compare and contrast the effects of the trial on Victor and Elizabeth. How does Shelley establish these choices of
characterization?
2. Why does Victor choose to leave Geneva? What does this reveal about his values and desires?
Ch. 10
1. Perform a close textual analysis on the first two paragraphs. What patterns emerge in the language and what effects
do they produce?
2. Consider the following definition of the Sublime in aesthetics: “Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain
and danger, […] or is conversant about terrible objects, or operates in a manner analogous to terror, is a source of the
sublime; that is, it is productive of the strongest emotion which the mind is capable of feeling.” How does the natural
setting described in this passage connect with this major Romantic idea? Specifically reference particular moments in the
text.
3. What do you make of the allusion to Percy Shelley’s “Mutability?” Analyze its inclusion in the text. What functions does
it serve?
4. How does Victor describe the moment when he sees the monster running toward him? What literary devices are used
to create this effect?
5. What request does the intruder have for Victor? What seems significant about this scene?
Ch. 11
1. How has the narrative shifted at this point? What major differences, both as a narrative and stylistically are taking
place?
2. Analyze the opening paragraph of this chapter. What attitude does the speaker have towards its subject, and what
literary choices does it make to advance this tone?
3. Briefly summarize the narrative given by the creature. Capture the key points of his learning process.
4. Complete the chart on the back of this page comparing the monster’s development with Piaget’s Developmental
Theory.
5. Explain the significance of the scene where the monster sees his face in the water. What does this reveal about his
character at this moment?
6. Describe the cottage where the monster stays. What effect does this setting have on the monster?
7. The monster says, “I hated you, Frankenstein, for bringing me into a world that would never accept me.” What does
the monster mean by this statement?
8. What conclusions does the monster reach about family, fire, nature, and learning?
Rank the following characters in terms of the sympathy you feel toward them (through the end of Ch. 11).
Victor, Elizabeth, William, Justine, the monster, Henry
Fill in where Victor has been thus far in the novel.
Sensorimotor
Stage
Quote:
0-2
yrs
During this first stage, children learn entirely
through the movements they make and the
sensations that result. They learn:



Preoperational
Stage
Quote:
2-7
yrs
that they exist separately from the objects
and people around them
that they can cause things to happen
that things continue to exist even when
they can't see them
Once children acquire language, they are able to
use symbols (such as words or pictures) to
represent objects. Their thinking is still very
egocentric though -- they assume that everyone
else sees things from the same viewpoint as they
do.
They are able to understand concepts like
counting, classifying according to similarity, and
past-present-future but generally they are still
focused primarily on the present and on the
concrete, rather than the abstract.
Concrete
Operational
Stage
Quote:
7-11
yrs
At this stage, children are able to see things from
different points of view and to imagine events that
occur outside their own lives. Some organized,
logical thought processes are now evident and they
are able to:
order objects by size, color gradient, etc.
understand that if 3 + 4 = 7 then 7 - 4 = 3
understand that a red square can belong to both
the 'red' category and the 'square' category
understand that a short wide cup can hold the
same amount of liquid as a tall thin cup
Formal
Operational
Stage
Quote:
11+
yrs
Around the onset of puberty, children are able to
reason in much more abstract ways and to test
hypotheses using systematic logic. There is a
much greater focus on possibilities