Frankenstein glog:
Short Summary: Frankenstein has started to come out of his depression with the help of his friend Clerval, until he sees the monster during a storm. His family has been killed, young William, and one of Frankenstein’s childhood friends has been charged guilty. This woman was hanged and once again Frankenstein feels tremendous guilt because he knows that his creation is behind the tragedy. Frankenstein goes off on his own, to explore the mountainous range when the creature finds him and tells Frankenstein the story of his life, so far. The monster describes his life, living in the countryside. He soon watches a French family, the De Laceys, with admiration and adoration. The monster desires the family’s love and attention, but he fears their reaction to his stitched, mutilated appearance. He learns French by observing them and sympathizes with their suffering. The creature experiences emotions such as pity, sorrow, and love, for he loved the family and watched them daily. He even made life for them easier, by chopping wood for them and clearing the snow in the winter. Later the monster reveals his face to the blind father hoping to show his personality and be accepted, but the family comes in and sees the dreadful creature and begin to beat him until the monster fled the home. This horrible event made the creature despise mankind, especially his creator, because he could not live alone in a world where none accepted him. The monster tells Frankenstein this story and pleads with the scientist to make him a female companion. Frankenstein fears for his life and the life of his relatives and close ones. Frankenstein begins to make the female creature, spending hours in a lab, loathing the entire process. Meanwhile Elizabeth and Frankenstein are to be engaged when Frankenstein is finished with his studies and travels, finished with the creation of the female monster. Frankenstein soon has thoughts of the terrible havoc that could come about if the female monster and the original creature spawn children, or if the female rejects the male. The threat of a new creature and even a new race was too much for Frankenstein and in the middle of creating the female he kills her, and stops his work. The monster sees this and swears to inflict unimaginable pain onto Frankenstein, as he swims from the island where Frankenstein has worked in seclusion. Frankenstein rows away from the island and arrives in Ireland, where he is charged with a horrendous crime.
Observations: Shelley uses many repetitive images and motifs throughout the novel. Some I picked up on in these chapters were:
• Horror
• Murder/crime
• Ice/Cold/Snow
• Wet/Damp/Rain
• Wretch
• Heaven/Divine
• Eyes
• Create/Creation/Creator
• Fiend
• Rage/Anger/Revenge/Fire
• Devil/Demon/Evil/Hell
• Misery/Gloom/Mournful/Melancholy
• Heart
• Mind
• Soul/Spirits
• Black/Dark/Night
• White
• Lake/River/Ocean
• Wild/Madness
• Moon
Some of these words I wonder their significance and if they are symbolic?
Eyes -Eyes of God watching
-Eyes can also be a portal to ones soul/spirits
Wretch
-When I looked up the definition to wretch I found “a vile despicable person” but I also found an older definition to be a stranger, or person in exile”. This word directly applies to both Frankenstein and his creation, for they have both been isolated from the world and live in misery.
Fire
One thing I noticed specifically about this world was there was a detailed description of when the monster found fire (97). The word fire is repeated about 7 times on one page. I paused and tried to think of the significance of the authors intense description. In this part of the story the creature has found a burning fire left by some travelers. It amazes him for he can cook his food, and it keeps him warm. He protects the fire until he can no longer find any more food in that area and he departs. The monster describes his loss of fire – “I exceedingly lamented the loss of the fire which I had obtained through accident”. That is a strong phrase. So why would the author put so much emphasis on one object, fire? Fire can stand for hell, warmth, passion, or light. I believe that the fire represents the creature. Like a fire, for a flame can go from soft warmth to wild and dangerous, the creature is unpredictable and can go through dangerous mood swings.
Scientific Subjects
Shelley seems to be saying that having a passion for a subject can easily turn into an unhealthy and dangerous obsession. I agree with her opinion. In society today, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, people are no longer thought of as people, but as subjects. For this reason doctors and scientists, experimenting on people and animals, must obey certain procedures and take ethics classes. Everyday I hear form my mother, who works in the pharmaceutical industry, that test subjects die due to the negligence of scientists (one example I specifically remember is the death of a college student who volunteered to be a subject for an experiment). The scientists are so involved in their own agenda they stop caring about their subject. In a way this happened to the creature. Frankenstein was wrapped up in his world and did not think about the consequences of his actions. The creature suffers deeply, because his life was never accounted for. The creature was given life, but what kind of life does he have? He suffers in isolation. Frankenstein now feels horrible for what he has done, but it is too late. His feeling of regret is not even directed towards the suffering of the creature, but the suffering of himself, and the loss of his loved ones. Losing ones loved ones is a great tragedy, but if Frankenstein would stop being so self-involved then maybe a solution could be found.
