1) He knows how unsatisfying, even grotesque, the product of his labor will be. 3) He imagines the two creatures might have children, creating "a race of devils . He realizes that the project will require him to travel to England to gather information. Frankenstein: Chapter 4. He's excited about going to the Arctic because it is an adventure. Conceived and written 200 years ago by the 19-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley during a dreary summer sojourn to Lake Geneva, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus is the story of a scientist. Victor's intense focus allows him to fulfill his ambition and conquer nature, but also cuts him off from society. The two argue . Analysis. He progresses rapidly, and suddenly after two years of work he discovers the secret to creating life. Though he had selected the creature's parts because he considered them beautiful, the . "The human frame could no longer support the agonizing . However, that single mindedness, if allowed to control one, can be harmful and eventually bring ruin. It is for Victor's "failure of empathy and his moral cowardice," Bear saysfor his overweening egotism and narcissismthat we should think ill of him, and not because of what he discovered or. Victor lives for his work and throws himself into his pursuit so much that he shuts off all contact with the outside world. Choose the character you will play. on the earth." 4) He sees his own creature smiling (grinning) at him through the window. Obsession: it is an amazing curse. Active Themes Victor searches his rooms to make certain that the monster is indeed gone. Gaining a reputation as a scientist and innovator among the professors and fellow students alike. The topic of Victor's responsibility is not a black and white argument. Summary Victor sets about his work, creating a second female monster. She may refuse to stay with the male creature; she may be more violent than the male creature; the creatures may have kids together and begin and entire race of monsters. What are Victor's concerns about creating another monster? Perhaps his evil work could endanger the entire human race. 2) He imagines that his new creature might not want to seclude herself. In a fit of anger and guilt, Victor destroys the half-finished creation in front of the monster and tells the monster he will not continue. In 1972, Gaylin lamented that "the tragic irony is not that Mary Shelley's 'fantasy' once again has a relevance. As part of his isolation, Victor continues to keep his deadly secrets. Henry consents reluctantly, and Victor departs for a remote, desolate island in the Orkneys to complete his project. . His father considers him deranged, and Victor says no more. The creature and the female creature might hate each other, or she might just be interested in human men. Choose the character you will play. As Victor realizes what he has done, by the end of the story his obsession has set off a chain of events that ultimately come back to destroy the doctor. In the second summer Victor loses touch with his family. He thirsts for knowledge. Victor becomes so caught up in natural philosophy that he ignores everything else, including his family. Victor is the one who gave life and those actions . Source(s) *Stage Directors 1, 2 & 3 (SD1, SD2 & SD3) / *Mary Shelley, the storyteller / *Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist / *Creature, Victor Frankenstein's monster / Father, Victor's father / Elizabeth, Victor's fiance / Mr. De Lacey, an elderly blind man / Agatha, De Lacey's daughter / Felix, De Lacey . When one is obsessed over a project, it can become an all-consuming focus to the exclusion of anything else. His father tries to help by getting him to engage with society, but Victor feels he has no right to. Upon the opening of the creature's "dull yellow eye," Victor feels violently ill, as though he has witnessed a great catastrophe. He begins to have doubts about the wisdom of agreeing to the monster's request. . . Victor is overjoyed to see his father, who stays with him until the court, having nothing but circumstantial evidence, finds him innocent of Henry's murder. Victor, giving up the work, says"[I] made a solemn vow in my heart never to resume my labours." The monster returns to Victor's laboratory to find out why Victor ruined his mate. Victor's intense focus allows him to fulfill his ambition and conquer nature, but also cuts him off from society. Victor's pattern of falling into extended illness in reaction to the monster suggests that the deterioration of his health is, to some extent, psychologically inducedas if guilt prevents him from facing fully the horribleness of the monster and his deeds. 2) He imagines that his new creature might not want to seclude herself. The creature announces that he is victor's master The creature promises to be with him on his wedding night What does the creature threaten? Frankenstein chapter 20. The sight of him and all of his hideousness makes Victor destroy his newest creature. Analysis. *Starred characters have large speaking parts. He progresses rapidly, and suddenly after two years of work he discovers the secret to creating life. The creature announces that he is victor's master. The main protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, becomes consumed with an experiment where he creates a hideous lifelike creature. Victor even tells his father he murdered Justine, William, and Clerval. mvmaurno. Summary: Chapter 22 On their way home, father and son stop in Paris, where Victor rests to recover his strength. If the monster does indeed . I would also argue that he should feel especially guilty for the deaths of Justine and his father as those were not directly at the hand of the monster. Expert Answers. Analysis. Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein tells the horrific tale of the struggles between a . St. Petersburg, Russia. In Chapter 4 of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein's obsession with science and with overcoming death finally culminate as he finishes his studies and . What does Walton want to discover in the Arctic? When America used atomic bombs at the end of World War II, it . If the monster does indeed . After his fateful meeting with the monster on the glacier, Victor puts off the creation of a new, female creature. Victor decides not to create a mate for the creature because he realizes the consequences behind creating a new life and not taking full . On a chill night of November, Victor finally brings his creation to life. After following Victor and Henry through mainland Europe and England, the monster comes near Victor's workshop in Scotland to see his mate. *Starred characters have large speaking parts. Or they could reproduce. His father considers him deranged, and Victor says no more. I think that Victor should feel guilty for his creation's actions. Victor Frankenstein is the real monster. Summary: Chapter 18. Victor becomes so caught up in natural philosophy that he ignores everything else, including his family. The scientists of the Manhattan Project probably had an idea of the destruction potential these atomic weapons would possess. The creature and the female creature might hate each other, or she might just be interested in human men Or they could reproduce What concerns does victor have about his project? Victor even tells his father he murdered Justine, William, and Clerval. What attitudes and beliefs does the letter writer (Robert Walton) have about the Arctic? Victor has an acquaintance in a Scottish town, with whom he urges Henry to stay while he goes alone on a tour of Scotland. En route to Geneva, they stop in Paris so Victor can regain his strength. Victor remains bedridden for several months, under the assiduous care of Henry, who determines to conceal the magnitude of Victor's illness from his family. Victor denies his own responsibility in the creation of his "monster" by feeling as though he needs to make a stand against it and assuming the role of the victim. Through his years of study, Victor has discovered how to reanimate dead things,. Analysis: Chapters 21-23. He's never been there before and wants to do observations on the magnetic pull of the Earth. Victor throws himself into his schoolwork, reading all he can about the sciences, particularly chemistry. Quickly setting up a laboratory in a small shack, Victor devotes many hours to working on his new creature. Believing his tenure at Ingolstadt was nearing an end, Victor thinks of returning home to Geneva. The tragedy is that it is no longer a . Frankenstein Summary and Analysis of Chapters 5-8. Victor does not know how the female monster will feel and act. Mary Shelley combines several themes . What concerns does victor have about his project? Victor's Discovery Victor's plans to head home to Geneva change when he discovers what he calls the secret of life. Letters from home go unanswered for long periods of time, and he delays sending a message home as to his health or well being. His father notices that his spirits . As Victor's father seeks to draw him into society, Victor increasingly resembles the monster in his sense that he's an outcast. Mary Shelley does not tell the reader how Victor got the pieces to create a new creature. After his release, Victor departs with his father for Geneva. | Certified Educator. . on the earth." 4) He sees his own creature smiling (grinning) at him through the window. 3) He imagines the two creatures might have children, creating "a race of devils . Victor denies his own responsibility in the creation of his "monster" by feeling as though he needs to make a stand against it and assuming the role of the victim. The creature promises to be with him on his wedding night. *Stage Directors 1, 2 & 3 (SD1, SD2 & SD3) / *Mary Shelley, the storyteller / *Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist / *Creature, Victor Frankenstein's monster / Father, Victor's father / Elizabeth, Victor's fiance / Mr. De Lacey, an elderly blind man / Agatha, De Lacey's daughter / Felix, De Lacey . A kind of real-world Victor Frankenstein, Robert Oppenheimer is known for having been very conflicted about his role in the development of the atomic bomb. The next morning, Henry finds him consumed with a hysterical fever.