1. The novel begins with a series of letters in which the narrator of the novel is writing his thoughts
and plans to his sister. Where is the narrator going? Why has he chosen to make this voyage? Of what
does the narrator dream? What is his goal?
Robert Walton is attempting to be the first person to sail to and reach the North Pole. He is pursuing this
goal for personal gain and glory. He is not concerned with the possible cost in the suffering of his crew or
even the benefits this exploration will provide to mankind. He thinks only of the glory and fame that will
be his.
2. Walton says he is a “Romantic.” What is a Romantic person like?
He listens to his heart instead of his mind. He is concerned with the individual, focusing on his subjective
experiences. He is irrational, imaginative, and emotional. He also finds peace of mind in nature and
admires its beauty.
3. What evidence does Walton provide of his Romantic leanings?
Walton’s wonder at the rough beauty of the north reflects the Romantic notion of beauty.
4. Aside from personal glory, what two benefits to mankind does Walton hope to achieve?
He hopes to discover the “northwest passage” for trade with the East, and he hopes to discover the secret
of the North’s magnetic pull.
5. Identify one example of foreshadowing.
- Walton claims that even the threat of death is not enough to mitigate his ambition.
- Walton’s stated need of a “friend,” an equal in terms of passion and aspiration hints that he will meet
just such a man.
- By letter 3, Walton has become too boasting and too self-assured of success, his “Triumph Over
Nature.”
6. How do Walton’s letters illustrate the tension between eighteenth-century rationalism and
nineteenth-century Romanticism?
Walton’s letters indicate a belief that humankind (via science) can and will ultimately conquer nature,
contrary to the Romantic belief that Nature was ultimately unknowable and unconquerable.
7. What is Walton’s impression of Frankenstein?
He thinks Frankenstein has been “broken by misery,” and is, perhaps, insane. He sees wildness in
Frankenstein’s eyes. Walton also thinks he takes well to kindness and has a strong spirit.
8. How does Frankenstein react to Walton’s dream/goal?
He is horrified by Walton’s goal because he sees himself in Walton. He fears Walton is doomed to make
the same tragic mistakes he has made. He fears for Walton’s safety and the crew’s lives.
9. Why does Frankenstein decide to tell Walton his story?
He is trying to keep Walton from falling into the same trap he fell into with the pursuit of knowledge.
1. What plot exposition does Shelley offer the reader in these chapters?
Shelley provides the reader with the account of Frankenstein’s birth and early life, the backgrounds of his
parents, how Elizabeth came into the family, etc.
2. What are Frankenstein’s parents like? How do they feel about each other and about their child?
They are from a distinguished family and they are devoted to each other and their child
3. How are Victor and Elizabeth different? What kind of person is Victor?
Victor is curious to learn the hidden laws of nature. Elizabeth delights in the appearance of things; he
investigates their causes.
4. What quality in young Frankenstein proves to be his tragic flaw later in life?
His “passions were vehement.” He loved learning, and pursued that end with ferocity.
5. Who is Henry Clerval? What is he like? How is he different from Victor?
He is a boyhood friend of Victor’s. He is adventurous and interested in the romance and moral relations of
things.
6. What does Victor want to accomplish in life? Why does he turn to the study of mathematics? What
prevents him from continuing his study?
He wants to find the elixir of life and banish disease from mankind. He wants to study real knowledge,
and he believes that destiny has decided something else for him.
7. How is Elizabeth a “typical” Romantic female character?
She is blonde and fair—the only one in her “family,” as she is Italian. She is also sweet, virtuous, and kind.
8. How did Cornelius Agrippa and other early scientists affect young Victor?
He began to desire the elixir of life. They set him on his path trying to understand God scientifically.
9. How does Victor view his switch to mathematics? What does he compare it to?
He sees it as his guardian angel’s last effort to get him off the path to ruin.
10. What is foreshadowed at the end of Chapter 2?
Victor suggests that his switch from the study of natural philosophy to the study of mathematics will turn
out to be merely a temporary change, and the change back to natural philosophy will lead to Victor’s
ultimate destruction.
1. How is the story of Victor’s mother’s death ironic?
Victor’s mother contracts the disease that kills her by caring for, and eventually saving, Elizabeth.
2. What does Victor contemplate in the first hours of his departure? How do these thoughts indicate
his future?
He is sad to be alone and he does not feel he has the capacity to meet strangers. Later he becomes more
and more reclusive as he makes his creature.
3. Why does Victor not want to study the contemporary scientists suggested by M. Krempe?
Victor has contempt for the uses of modern natural philosophy; he believes the older, natural
philosophies seek immortality and power while modern ones are just busy proving the old ones wrong.
4. What ultimately changes Victor’s mind about new chemists?
A lecture by M. Waldman about how much modern chemists have found changes his mind. He realizes
that the old scientists have paved the way for modern ones.
5. Compare the physiognomy of Krempe and Waldman.
Krempe is opinionated and intolerant. He is also extremely ugly. His physical appearance repulses Victor
as does his attitude. Krempe is more open-minded and able to reconcile the ideas of the past with those
of the furture. He is also dashing-looking—not traditionally handsome, but handsome in a Byronic hero
sort of way.
(Byronic Hero – an antihero who is rebellious and cynical)
6. What is the literary term for M. Waldman and the effect that his lecture and guidance have on
Victor?
He is a catalyst.
(Catalyst – meant to increase or cause a reaction)
7. Why does Victor favor science above all other disciplines?
He likes that science offers the opportunity for limitless learning while it is possible to exhaust the
knowledge of other disciplines.
8. How is Victor’s practice of science different from the modern practice of science?
Victor’s practice of science is the reading of books and observing the decay of corpses, while the
modern practice of science is based on experiments.
9. Why does Victor hesitate to make a creature like man? Why does he go through with it?
He originally thought that the body frame would be too laborious to make. However, his pride and ego
convince him to try it. He wants a creation that owes him everything and will revere him.
10. What traditional tragic flaw is Victor demonstrating?
Hubris - proud or extreme self-confidence that brings about a characters downfall
11. What is the central flaw in Victor’s decision what to create?
He believes he is creating a new life form when he is in reality merely imitating what has already been
created.
12. What internal conflict does Victor deal with as he finishes his creation?
He is both repelled and obsessed by it.
13. List some gothic details from the end of Chapter IV.
- Victor’s ill health-pale skin, emaciated frame, bulging eyes
- The visits to charnel houses (charnel house – a building where bones are piled)
- The isolation of the top-floor laboratory
14. What is Romantic in the moral Victor shares with Walton?
Nothing, no study or pursuit, is more important than relationships with other people. The fact that his
study of science and his creation drew him away from appreciating the beauty of Nature around him was
a crime against Nature.