Frankenstein by Mary Shelley | Novel Summary by Suraj Bhatt

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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley | Novel Summary by Suraj Bhatt

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Table of Contents

ABOUT THE NOVEL

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein is a classic horror novel that was written by English novelist Mary Shelley. It is considered one of her most successful works. It is a gothic novel that was initially published in 1818. Later on, it was republished in the year 1831 in a more widely read edition. This novel is often considered to be the first science fiction novel because it is a blend of real scientific research with some speculative elements. The novel is full of elements of the horror and gothic genres. The setting of this novel has presented different places in Europe, such as Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, the North Pole, etc. It has presented the time of the 18th century. It has been presented in first-person narrative form. The subtitle of this novel is "The Modern Prometheus." It has been presented using different characters' points of view.

The story of this novel presents the main character as Frankenstein, who tells the story of an ambitious scientist and the monster he creates. The unnamed creature in the novel is a tragic figure who becomes violent and murderous after being rejected by society.

The novelist originally wrote this novel as part of a friendly competition to see who could write the best horror story. In that written competition, Mary's husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Romantic poet Lord Byron, and Byron's doctor, John Polidori, were the authors. In that competition, Polidori notably wrote a novella called The Vampyre, which was one of the first and finest examples of vampire fiction ever written. But Shelley's novel is by far the most famous and enduring piece of writing to come from that competition, and it is still quite popular and widely read today.

SUMMARY

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 

The novel "Frankenstein" begins with the introduction of a sailor named Robert Walton. He is the captain of the ship and moves to the north pole along with his crew members.

He writes a letter to his sister, Margaret, about his voyage to the North Pole. In the letter, he mentions that while being in the Arctic, Walton and his team rescue a person named Victor Frankenstein who has been trying to travel across the ice using a dogsled. This person, Victor Frankenstein, has grown weak and sick. He writes about the story that Victor told him on his ship. According to Walton, Victor requests that he listen to his story.

Victor tells Walton about his life story. In his story, Victor starts with his childhood and upbringing in Geneva, Switzerland. According to Victor, his childhood was so good. They lived in Geneva, Switzerland. His family and its members were so nice. They had adopted some kids. Among the adopted kids, one was a girl named Elizabeth. As time passed, Elizabeth became quite a close friend of Victor. She trusted Victor a lot. Later on, Victor fell in love with her too. Victor also had a very caring friend named Henry and a brother named William. Apart from all these, Victor had his parents in the family. When Victor grew up and became 17 years older, his family sent him to the university for his studies. Unfortunately, his mother died of fever before his departure. He left for his studies at the University of Ingolstadt in Germany. While studying, his passion for natural philosophy increased. His interest in science made him quite inquisitive about life and its secrets. He contemplated much about how to create life from death by using electricity to reanimate dead tissue. He tried his best and spent many months creating a nobel human being's race using this strange method. After that, he collected the bones of humans' dead bodies. He created a creature with the help of those bones.

He became successful in doing a lot of experiments on his creature. His strange method worked one night. He managed to bring his creation to life. He saw his creature moving. He was horrified to see the creature's ugly as well as monstrous look. Victor wanted to make something beautiful, but unfortunately, he happened to create an ugly and horrible being.

He abandoned his further task and the being He fell into a months-long fever. When he recovered, Victor learned that his younger brother William had been murdered by his creature, and an innocent maid named Justine was executed for the crime because she was found with William's locket. Victor felt quite sorry for innocent maid Justin. He felt himself guilty. He didn't reveal the facts behind William's murder to anyone because he thought that no one could believe his story.

Victor moved away on vacation to forget his mental burden. While he was climbing in the mountains, he encountered his creature. The monster talked to Victor about what had happened since his abandonment. He told him about learning to survive on his own and spending many months living in a lean-to beside a family's house. He tried his best to connect with the family members, but the family members, like Victor, shunned him. He learned the human language through the books he found in Victor's jacket. When he encountered William, he murdered him, and William responded to him with fear as well. He complained to Victor that people in society only judged him through his outer appearance, not inwardly. The creature realized that he would never be accepted by human society. He questioned Victor about why he had made him so ugly. He requested that Victor create a female companion for him. He stated that he didn't want to live alone on this planet. Victor denied his proposal at first but reluctantly agreed later on.

Victor's father asked him to marry Elizabeth. Victor told his father about an important task and moved to England. He met his friend Henry too before moving. He started his task of creating a female monster on an island. While creating a female monster, he started thinking deeply about the future consequences of his creation against humans.

When the female creature was almost complete, he suddenly changed his mind, fearing what might happen if his creature reproduced. He destroyed his new creation, and the monster at the window, infuriated, vowed revenge on Victor on the night of his wedding. Later, Victor got arrested in the case of his friend Henry's murder. He was shocked to hear the news of Henry's murder. He moved to Geneva with his father and married Elizabeth.

In a very aggressive mood, the monster came at night and killed Victor's bride, Elizabeth. After Elizabeth's death, Victor lost his father too. Being alone, Victor took a strong resolution and began to track his creature so that he could get revenge, and he followed him all the way to the Arctic. But he had an accident there and was seriously injured.

Victor dies on the board of Walton's ship, telling his story. Shortly thereafter, the monster arrives there. Though he hates Victor, he still mourns his death. The monster informs Walton that he is going out onto the ice to die so that his suffering can end. Finally, the monster also dies.

CHARACTERS

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 

There are some very important characters in the novel Frankenstein, and all of them make an impact on the plot. They include:

Character Role in the Story:

Robert Walton:

Robert Walton is the man who writes the story's frame narrative. He is the man to whom Victor tells his story. After that, he relates the story to his sister through his letters. He has a kind of sympathy for both Victor and the monster.

 

Victor Frankenstein:

Victor Frankenstein is a young man from Geneva who creates a creature while he is studying at a medical school. Victor is horrified to see the ugly and monstrous looks of his creation and abandons the creature rather than deal with the consequences of his actions.

 

The Creature:

A creature is a living person made from sewn-together corpses. He looks quite ugly and horrible. The creature is so intelligent and extremely strong. He seems quite desperate due to the behaviour of people in society. He wants to be loved by others and establishes connections with other people, but he is rejected time and again. Due to the biassed behaviour of people, he sometimes becomes furious and even kills people to get revenge on his creator.

 

Henry Clerval:

Henry Clerval is one of the caring and close friends of Victor Frankenstein. He cares a lot for Victor. He is with Victor at the time when Victor falls into a fever. Clerval is a very loyal friend who never knows the extent of what Victor has done. The monster kills Henry Clerval to take revenge on Victor for destroying his female companion.

 

Elizabeth Lavenza:

Elizabeth Lavenza is a quite beautiful girl who has been adopted by Victor's family. She grew up with Victor. She trusts Victor a lot. Victor even falls in love with her. She is married to Victor. The monster kills her on that particular wedding night. Quite interestingly, Elizabeth is one of the characters who was changed from the 1818 edition to the 1831 edition. In the original story, she has been presented as Victor's cousin, but in the second edition, she is his adopted sister.

 

Alphonse Frankenstein:

Alphonse Frankenstein is Victor's father. Although he cares for his son a lot, he does not think much of the sciences and has reservations about Victor going to medical school. Victor's decision to become a doctor is, in some ways, a kind of rebellion against his father.

 

William Frankenstein:

William Frankenstein is Victor's younger brother. He is the first person whom the monster kills. The monster strangles him because he is very frustrated by every human he encounters. People keep rejecting him time and again. He becomes the victim of the creature at a young age.

 

Justine Moritz:

Justin Moritz is a young woman who was adopted into Victor's family. She is the maid at Victor's house. She has been falsely accused of killing William. She was executed. Victor feels guilty about Justin's death. She also becomes the victim of Victor's creation.

Here, we find Victor Frankenstein performing the role of protagonist in the novel, whereas the monster performs the role of antagonist. Their aims are oppositional. Though the monster is seen as cruel, he is still a sympathetic character.

THEMES

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

There are several important themes in the novel Frankenstein that help pull the story together and create a meaningful narrative. These themes are:

The role of technology and knowledge

The value of appearances

The importance of familial responsibility.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

1. Why does Frankenstein create the Monster?

Answer:

Frankenstein creates the Monster out of a desire to unlock the secrets of life and death through scientific experimentation.

2. Why does the Monster want revenge?

Answer:

The Monster wants revenge because he is rejected and mistreated by society due to his horrifying appearance, leading him to seek vengeance against his creator, Frankenstein.

3. How does the Monster learn to speak and read?

Answer:

The Monster learns to speak and read by observing and studying a family in hiding. He finds books in Victor's jacket and uses them to teach himself language and knowledge.

4. Why does Frankenstein destroy the Monster’s female companion?

Answer:

Frankenstein destroys the Monster's female companion out of fear of the potential consequences if they were to reproduce and create more monstrous beings.

5. Why does Walton turn the ship around?

Answer:

Walton turns the ship around after hearing Frankenstein's tragic story and realizing the dangerous pursuit of knowledge and ambition.

6. Why is Walton trying to reach the North Pole?

Answer:

Walton is trying to reach the North Pole to achieve scientific discovery and exploration, mirroring Frankenstein's own pursuit of knowledge.

7. Why does Frankenstein run away from his Monster?

Answer:

Frankenstein runs away from his Monster out of fear and horror at the creature's appearance and actions.

8. Why does the Monster kill William?

Answer:

The Monster kills William as an act of revenge against Frankenstein, bringing suffering to his creator.

9. How does Frankenstein figure out that the Monster killed William?

Answer:

Frankenstein figures out that the Monster killed William when the Monster reveals the details of the murder during their encounter in the mountains.

10. Why does Frankenstein remain quiet during Justine’s trial?

Answer:

Frankenstein remains quiet during Justine's trial because he fears no one would believe his story of creating the Monster and the Monster's subsequent actions.

11. Why does Frankenstein first agree to make his Monster a companion?

Answer:

Frankenstein first agrees to make his Monster a companion out of sympathy for the creature's loneliness and desire for a companion.

12. Why do the townspeople accuse Frankenstein of murdering Clerval?

Answer:

The townspeople accuse Frankenstein of murdering Clerval because they find the connection between Victor and the victims and suspect foul play.

13. Why does Frankenstein leave Elizabeth alone on their wedding night?

Answer:

Frankenstein leaves Elizabeth alone on their wedding night to confront the Monster and prevent further harm to his loved ones.

14. Does the Monster die?

Answer:

The Monster dies at the end of the novel after expressing his suffering and seeking his own demise.

15. Does Frankenstein learn from his mistake in creating the Monster?

Answer:

Frankenstein learns from his mistake in creating the Monster, realizing the destructive consequences of playing with the forces of life and death through scientific experimentation.

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