“With how many things are we on the brink of becoming acquainted,
if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries?”
“...nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose...”
“There is love in me the likes of which you've never seen.
There is rage in me the likes of which should never escape.
If I am not satisfied in the one, I will indulge the other.”
1
Table of Contents:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
9.
Beginning Frankenstein—Ques re: the Letters
Questions for pages 19-39 (chapters 1-3)
Frankenstein Questions for chapters 4 and 5
Frankenstein Questions for chapters 6, 7, 8
Frankenstein Questions 9-12
Frankenstein Question for chapters 12-17
Frankenstein Blackout Poem
“Hear My Tale”
Frankenstein Questions for chapters 18, 19, 20
Final Frankenstein Questions
2
Beginning Frankenstein
Literary Response Questions:
1. Examine “Letter 1,” and explain Robert Walton’s feelings about and motivations for going
beyond the boundaries of what is known. Please use at least two text references in the
course of your answer.
2. A. Examine “Letter 2” and explain Walton’s need for a companion. Use at least one quote
to explain his rationale. B. In your opinion, is companionship one of life’s necessities?
Explain your answer.
3. Examine “Letter 4” and explain your impressions of the stranger found and rescued by
Robert Walton. Refer to at least three details about the stranger.
4. Explain how “Letter 4” addresses both the ideas of ambition and companionship. Use at
least 2 quotes in the course of your answer.
10
Student has thoroughly
answered all questions—this
means that student’s answers
are accurate and have been
explained using specific
references to the events and
dialogue in the text,
including quotes when the
question calls for them.
Also, notes from class
discussions have been added
to the student’s answers in
order to correct
misinterpretations or to
further elaborate on
student’s original ideas.
9
Student meets
the criteria for
a “10,” except
one answer
must be more
developed.
8
Student meets
the criteria for
a “10,” except
two answers
must be more
developed.
7
Student meets
the criteria for
a “10,” except
three answers
must be more
developed.
6
Student meets
the criteria for
a “10,” except
four answers
must be more
developed.
Late
60% of
earned score:
6
5.5
5
4
- 2 points for
any missing
answers.
3
No Credit
Answers are
too
underdevelop
ed, and so,
sufficient
effort has not
been
displayed to
receive credit
for the
assignment.
4
Frankenstein Questions
for pages 19-39 (Chapters 1-3)
All should be in literary response format
1. Examine the following quote from Victor regarding his parents views of him:
“I was their plaything and their idol, and something better--their child, the innocent and helpless
creature bestowed on them by Heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their
hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties towards me. With this deep
consciousness of what they owed towards the being to which they had given life, added to the active
spirit of tenderness that animated both, it may be imagined that while during every hour of my infant life
I received a lesson of patience, of charity, and of self control, I was so guided by a silken cord that all
seemed but one train of enjoyment to me” (21-22).
After reading this quote, describe and explain the Frankenstein’s obligations to their son, AND THEN,
explain the effect that this treatment has on Victor.
2. Examine the portrayal of women in Frankenstein. Be sure to mention quotes relating to both
Caroline and Elizabeth in the course of your answer.
3. Describe Victor Frankenstein’s disposition (also called his “temper.”)
4. Describe in detail Victor Frankenstein’s studies. What ideas compel him, what interests him, why
does he become interested, then disinterested, and then interested in them again. Use multiple quotes
in your answer, and be sure to mention the lightening storm.
5. On page 33, Victor describe the loss of his mother. Many times he refers to death. What are the
different ways to which he refers to death? What seems to be his opinion of death?
6. Examine this quote by M. Waldman:
"The ancient teachers of this science," said he, "promised impossibilities, and performed nothing. The
modern masters promise very little; they know that metals cannot be transmuted, and that the elixir of life
is a chimera. But these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to
pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses
of nature, and show how she works in her hiding places. They ascend into the heavens: they have
discovered how the blood circulates, and the nature of the air we breathe. They have acquired new and
almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even
mock the invisible world with its own shadows" (37-38).
A. Explain how this quote connects to the myth of Prometheus.
B. Explain the effects that these words and Victor’s interactions with Waldman have on Victor.
10
Student has thoroughly answered all
questions—this means that student’s
answers are accurate and have been
explained using specific references to
the events and dialogue in the text,
including quotes when the question
calls for them. Also, notes from class
discussions have been added to the
student’s answers in order to correct
9
Student
meets the
criteria for a
“10,” except
one answer
must be
more
developed.
8
Student
meets the
criteria for
a “10,”
except two
answers
must be
more
developed.
7
Student meets
the criteria for
a “10,” except
three answers
must be more
developed.
6
Student meets
the criteria for
a “10,” except
four answers
must be more
developed.
Late
60% of earned
score:
6
5.5
5
4
- 2 points for
5
No Credit
Answers are
too
underdevelope
d, and so,
sufficient effort
has not been
displayed to
receive credit
for the
misinterpretations or to further
elaborate on student’s original ideas.
any missing
answers.
6
assignment.
Frankenstein Questions
Chapters 4 and 5
Directions: For each of the questions below, jot down your ideas. Go back to the text as necessary and
jot down any useful quotes. You do not need full sentences for this, but you should be able to look
back on these notes later and have them be useful to you in a study situation.
1. How does Victor characterize his pursuit?
2. What seems to motivate Victor’s choice of animating his own human being?
3. On page 46 Victor finds himself “moralizing” to Walton. What does he seem to be moralizing
about? What sentiment is he trying to express to Walton?
7
4. How does Victor react to is successful reanimation of dead matter? Why does he seem to react
this way? How does his creation react to Victor?
5. Describe the dream that Victor has just after he abandons his creation.
8
Name: _______________________________________________ Date: ________
Please staple this sheet to your answers.
Frankenstein Questions
chapters 6, 7, 8
Answer the following questions in literary response format.
1.
In these chapters, one can see a number of the tenants of Romantic and Gothic
literature at work: the restorative effects of nature, emotion vs. reason, following one’s
intuition, powerful displays of nature, justice and injustice, etc. Select two aspects of
Romantic and/or Gothic literature to examine within the context of these chapters.
2.
What are Victor’s feelings about the accusation and condemnation of Justine for the
murder of William Frankenstein? Why doesn’t he confess? How does he find himself
in comparison to Justine during this time?
Personal Opinion (While you should reference specific events from the text, quotes are not
necessary for the following question.)
3.
What are your thoughts about Victor Frankenstein?

Do you hold Victor Frankenstein responsible for the deaths of William and
Justine? Why or why not.

What is your opinion of Victor Frankenstein in general?

Do you blame him for running away from his creation?

What is your opinion about his endeavor to create life and his means of doing
so (grave robbing)?
10
Student has thoroughly answered all
questions—this means that student’s
answers are accurate and have been
explained using specific references to
the events and dialogue in the text,
including quotes when the question
calls for them. Also, notes from class
discussions have been added to the
student’s answers in order to correct
misinterpretations or to further elaborate
on student’s original ideas.
8
Student
meets the
criteria for a
“10,” except
one answer
must be
more
developed.
6
Student
meets the
criteria for a
“10,” except
two
answers
must be
more
developed.
9
Late
60% of
earned
score:
6
5.5
5
4
- 3 points for
any missing
answers.
No Credit
Answers are too
underdeveloped,
and so, sufficient
effort has not been
displayed to receive
credit for the
assignment.
10
Frankenstein Literary Response Questions
for chapters 9-12
Directions: Answer the following questions in literary response format. Be sure to use quotes in each
question.
1. The natural environment is featured prominently in these chapters. Explain the ways that the use of the
natural environment plays into Romantic ideals—mention at least 2.
2. What natural force always accompanies the appearance of the creature? (pages 48, 69, 93) What so
you believe is the significance of this pairing?
3. What is the question that Victor asks the “wandering spirits” just before his creature appears to him (95)?
What seems to be their answer?
4. Read the excerpt on the “Noble Savage,” (See below) and then explain how Frankenstein’s creature fits
at least 3 of the attributes of a noble savage.
Noble savage
In the 18th century culture of "Primitivism" (belief that life was better or more moral during the early stages of
mankind or among primitive peoples and has deteriorated with the growth of civilization), the noble savage,
uncorrupted by the influences of civilization, was considered more worthy, more authentically noble than the
contemporary product of civilized training. Although the phrase “noble savage” first appeared in Dryden's The
Conquest of Granada (1672), the idealized picture of "nature's gentleman" was an aspect of eighteenth-century
Sentimentalism (European idea that emphasized feelings and emotions, a physical appreciation of God, nature,
and other people, rather than logic and reason), among other forces at work.
The term "noble savage" expresses a concept of humanity as unencumbered by civilization; the normal essence
of an unfettered human. Since the concept embodies the idea that without the bounds of civilization, humans are
essentially good, the basis for the idea of the "noble savage" lies in the doctrine of the goodness of humans,
expounded in the first decade of the century by Shaftesbury, who urged a would-be author “to search for that
simplicity of manners, and innocence of behaviour, which has been often known among mere savages; ere they
were corrupted by our commerce” (Advice to an Author, Part III.iii). His counter to the doctrine of original sin,
born amid the optimistic atmosphere of Renaissance humanism, was taken up by his contemporary, the essayist
Richard Steele, who attributed the corruption of contemporary manners to false education.
The concept of the noble savage has particular associations with romanticism and with Rousseau's romantic
philosophy in particular. The opening sentence of Rousseau's Emile (1762), which has as its subtitle "de
l'Éducation ("or, Concerning Education") is
“Everything is good in leaving the hands of the Creator of Things; everything degenerates in the hands of
man.”
In the later 18th-century the published voyages of Captain James Cook seemed to open a glimpse into an
unspoiled Edenic culture that still existed in the unspoiled and un-Christianized South Seas. By 1784 it was so
much an accepted element in current discourse that Benjamin Franklin could mock some of its inconsistencies in
Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America (1784).
The concept appears in many further books of early 19th century. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein forms one of the
better-known examples: her monster embodies the ideal. German author Karl May employed the idea
extensively in his Wild West stories. Aldous Huxley provided a later example in his novel Brave New World
(published in 1932).
Around the 15th century certain European states began expanding overseas, initially in Africa, later in Asia and in
the Americas. In general, they sought mineral resources (such as silver and gold), land (for the cultivation of
export crops such as rice and sugar, and the cultivation of other foodstuffs to support mining communities) and
11
labor (to work in mines and plantations). In some cases, colonizers killed the indigenous people. In other cases,
the people became incorporated into the expanding states to serve as labor.
Although Europeans recognized these people to be human beings, they had no plans to treat them as equals
politically or economically, and also began to speak of them as inferior socially and psychologically. In part
through this and similar processes, Europeans developed a notion of "the primitive" and "the savage" that
legitimized genocide and ethnocide on the one hand, and European domination on the other. This discourse
extended to people of Africa, Asia, and Oceania as European colonialism, neo-colonialism, and imperialism
expanded.
The idea of the "noble savage" may have served, in part, as an attempt to re-establish the value of indigenous
lifestyles and illegitimatize imperial excesses - establishing exotic humans as morally superior in order to
counter-balance the perceived political and economic inferiorities.
The attributes of the "noble savage" often included:
* Living in harmony with Nature
* Generosity, fidelity and selflessness
* Innocence
* Inability to lie
* Physical health, disdain of luxury
* Moral courage
* "Natural" intelligence or innate, untutored wisdom
In the 20th century, the concept of the noble savage came to be seen as unrealistic and condescending. Insofar
as it was based on certain stereotypes, it came to be considered a form of patronizing racism, even when it
replaced the previous stereotype of the bloodthirsty savage. It has been criticized by many, for example Roger
Sandall, in academic, anthropological, sociological and religious fields.
The noble savage as protagonist or, more often, as companion to the protagonist has long been a popular type
of literary character. Perhaps the most notable early example is the character Friday from Robinson Crusoe
(1719) by Daniel Defoe. Other examples include Dirk Peters from Edgar Allan Poe's A Narrative of Arthur Gordon
Pym (1838),”The Noble Savage” from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, Chingachgook and Uncas from James
Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales (1823 and later), Queequeg from Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851),
Umslpoagaas from H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines (1885), and Winnetou from Karl May´s Winnetou
novels (1893 and later). Tonto from the Lone Ranger radio and television programs is one of the best known
examples from the 20th century.
Twentieth-century popular culture has also expressed its inherited views of the "noble savage" by placing them in
fantasy or science fiction settings. Historical fantasy examples include the figures such as "Tarzan" and "Conan
the Barbarian." The very meaning of "barbarian" in contemporary popular culture has become sympathetically
colored through similar fantasies.
As sensitivity to racist stereotypes has increased, science fiction has often cast space aliens in the role of the
noble savage. The characters of Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Teal'c from Stargate SG-1 are two
well-known examples.
Twentieth-century readers anachronistically recast as "noble savages" some literary creatures like Caliban in
Shakespeare's The Tempest or Dr. Frankenstein's creature in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818).
The 1980 film The Gods Must Be Crazy by Jamie Uys depicts a group of Bushmen from the Kalahari desert as
noble savages.
“Noble Savage.” Search.com. CBS Interactive INC. 2011. 12 January 2011.
<http://www.search.com/reference/Noble_Savage>
12
“Hear my tale.”
The scene in which Victor has his first real encounter with his creation is one of the most powerful of the novel. From this
conversation one can extrapolate ideas applicable to many walks of life: human behavior, parent-child relationships, state-citizen
relationships, etc.
Directions:
1. Reread the selection below and annotate it like a madman or madwoman. As you annotate, consider what connections
you can draw to:
 real life
 parent-child relationships
 human behavior
 religion
 peer relationships
 political state relationships
 the rules of love and hate
2. After you have saturated the page with your annotations, answer the questions below:
A. What does this section teach or illustrate about human behavior (this encompasses all of the bullets above)? Explain
what in the text makes you think this is so. Do not limit yourself to one idea.
B. Explain the creature’s desires through the lens of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
I exclaimed-- "Wandering spirits, if indeed ye wander, and do not rest in your narrow beds, allow me this faint
happiness, or take me, as your companion, away from the joys of life."
As I said this, I suddenly beheld the figure of a man, at some distance, advancing towards me with superhuman
speed. He bounded over the crevices in the ice, among which I had walked with caution; his stature, also, as he
approached, seemed to exceed that of man. I was troubled: a mist came over my eyes, and I felt a faintness seize
me; but I was quickly restored by the cold gale of the mountains. I perceived, as the shape came nearer (sight
tremendous and abhorred!) that it was the wretch whom I had created. I trembled with rage and horror, resolving
to wait his approach, and then close with him in mortal combat. He approached; his countenance bespoke bitter
anguish, combined with disdain and malignity, while its unearthly ugliness rendered it almost too horrible for
human eyes. But I scarcely observed this; rage and hatred had at first deprived me of utterance, and I recovered
only to overwhelm him with words expressive of furious detestation and contempt.
"Devil," I exclaimed, "do you dare approach me? and do not you fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on
your miserable head? Begone, vile insect! or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust! and, oh! that I could,
with the extinction of your miserable existence, restore those victims whom you have so diabolically murdered!"
"I expected this reception," said the daemon. "All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am
miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art
bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus
with life? Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you and the rest of mankind. If you will comply
with my conditions, I will leave them and you at peace; but if you refuse, I will glut the maw of death, until it be
satiated with the blood of your remaining friends."
"Abhorred monster! fiend that thou art! the tortures of hell are too mild a vengeance for thy crimes. Wretched
devil! you reproach me with your creation; come on, then, that I may extinguish the spark which I so negligently
bestowed." My rage was without bounds; I sprang on him, impelled by all the feelings which can arm one being
against the existence of another.
He easily eluded me, and said-"Be calm! I entreat you to hear me, before you give vent to your hatred on my devoted head. Have I not suffered
enough that you seek to increase my misery? Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to
me, and I will defend it. Remember, thou hast made me more powerful than thyself; my height is superior to
13
thine; my joints more supple. But I will not be tempted to set myself in opposition to thee. I am thy creature, and I
will be even mild and docile to my natural lord and king, if thou wilt also perform thy part, the which thou owest
me. Oh, Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other, and trample upon me alone, to whom thy justice, and even
thy clemency and affection, is most due. Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am
rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone
am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again
be virtuous."
"Begone! I will not hear you. There can be no community between you and me; we are enemies. Begone, or let us
try our strength in a fight, in which one must fall."
"How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favourable eye upon thy creature, who implores thy
goodness and compassion? Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity:
but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellowcreatures, who owe me nothing? they spurn and hate me. The desert mountains and dreary glaciers are my refuge.
I have wandered here many days; the caves of ice, which I only do not fear, are a dwelling to me, and the only
one which man does not grudge. These bleak skies I hail, for they are kinder to me than your fellow-beings. If the
multitude of mankind knew of my existence, they would do as you do, and arm themselves for my destruction.
Shall I not then hate them who abhor me? I will keep no terms with my enemies. I am miserable, and they shall
share my wretchedness. Yet it is in your power to recompense me, and deliver them from an evil which it only
remains for you to make so great that not only you and your family, but thousands of others, shall be swallowed
up in the whirlwinds of its rage. Let your compassion be moved, and do not disdain me. Listen to my tale: when
you have heard that, abandon or commiserate me, as you shall judge that I deserve. But hear me. The guilty are
allowed, by human laws, bloody as they are, to speak in their own defence before they are condemned. Listen to
me, Frankenstein. You accuse me of murder; and yet you would, with a satisfied conscience, destroy your own
creature. Oh, praise the eternal justice of man! Yet I ask you not to spare me: listen to me; and then, if you can,
and if you will, destroy the work of your hands."
"Why do you call to my remembrance," I rejoined, "circumstances, of which I shudder to reflect, that I have been
the miserable origin and author? Cursed be the day, abhorred devil, in which you first saw light! Cursed (although
I curse myself) be the hands that formed you! You have made me wretched beyond expression. You have left me
no power to consider whether I am just to you or not. Begone! relieve me from the sight of your detested form."
"Thus I relieve thee, my creator, "he said, and placed his hated hands before my eyes, which I flung from me with
violence; "thus I take from thee a sight which you abhor. Still thou canst listen to me, and grant me thy
compassion. By the virtues that I once possessed, I demand this from you. Hear my tale; it is long and strange,
and the temperature of this place is not fitting to your fine sensations; come to the hut upon the mountain. The sun
is yet high in the heavens; before it descends to hide itself behind yon snowy precipices, and illuminate another
world, you will have heard my story, and can decide. On you it rests whether I quit for ever the neighbourhood of
man, and lead a hapless life, or become the scourge of your fellow-creatures, and the author of your own speedy
ruin."
As he said this, he led the way across the ice: I followed. My heart was full, and I did not answer him; but, as I
proceeded, I weighed the various arguments that he had used, and determined at least to listen to his tale. I was
partly urged by curiosity, and compassion confirmed my resolution. I had hitherto supposed him to be the
murderer of my brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of this opinion. For the first time, also, I
felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I
complained of his wickedness. These motives urged me to comply with his demand. We crossed the ice,
therefore, and ascended the opposite rock. The air was cold, and the rain again began to descend: we entered the
hut, the fiend with an air of exultation, I with a heavy heart and depressed spirits. But I consented to listen; and,
seating myself by the fire which my odious companion had lighted, he thus began his tale.
14
Frankenstein Questions for chapters 12-17
Write a thesis statement and three paragraphs that answer ONE of the following questions. Each
paragraph should have at least one piece of textual evidence.
A. What are three experiences that lead the creature to the conclusion that he needs a companion?
B. Trace the creature’s yearning for acceptance.
C. Consider the effects that the world’s “nurturing” has had on the creature. Consider at least three
episodes, one of which must be Victor’s own words from his journal.
15
16
Frankenstein Chapters 18, 19, and 20: Oh, the irony!
Often times during the course of these chapters, Victor has thoughts and
experiences that mirror that of his creature—yet it is ironic because
whereas he can clearly see his own pain, he cannot see that of his
creature’s.
Write two paragraphs in which you explore two instances of Victor’s
thoughts and/or experience that are similar to the monsters. Be sure to use
at least one quote in each paragraph (and cite the page number please).
17
18
Frankenstein Blackout Poem
Directions:
1. Grab a piece of text. Grab a marker.
2. Cross out words, leaving the ones you like. These form the poem.
3. Let the poem be something of its own—it doesn’t have to be about the novel.
4. Give the poem your own title. Retype it. Arrange it the way you like.
"Devil," I exclaimed, "do you dare approach me? and do not you fear the fierce vengeance of
my arm wreaked on your miserable head? Begone, vile insect! or rather, stay, that I may
trample you to dust! and, oh! that I could, with the extinction of your miserable existence,
restore those victims whom you have so diabolically murdered!"
"I expected this reception," said the daemon. "All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be
hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me,
thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us.
You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty towards me, and I
will do mine towards you and the rest of mankind. If you will comply with my conditions, I
will leave them and you at peace; but if you refuse, I will glut the maw of death, until it be
satiated with the blood of your remaining friends."
"Abhorred monster! fiend that thou art! the tortures of hell are too mild a vengeance for thy
crimes. Wretched devil! you reproach me with your creation; come on, then, that I may
extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed." My rage was without bounds; I
sprang on him, impelled by all the feelings which can arm one being against the existence of
another.
He easily eluded me, and said-"Be calm! I entreat you to hear me, before you give vent to your hatred on my devoted head.
Have I not suffered enough that you seek to increase my misery? Life, although it may only
be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it. Remember, thou hast made
me more powerful than thyself; my height is superior to thine; my joints more supple. But I
will not be tempted to set myself in opposition to thee. I am thy creature, and I will be even
mild and docile to my natural lord and king, if thou wilt also perform thy part, the which
thou owest me. Oh, Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other, and trample upon me
alone, to whom thy justice, and even thy clemency and affection, is most due. Remember, that
I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou
drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably
excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall
again be virtuous."
19
"Begone! I will not hear you. There can be no community between you and me; we are
enemies. Begone, or let us try our strength in a fight, in which one must fall."
"How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favourable eye upon thy
creature, who implores thy goodness and compassion? Believe me, Frankenstein: I was
benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity: but am I not alone, miserably alone?
You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me
nothing? they spurn and hate me. The desert mountains and dreary glaciers are my refuge. I
have wandered here many days; the caves of ice, which I only do not fear, are a dwelling to
me, and the only one which man does not grudge. These bleak skies I hail, for they are kinder
to me than your fellow-beings. If the multitude of mankind knew of my existence, they would
do as you do, and arm themselves for my destruction. Shall I not then hate them who abhor
me? I will keep no terms with my enemies. I am miserable, and they shall share my
wretchedness. Yet it is in your power to recompense me, and deliver them from an evil which
it only remains for you to make so great that not only you and your family, but thousands of
others, shall be swallowed up in the whirlwinds of its rage. Let your compassion be moved,
and do not disdain me. Listen to my tale: when you have heard that, abandon or commiserate
me, as you shall judge that I deserve. But hear me. The guilty are allowed, by human laws,
bloody as they are, to speak in their own defense before they are condemned. Listen to me,
Frankenstein. You accuse me of murder; and yet you would, with a satisfied conscience,
destroy your own creature. Oh, praise the eternal justice of man! Yet I ask you not to spare
me: listen to me; and then, if you can, and if you will, destroy the work of your hands."
"Why do you call to my remembrance," I rejoined, "circumstances, of which I shudder to
reflect, that I have been the miserable origin and author? Cursed be the day, abhorred devil,
in which you first saw light! Cursed (although I curse myself) be the hands that formed you!
You have made me wretched beyond expression. You have left me no power to consider
whether I am just to you or not. Begone! relieve me from the sight of your detested form."
"Thus I relieve thee, my creator, "he said, and placed his hated hands before my eyes, which I
flung from me with violence; "thus I take from thee a sight which you abhor. Still thou canst
listen to me, and grant me thy compassion. By the virtues that I once possessed, I demand
this from you. Hear my tale; it is long and strange, and the temperature of this place is not
fitting to your fine sensations; come to the hut upon the mountain. The sun is yet high in the
heavens; before it descends to hide itself behind yon snowy precipices, and illuminate
another world, you will have heard my story, and can decide. On you it rests whether I quit
forever the neighborhood of man, and lead a hapless life, or become the scourge of your
fellow-creatures, and the author of your own speedy ruin."
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Final Frankenstein (Literary Response) Questions
Staple this sheet to your answers—rubric side up on top and your answers below.
1. What are your thoughts about the end of the novel? Write a good and thoughtful paragraph. (I forbid the
use of the words “good” and “bad.”)
2. In the end, of Frankenstein and his creature—who apologizes and who does not (See both of their final
conversations with Robert Walton)? WHY does each seem to apologize or not apologize (what are his
reasons for doing or not doing so?)?
3. After reading the following, answer the questions below:
To Walton, the creature says, “Why do you not hate Felix, who drove his friend from his door with contumely?
Why do you not execrate the rustic who sought to destroy the saviour of his child? Nay, these are virtuous and
immaculate beings! I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and
trampled on” (231).
A. Explain the point that the creature tries to make to Walton.
B. Justify EITHER why one should feel sympathy for the creature, OR why one should hate the creature.
C. Is it “okay” or justified for people to abhor what they don’t recognize or understand? Explain your
thoughts in detail.
4. What two reasons does the creature provide to prove that he suffers more than Victor?
5. A. After rereading Victor’s words to the crew members who visit Walton, and his last words to Walton
himself, do you feel that Victor Frankenstein has learned his lesson, or feels remorse for what he has done?
Cite one quote from each of these passages in the course of your answer. Do not fail to explain how your
selected quotes support your answer.
B. What lesson has Walton learned from Victor’s experience? Cite at least one quote in the course of your
answer. Do not fail to explain how your selected quote supports your answer.
6. Often times, monsters, by their very natures of “otherness,” show us ourselves. What does this story beg us
to ask ourselves? List at least three questions that you think Frankenstein causes a person to ask of himself or
herself or of society. (NOT lit response.)
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Name:
____________________________________________________________________________
Grading Rubric
12
10
9
8
7
Late
No Credit
Student has thoroughly
answered all questions—
this means that student’s
answers are accurate and
have been explained
using specific references
to the events and dialogue
in the text, including
quotes when the question
calls for them. Also, notes
from class discussions
have been added to the
student’s answers in order
to correct
misinterpretations or to
further elaborate on
student’s original ideas.
Other penalties:
Student
meets the
criteria for a
“12,” except
one answer
must be
more
developed.
Student
meets the
criteria for a
“12,” except
two answers
must be
more
developed.
Student
meets the
criteria for a
“12,” except
three
answers
must be
more
developed.
Student
meets the
criteria for a
“12,” except
four
answers
must be
more
developed.
60% of
earned
score:
More than
four answers
are
underdevelo
ped, and so,
sufficient
effort has
not been
displayed to
receive
credit for the
assignment.
7
6
5
4
______ -1 pt for not using
the present verb tense
when writing about
literature.
______ -1 pt for not
properly citing one’s page
numbers for quotes.
“I will not hear
you” (Shelley
96).
“Abhorred
monster!”
(Shelley 96).
______ -2 pts for any
missing answer
Final score:
__________
12
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