Frankenstein
Uploaded by abstractspace on May 03, 2004
"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley:
"Frankenstein" is a story about a man who creates another. Basically, a man who plays God. It starts out as a series of letters from Robert Walton to his sister in England. While on his way to the North Pole, the ship becomes trapped by impenetrable ice. He meets a man named Victor Frankenstein traveling by a dog-drawn sled across the ice. Robert takes him aboard and cares for him, and Victor recounts a story of a monster that he had created. First, Victor talks about his life in Geneva, Switzerland. He entered the university of natural philosophy and chemistry. All he cares about is finding the secret of life, and a few years later after a lot research he believes that he knows what it is. From here, he keeps himself in his apartment and spends months making a humanoid creature from body parts. One night he brings the creature to life, and is disturbed by his creation. He wanders throughout the streets, remorseful for his deeds. When he returns to his apartment with a friend, Henry, he finds that the monster is no longer there. Victor becomes feverishly ill. He eventually decides to return to Geneva, to his family. Just before he leaves, however, he gets a letter from his dad that alerts him of the death of his youngest brother. He was murdered. When Victor gets to Geneva, he goes through the woods were his brother was murdered, only to catch sight of the shadow of his monster. He is convinced the monster committed the murder. However, a kind girl name Justine is accused and executed for the murder, even though she constantly pleads innocence. Victor concludes that he needs a vacation and travels to the mountains. While he is there, however, the monster confronts him. He admits to killing his brother, but asks for understanding, because he way really only trying to hurt his cruel creator. At this point the monster asks for Victor to create a mate for him, someone of an equal monstrosity. At first, Victor refuses, but the monster is persuasive and convincing, and eventually Victor agrees. Victor leaves Geneva and secludes himself on an island to work on a female monster. One night he questions the morality his experiments, and looks outside the window to see the monster. He is horrified and destroys the female monster, knowing what the...