 Final Blog Prompt: Chapters 22 and 23 contain a strong sense of foreboding, or the feeling of a catastrophe around the corner. Look through these chapters and demonstrate how suspense is used to foreshadow future doom. Use several examples to prove your point. Relate these examples to the function of a gothic novel.
Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59pm Friday night 12-11-2020! Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59pm Sunday night 12-13-2020!
Mercy B. Jackson
12/9/2020 10:26:00 am
Because of Frankenstein's rejection of the creature's wishes, the creature vows to ruin Victor's life as revenge for putting him through so much pain. That promise alone creates suspense for future events. Then, the monster kills Victor's best friend, Henry, by strangling him with his bare hands. By this evil act, it can be inferred that the creature is simply killing off the people Victor is closest to, which creates anxious anticipation for who is next to meet their demise.
Anne Elizabeth Ball
12/11/2020 11:25:00 am
I totally agree with you because Frankenstein definitely created the creature but put him through so much pain that now, the creature had enough and wanted to seek revenge against Frank by playing around with his feelings. The creature made it seem very weird and strange when he said he will visit Frank on his wedding night. But in reality, the creature was waiting patiently to kill Victor's wife when Victor is super-duper happy. This Foreshadowed doom is definitely used to attract readers and keep on reading. This basically shows that the respect you receive, is the same respect you will receive from another person doesn’t matter if you are human being or a monster (speaking in fictional sense).
Bessie Downse
12/12/2020 06:06:54 pm
I love your point about whether or not Victor will die due to illness or live but be tortured by the thought of the creature ruining his wedding day. I did not think about it that way.Also, I really like and completely agree with your analysis about the gothic element being illuminated in the dread that hangs over Victor and the reader’s head at all times. However, I wish you would have elaborated on that a little bit more. Also, I think you should have switched the order of your paragraphs. I would have stayed in order of the story, so I think you should have switched the second and third paragraphs.
Eliza Walker Dunbar
12/13/2020 08:32:43 pm
I love that point too. I didn't really think about this until reading this response. I think it's kind of funny that even if the creature decided not to show up and kill Elizabeth, or decided to show up and hide around every corner, the suspense alone probably could've served as torture enough. Just the thought of the creature lurking around every corner was enough to cause a deep sickness in Frankenstein. I think the only way to get this off his conscience would've been to talk to someone, but he was too ashamed to talk to anyone about his creation and all the destruction it caused, so it festered and eventually it started eating him up inside.
Fanny Rysan Mulford Hitchcock
12/13/2020 10:50:24 am
Is it possible we could consider Victor Frankenstein the antagonist of this novel? He is a murderer by proxy, although his proxy had a mind of its own. It can be considered entirely his fault for everything he lost.
Gertrud Woker
12/9/2020 02:05:37 pm
In Chapter 22 and 23, foreboding is used to create suspense within the book and the reader after the dire threats the creature made due to Frankenstein not honoring his wishes of creating him a mate. The creature actually gives Frankenstein even more reason to fear him and his threats by killing his good friend, Henry Clerval. A reminder to Frankenstein that he is a force to be reckoned with.
Anne Elizabeth Ball
12/11/2020 11:33:01 am
Gothic novelists set the tone by carefully choosing the physical location of a scene, as the atmosphere and environment of a Gothic novel directly contributed to the feeling of fear and uncomfortness. Authors often used settings like dark forests, unnerving mountain regions, ominous climatic conditions, and threatening storms. Castles, romanticized in the Medieval period, played a large role in early Gothic writings. For example, Gothic writer Mary Shelley set her scenes in very creepy locations such as graveyards, gloomy castles, and even developed the persona of a very repulsive creature to emphasize the ghostly plot of her 18th century novel called Frankenstein.
Fanny Rysan Mulford Hitchcock
12/13/2020 11:14:12 am
I really like how you brought up the point of the Creature being the “supernatural.” The supernatural is evident in many works of gothic literature and is crucial to its identification.
Anne Elizabeth Ball
12/11/2020 10:06:37 am
The death of Justine is foreshadowed in several ways. Before William’s murder, Elizabeth introduces the character of Justine in a letter to Victor, which foreshadows that she will play a significant role. Despite Elizabeth clinging to hope that Justine will not be executed, previous events in the novel have foreshadowed that Justine’s innocence will not protect her. William was a totally innocent child, and was still brutally killed. The monster was innocent at the moment of his creation, and he was still abandoned. If anything, these previous events signal that Justine’s innocence and kindness make her even more likely to meet a cruel death. Moreover, since Justine’s life rests on Victor’s willingness to be honest, and he has so far only shown himself to be misleading, his past behavior foreshadows his refusal to speak out on her behalf. Elizabeth’s death on her wedding night is heavily foreshadowed. Immediately after the monster comes to life, Victor has a nightmare involving a vision of Elizabeth lying dead, and then transforming so that “I thought I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms.” This quote depicts foreshadows that Elizabeth will die, and that her death is in some way connected to the monster. The foreshadowing continues when the monster, enraged that Victor has destroyed the female mate,“I will be with you on your wedding night.” This quote foreshadows the danger awaiting Elizabeth, as does the action Victor has taken: he has effectively murdered the creation that was going to be the monster’s bride, so now the monster will murder his.
Maria Gugelberg von Moos
12/13/2020 11:17:11 pm
It's interesting how you spotted the foreshadowing of Justine's death. I glossed over these details and never really connected them together. I think what you said about how William and the monster being completely innocent at first led them to their deaths was interesting. I didn't think that Justine's innocence could be an indicator that she would die in the end. In fact, it's almost like it's pointing out that all those innocent are bound to die or be abandoned. Toughen up as a means of surviving in this hard world, perhaps? Your last statement is strong too. I honestly didn't think too deep into why the creature would kill Frankenstein's bride. It now makes sense that he's going to give Frankenstein back the pain that he received.
Fanny Rysan Mulford Hitchcock
12/11/2020 01:40:22 pm
Gothic literature was designed to explore the fear of the unknown. From death to unhealthy obsessions and the consequences, Frankenstein is a work of gothic literature in almost every way imaginable. The Creature made one promise: “I will be with you on your wedding night.” He also said he would seek revenge and hurt Frankenstein for not creating the female creature. From Frankenstein’s point of view, it seems like the Creature is going to kill him. Frankenstein is so obsessed with himself that he is ready to accept that the monster will kill him, not everyone he knows and loves. Readers have a biased perspective here, possibly leaving them in shock when the Creature killed Clerval and Elizabeth. Readers know something bad is going to happen. The Creature and Frankenstein have explicitly stated as such.
Maria Gugelberg von Moos
12/13/2020 11:22:12 pm
I agree that Frankenstein is an extreme example of gothic literature. It seems like nothing is guaranteed to happen and things can take a turn at any time. I find it funny that you said that Frankenstein is so self-absorbed that he's only considering his own death and not anyone else's. It's completely true in my opinion. Throughout the entire novel I feel like he's only been worried for himself and had no regard for anyone else. Even when he destroyed the female creature to "protect the future generations from monsters," we all know the real reason was so that he wasn't held responsible for any disasters. After seeing the creature get away with Elizabeth's death, I agree that it greatly foreshadowed his success in future plans.
Gertrud Woker
12/13/2020 11:23:56 pm
Most of the elements of gothic horror very present in this novel. The creature picked off Frankenstein's loved ones one by one to make him suffer. The use of foreboding creates a natural fear within Frankenstein that couldn't really evade his thoughts. He knew Frankenstein was coming for his life. Shelly does a good job of creating this sense of tension within the reader as well as we explore Frankenstein's thought processes leading up to his eventual death. Using techniques like foreboding helps the reader create possible scenarios in their mind about the outcomes of the events it creates which is one way Shelly forms the narrative to the reader in a really mysterious way.
Sofya Kovaleskaya
1/4/2021 02:03:38 am
I fully agree with you because based on the background information we had, I had doubts that the creature might end up having some evil tendencies, however, I wasn't fully convinced that he might become infatuated with getting back at Frankenstein by killing so many people. Therefore, I was also a little shocked when the creature kept murdering Frankenstein's loved ones, be it in the name of revenge or not.
Mercy B. Jackson
12/14/2020 08:22:17 am
I'm glad you pointed out the shock factor that was so present in this novel. I constantly found myself surprised at the creature's actions, as well as Victor's. I was under the impression that the creature was harmless and only wanted to do good, especially after he saved that child from drowning. Unfortunately, I was wrong. He may have wanted to do good, but that's not what happened. I also thought Victor might give the creature a friend because he promised to go away, and Victor had been avoiding him for the longest time. Again, I was shocked to find he would rather not give the monster a companion. And everything was downhill from there.
Sofya Kovaleskaya
1/4/2021 02:05:57 am
I fully agree with you because based on the background information we had, I had doubts that the creature might end up having some evil tendencies, however, I wasn't fully convinced that he might become infatuated with getting back at Frankenstein by killing so many people. Therefore, I was also a little shocked when the creature kept murdering Frankenstein's loved ones, be it in the name of revenge or not.
Bessie Downse
12/11/2020 06:27:49 pm
In the last few chapters of the book, the creature creates a constant feeling of unsettlement that made Victor and the reader feel the need to walk on eggshells at all times. He did this by promising Victor that he will be at his wedding right after Victor destroys all his progress towards creating a better life for the creature, thus implying either he or Elizabeth will die on that day. From that moment on, Victor pictures the absolute worst around every corner. For example, after visiting his best friend, Henry Clerval, on his deathbed, Victor soon realizes that the creature was the reason for his death. This tells Victor that he is around and makes it clear that he could be attacked at any moment. Also, on the few days leading up to his wedding night, Victor takes every precaution in order to make sure he and his beautiful wife to be make it through the night safely. The thought of tragedy striking made its way into his mind and never left. Until his worst nightmare actually took place.
Eliza Walker Dunbar
12/13/2020 07:51:07 pm
I agree, I feel like Mary Shelley did such a great job of creating that feeling of walking on eggshells like you said. I just think it's so odd that even after having that feeling, and knowing the creature was always around the corner, Frankenstein still decided to go through with the wedding. Frankenstein knew that the creature was pulling all the strings from behind the scenes, yet he thought he could outsmart him. Frankenstein always had "the thought of tragedy striking" as you stated, and he still put himself in the position to make his greatest fears come true.
Eliza Walker Dunbar
12/12/2020 11:18:01 am
When Victor decided to destroy "The Bride of Frankenstein" he caused the creature to hit rock bottom. Victor, his creator, never did anything nice for the creature. By agreeing to make the creature a companion he got the creature's hopes up only to crush him. The creature has nothing to lose, he has one goal, to make Victor feel the same pain he's feeling and he won't stop until he does. That day the creature promised Victor he would see him on his wedding day, where he'd take his final revenge. Knowing this, Victor still decided he was going to go through with wedding after receiving Elizabeth's letter. This is what caused the feeling of catastrophe lurking around the corner.
Bessie Downse
12/12/2020 05:43:13 pm
I like the way you are thinking. You have a very interesting point with the sun setting and I completely agree. The creature warned him that he was going to strike on his wedding day but did not say what he was going to do. This forced Victor to think of all the possible outcomes but failed to see that the creature did not want to kill his only chance of giving him a better life, but ruined the only thing he loved more than life. Also, I really liked your analysis and connection to gothic novels.
Gertrud Woker
12/13/2020 09:43:31 pm
I like how you made the connection between the sun setting and Victor's fears about what's to come concerning his creation. Shelly definitely uses many metaphors and Frankenstein himself is an example of allegory in a narrative. Shelly's use of foreshadowing and foreboding really ties together the last chapters of the novel really well. Like you said, the creature didn't want to kill Frankenstein, he only wanted to make him hurt, to make him suffer. The use of the supernatural within Gothic horror has the characters within the novels really scared and afraid about their own mortality and others' mortality within the grand scheme of their lives.
Mercy B. Jackson
12/14/2020 08:30:39 am
I'm glad that you pointed out the fact that Victor had caused the creature to hit "rock bottom", leading to revenge and terrifying thoughts and actions. Many are quick to judge, saying that the creature still "could have chosen to not kill anyone at all". However, if you put his situation into perspective, would any of us have done any different? I mean, imagine being born miserable, having your creator reject you, living a life of isolation, and just when you begin to have hope, it's crushed, and now you have nothing to live for. Wouldn't that make anyone angry? Distraught? Grieving what they never even had? The creature had been forced into his lifestyle, and he had nothing to lose.
Maria Gugelberg von Moos
12/13/2020 11:11:47 pm
The main reason why the creature had such a strong resentment towards Frankenstein was simply because Frankenstein had repeatedly tortured him. While it might have not been physical, the mental and emotion pain was enough. By agreeing to his plea to make the creature a female companion, he had earned the creature's trust once again. After agreeing and then going ahead and destroying the female creature, the trust had been broken. This time, it was the last straw. The pain that Frankenstein put the creature through was the catalyst for the creature's actions. He finally had hopes to have someone to love him and they were immediately crushed. It was foreshadowed that the creature would show up on Frankenstein's wedding night in retaliation to the broken promise. It was obvious to the reader that there was something bad to come because of the ominous tone in his voice.
Sofya Kovaleskaya
1/4/2021 02:18:58 am
I really like your conclusion of how the most things are hinted at and not explicitly said in the novel. I think this really fits the entire gothic theme of Frankenstein both literally and metaphorically. This is because although the audience realized that some tragic things would happen, readers didn't actually know, or they weren't entirely sure of the occurrence.
Sofya Kovaleskaya
1/4/2021 02:39:10 am
Gothic novels are usually characterized by mystery, and terror. The novel Frankenstein seems to portray those characteristics throughout in using several elements. One way the novel creates suspense and keeps the readers on edge to foreshadow doom is through strong statements/ decisions or promises made by the characters. Before these chapters, we see how broken the creature becomes due to the contact neglect and negativity he was exposed to. When he thought he found a home, it got taken away from him. This constant pain that the creature was going through may have been a very subtle foreshadow of how he would get tired and seek revenge. Comments are closed.
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