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These images could depict some of the main plot points of Chapters 11-16. While these moments are important, they are by no means the only significant points in these four chapters. After having read these chapters, select a single passage (this may be a single paragraph or several) that you feel best typifies the action and Shelley's authorial intent in this section of Frankenstein.
Explain the action and context of the quoted passage (you must cite the passage) and then explain how your understanding of this passage supports your understanding of the novel, deepens the character development, and/or builds a central message that aligns with one of the unit's essential questions.
Your blog post must be 250 - 300 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the assigned scientist given to you in class as your nom de plume.
Sophie Germain
10/19/2015 08:08:39 pm
“Frankenstein! You belong then to my enemy—to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim…I grasped his throat to silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at my feet. I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph: clapping my hands, I exclaimed ‘I, too, can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable: this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him.’ As I fixed my eyes on the child, I saw something glittering on his breast. I took it; a portrait of a most lovely woman…While I was overcome with these feelings, I left the spot where I had committed the murder, and seeking a more secluded hiding-place, I entered a barn which appeared to me to be empty. A woman was sleeping on some straw; she was young: not indeed so beautiful as her whose portrait I held…The thought was madness; it stirred the fiend within me—not I, but she shall suffer: the murder I have committed because I am for ever robbed of all that she could give me, she shall atone. The crime had its source in her: be hers the punishment... I bent over her, and placed the portrait securely in one of the folds of her dress. She moved again, and I fled.” (Shelley 126-128) In this passage, the monster came into contact with Victor’s brother. Because he is angry with his creator for the pain he has caused him, he kills his brother. In the dead man’s clothing, the monster finds a picture of a beautiful woman. He goes to hide in a barn and ends up finding a sleeping woman. He decides that the blame for his crime will be placed on this woman, so he puts the picture in her clothing and then flees the area. The woman in the barn was falsely accused of murdering Victor’s brother and was executed. This is all an example of the consequence of not taking responsibility for your actions. The monster did not take responsibility for the murder and this caused an innocent person to lose their own life.
Charlotte Knight
10/20/2015 10:46:31 pm
In chapter 15 of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Frankenstein recounts a time when he discovered a haversack that included clothes and books. One of the books included was Paradise Lost by John Milton, which had the most significant effect on his mental being (education, reasoning, perspective on reality). After absorbing the complex and, in one case, imaginative information within the books, the monster’s ability to read and decipher words progressed, and his desire to learn grew, too. He found pieces of journal entries inside of the jacket that he took from Victor’s apartment when he was “born”. He described his reactions to the dismal thoughts that Victor recorded while he was creating him. “’…I discovered some papers in the pocket of the dress which I had taken from your laboratory. At first I had neglected them; but now that I was able to decipher the characters in which they were written, I began to study them with diligence. It was your journal of the four months that preceded my creation. You minutely described in these papers every step you took in the progress of your work; this history was mingled with some accounts of domestic occurrences. You, doubtless, recollect these papers. Here they are. Everything is related in tem which bears reference to my accursed origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances which produced it is set in view; the minutest description of my odious and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own horrors and rendered mine indelible. I sickened as I read. ‘Hateful day when I received life!’ I exclaimed in agony. ‘Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred’” (Shelley 116). Up to this moment, the monster relates himself to Adam and Satan from the stories of Paradise Lost. He relates to Adam’s creation without a link to any other existence. He relates himself to Satan when he feels envious of his protectors’ enjoyment. The monster is aware that his creator, Victor, feels disdain towards him. In this passage, the audience feels sympathetic towards the monster because of his heartbreaking feelings towards Victor’s journals. It is unusual for a being so intelligent and sensitive to be made outcast by other beings. However, the monster is aware that not even the person who created him loves or accepts him; this is heartbreaking for himself and the readers. Shelley’s purpose in incorporating this passage was to juxtapose the two identities (Adam and Satan) within Paradise Lost in relation to the monster’s identity. Also, she emphasized the monster’s feelings of unworthiness and isolation, especially with his vacillation between identifying with Adam (innocence) and Satan (deviousness).
Vera Yevst Fievna Popova
10/20/2015 11:42:06 pm
In chapter 16 of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the monster is basically at a critical stage, since every last ounce of hope he had was taken from him. He had hope that someone wouldn’t be disgusted from his image and would attempt to look past that and look at him as a being, but that has been impossible to obtain. He goes into the woods to stay away from everyone, since he’s aware of how everyone fears him. Then a girl who he sees around falls into a steam and he cannot help to go help her, but as a result, he gets shot, since the person that was with the girl misinterpreted the situation to him attacking her. He gets shot in the shoulder and runs off. ‘“This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and, as recompense, I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound, which shattered the flesh and bone. The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind. But the agony of my wound overcame me; my pulses paused, and I fainted’” (Shelley 125). The monster is basically describing the injustice that is committed against him, he tries to do good and help others, but yet, people perceive him as a monster and as a sign of danger. I feel as though this realization after the many things occurred to him, is bringing him down to such a low point that the evil in him seems to be coming out and turning him into a very toxic person, who only wants revenge.
Sofia Kovalevskaya
10/21/2015 06:32:27 am
In chapter 15 of Frankenstein, the monster finds Paradise Lost. With his new ability, he reads it. After doing so he begins to compare himself to both Adam and satan. “ Like Adam, I was apparently untied by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creator, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his creator; he was allowed to converse with, and acquire knowledge from, beings of a superior nature: but I was wretched, helpless, and alone. Many times I considered Satan as the fitter of emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me” (Shelley 116). Here I believe Shelley’s intent is to get us to see the monster differently. He is just like an other human being that craves relationships. He however is not able to build them. His creator wants nothing to do with him. He relates to Adam because that is kind of who he wants to become. He has no ties to any other man, but because he is taught how to build relationships by his creator he can. He relates to the devil because his creator never taught him to create relationships and so he lives the rest of his life alone and miserable. The monster has an adult brain, but is essentially a new life, like a child. He needs to be taught. Victor, however, disregards the monster altogether.
Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps
10/24/2015 08:51:52 pm
In chapter 15, the creature recalls finally getting the courage to reveal himself to the family he had been admiring/assisting for months without their knowledge- the De Laceys. He first reveals himself to the father in the De Lacey family, an old blind man. The creature is asking old De Lacey for advice on his situation when De Lacey's children walk in on the scene. The old man's son immediately beats the creature, driving him away from the cottage and into the woods. The creature then comes across (in chapter 16) a drowning girl and saves her life, but when a man witnesses this, he takes the girl away and shoots the creature when he follows. It is because of these moments that the creature turns from benevolent to revenge-seeking, "The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind" (Shelley 125). The creature, at first, was neglected by his creator, left to live on his own in the wild with out any direction or support. He then finds this family of people that he begins to idealize- wanting to share their language and make friendships with. These people betray him as well, by beating him and moving away almost immediately after the incident. The last straw was being shot after saving a little girl's life. His whole life, the creature had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for someone to accept him, but every time he approaches people, they either run, faint, or attack. This makes the creature feel isolated and alone. Why should he care about these beings that are nothing but horrible to him? This leads to him murdering William- in order to cause pain to his creator. This plays into one of the central themes of the novel- is the creature inherently good and just a product of a negative upbringing? Or is his inability to take responsibility for his own actions and blame shifting the true source of his actions? This is also important in showing the similarities between creature and creator- both have done something big that they refuse to take full credit for, and their highly anticipated meeting finally gives them a chance to face their demons.
Elisa Bommer
10/26/2015 12:22:54 am
In chapters eleven through sixteen the creature tells Victor of his adventures after coming to life. “One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain” (Shelley 93). This quote from chapter eleven shows one of the creature’s life lessons he learned upon experimenting. Due to Victor abandoning the creature after bringing it to life, the creature was forced to learn on its own. Things like making fires, wearing clothes, and more was all self taught. This brings us to one of the essential questions for this novel about nature versus nurture. If the creature was to be brought up by Victor, he would not have wanted to get revenge on Victor and his family. William would have still been alive if so. These chapters make readers contemplate the creature’s natural personality. After having read these chapters from the novel, I get the image that the creature would have a naturally caring and friendly personality. However, due to Victor abandoning him, he becomes lonely and his bad experience with the humans brings him to dislike the human race. This bitterness could have been stopped by Victor from the start. In my opinion, this makes me think that nurture is more important since the creature was naturally kind despite being a monster.
Alice Eastwood
10/27/2015 09:43:51 pm
Jane Ellen Harrison
10/30/2015 02:00:45 pm
In chapter 11, the Creature starts to become Man. He discovers Fire and how to use it,“‘One day, when I was oppressed…roots much improved” (93-94). Fire is a key marker for a development of species because it requires higher thinking and problem solving techniques. This is an evident connection to the ‘The Modern Prometheus’ because the Creature discovers how to use fire and how to keep it alive and how it can help him survive. The Creature is starting to evolve within a matter of a few months, beginning with the fire. He’s learning faster than most people would in his situation; which speaks to his character because of his quick development. He starts off with an infantile brain; most infants see the fire and go to touch it, discover it hurts to touch and are forever afraid of it and won’t go near it till they’re older. The Creature didn’t do this, he was hurt from the fire and then started to examine it, demonstrating his cognitive development. He discovers how to use the fire to help his food taste better, and what exactly the fire does to things such as the berries becoming spoiled versus the nuts that tasted better when roasted. He saw how the wind encouraged the embers to stay alive and he followed suit, taking notice of the wet wood and the dry in terms of flammability. This isolation time; which would drive some people into mentally devolving, encouraged his own evolution and development.
Zsofia Torma
10/31/2015 04:37:52 pm
In the beginning, Frankenstein claims to be a novel that gives a flattering depiction of "domestic affection." That seems to be a strange claim in a novel full of murder, tragedy, and despair. But, in fact, all that tragedy, murder, and despair occur because of a lack of connection to either family or society. In chapter 13, we see this lack of connection when the monster says, “When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?” (Shelley 105). This quote shows the monster acknowledging the idea that he feels separated from everyone else in the world. In other words, the true evil in Frankenstein is not Victor or the monster, but isolation. When Victor becomes lost in his studies he removes himself from human society, and therefore loses sight of his responsibilities and the consequences of his actions. The monster turns vengeful not because it's evil, but because its isolation fills it with overwhelming hate and anger. And what is the monster's revenge? To make Victor as isolated as it. Add it all up, and it becomes clear that Frankenstein sees isolation from family and society as the worst imaginable fate, and the cause of hatred, violence, and revenge.
Ada Lovelace
11/1/2015 02:51:53 pm
These next four chapters focus primarily on the monster. The monster goes and expands his knowledge of the world and learns about himself. Through out these chapters the monster reads some key books; paradise lost and ruins of empires looking at them as history texts. The creature does much self reflecting learns that the world Is never going to except him as he is due to his hideous appearance. These four chapters could be considered the rise and fall of the monster. He builds his knowledge up and up until this point has ultimately been good but then spirals into a revengeful tirade seeking revenge. "The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind" (Shelley 125). He feels the earth has wronged him and they need to be punished. Especially his creator whim had abandoned him
Berthe Noola Van Hooten
11/1/2015 10:26:15 pm
Throughout chapters 11 and 16, The Creature begins to learn a lot about mankind. Through watching the Delacy family, the creature learned a lot about family, conversation, and social interactions. However, throughout these chapters, inquiring this new knowledge has left the creature feeling isolated and unaccepted by the rest of mankind. The Creature says, “This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone. The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind” (Shelley 125). This event was so significant for the creature’s development because he had done a good deed and was punished for it. He had never initially learned morals or right from wrong, so when he was punished for saving the girl’s life, he began to hate mankind. This hatred provoked a vengeful hatred for not only Frankenstein but the rest of mankind. All he wanted to be was accepted and doesn’t understand why his appearance doesn’t allow others to give him a chance. He feels as though he needs to punish Frankenstein and the rest of the world.The way he is treated drives him toward destruction.
Ethelred Bennet
11/1/2015 10:48:16 pm
Chapter 15 is when the creature finally reveals himself to this family that he has been admiring for a long time now. He also has the ability to read now, so he finds a book called Paradise Lost and compares it to the story of Adam and Eve and compares him to being both Adam and Satan. He says that he is like Adam in the sense that he is not like anyone else in the world but then again he is also like Satan because of the way people view him, as someone as evil and much hate towards. This part of the book allows the readers to take another look at this creature and show another side of him. We all already know that he is seen as evil, but it opens our eyes when he talks about himself being somewhat like Adam. Adam is a person who has no relations with anyone but wants to form some, and so does the creature. He is unable to at this point because his creator showed him nothing on how to live as a human who craves attentions from others. Like I said before, the creature doesn’t know much about humans and how they are supposed to live, so he just needed someone to help him know what’s right from wrong.
Alice Lounsberry
11/3/2015 04:55:13 pm
The purpose for Mary Shelley writing these next few chapters was to explain how the creature's understanding of the world around him came into being and to also combine the main story of Victor Frankenstein to the creature's own story as the two continued their lives without the direct influence of each other until that point. It also allows for one to feel empathy for the creature for he did only have the best intentions at first but after being shunned and attacked by the world around him he was transformed into the monster that Frankenstein saw him as. We see this pivotal point in his behavior when wishing to find a companion the creature encounters William and "he [cries]; monster! ugly wretch! you wish to eat me, and tear me to pieces—You are an ogre—let me go, or I will tell my papa […] he is M. Frankenstein (Shelley 126). Upon hearing these words the creature in a fury kills the child. He sees anyone in league with Frankenstein because Frankenstein is the source of all of the creature's pain. Because Frankenstein brought him into being and only gave him the despair and suffering of the world the creature can commit the harrowing acts of murder. If Frankenstein had not rejected his own creation that had not changed in any aspect other than it was now moving when he created him than the creature could have indeed been some evolutionary form of man.
Sarah Drake
11/3/2015 05:37:52 pm
In chapter 11 the monster ask Frankenstein why Frankenstein decided to make him. He wanted to know why he was created. He explained to Frankenstein why he felt this way. He told Frankenstein a story of something that happened to him. He told Frankenstein how after he left Frankenstein that nothing was what he thought basically. He left Frankenstein not knowing what the world was so we had to figure out on his own . How he was sitting by the fire and how he noticed that fire is in only use for heat or to be warm but to cook food as well. So when he went inside the cabin near by, "...I hardly placed my foot within the door before the children shrieked..."(Mary Shelley). This caused him to wander into the village where more people saw him and they also freaked out. So the creatures I was asking Frankenstein why make me if everyone is scared of me. But because of this incident he ends up staying away from humans, since no humans like him. This shows how Frankenstein is a coward. He just create something and then reads it and doesn't come back to it or look for it. The creature is almost like a baby the babies born so the parents have to take care of it but when the creature was born Frankenstein never took care of the creature. After the creature left Frankenstein's house this is how he felt, "... I was poor, helpless, miserable, wretch..."(Mary Shelley). The creature to care of himself and had to look out for himself. There is no help for the creature he figure out the world on his own and how cruel can be.
Ermine A. Smith
11/3/2015 06:47:18 pm
Throughout the chapters, the book focuses primarily on the creature. Frankensteins creation begins to get curious about the world and starts to learn things that he wanted to know. In chapter 15, the creature finds a leather portmanteau that had different books in it. He reads all the books as they are true even though they are not facts. From all the books he took Paradise Lost very seriously and took away some knowledge. He thinks of himself as Satan because he he is alone and does not have a creator to protect him like Adam does. Satan is more lucky than he is because he has his other devils to comfort him when the creature has no one. “Many times I considered Satan as the filter emblem of condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me.” (Shelly 116) This quote shows that he has no one. As the creature continues to gain more knowledge about the world and about himself, he realizes and is more aware of his unfortunate state. This knowledge that the creature has will only make into more of a monster than he already is. Him knowing that he himself was abused and left alone will make him want hate humans in return since they hate him. Comments are closed.
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