All About Frankenstein
Plot
While Robert Walton, a man sailing on a ship destined for the North Pole, writes to his sister back in England. Robert came across Victor Frankenstein lying across ice weakened by the coldness. Robert nurses Victor back to health and Victor tells Robert his exciting story about a monster than Frankenstein has created. Victor starts his story in early Geneva while he was a child. His childhood was full of cheer and bliss spent with Elizabeth Lavenza, his adopted sister, and Henry Clerval, his best childhood friend.
Victor goes to the university of Ingolstadt to study biology and chemistry. Victor desires to discover the secret of life and after years of research, he figures it out. After he is full of desired knowledge, he begins to construct a human being made out of different parts from deceased bodies. One night, he brings his creation to life. Victor Frankenstein is unexpectedly horrified by his creation. After a night of interrupted sleep by the monster, he runs out into the street away from the monster. While wandering the streets, Victor runs into a childhood friend, Henry Clerval. Henry is there to go to the university so, Frankenstein takes Henry back to his apartment. The monster is gone but, still Victor falls into an extreme illness. Victor plans to return home for a visit but before he could leave Ingolstadt, he receives a letter from his father saying that his youngest brother, William Frankenstein, had been murdered. Victor Frankenstein rushes home to be with his family to grieve.
While passing the woods where his brother William was strangled, he catches a glimpse of the monster he has created and Victor is convinced that his creation murdered William. After arriving to Geneva, Victor discovers that Justine Moritz, his sweet, gentle, adopted sister has been accused of murdering William. Justine was later taken to court and shortly after, was executed. Victor becomes depressed and guilty knowing that the monster he created was responsible for the deaths of two loved ones who never meant harm.
One day, after the murder of William and the execution of Justine, Victor takes a vacation to the mountains. The monster comes up to Victor to talk to him while Victor is crossing a giant glacier. The monster admits that he has murdered William Frankenstein but, pleas for understanding. The monster tells Victor that he only hurt William in a desperate attempt to hurt Victor because he abandoned him. The monster says that he is lonely and he wants a companion. A companion as disgusting as he. Victor is mortified by the monsters proposal. Disgusted by the thought of another monster, he denied his creation of a companion. However, the monster is quite convincing and intelligent and eventually convinces Victor Frankenstein to create him a partner to love and cherish. Victor then goes back to England with Henry, gathering the information to create a female monster.
Victor leaves Henry in Scotland and goes to a deserted island in the Orkneys to make his first creation a female companion. One night, Victor starts to doubt his ability to create life. As he's staring out the window, he sees his second creation glaring back at him, smiling. Victor is horrified at the thought of what this creature he has created for the second time may do. Victor is afraid of the consequences of making a second monster. In this fear, he destroys the second creation, his first creations companion. The monster is full of rage and swears that he will appear on his wedding night. He wants revenge on Victor for destroying his partner.
That night, Victor takes a boat to go dump the remaining of his second creation but, as the wind starts to blow harder it becomes evident there is no way to get back to the island. In the morning when he wakes up, he finds himself close to the shore next to a small town. They tell him that he will be arrested for murder. Victor knows nothing of a murder but, when they show him the body it is of his best child hood friend, Henry Clerval. Immediately, he knew that he wasn't responsible for his death, and that it was his own creation. Victor becomes ill and full of rage. He is kept in prison until he recovers. Afterwards, he is freed.
After returning home in Geneva, he marries Elizabeth Lavenza. Terrified that the monster will keep his promise, he tells Elizabeth to go and wait for him some where else. While waiting for the monster, he hears a shriek from where he told his newlywed, Elizabeth to wait. He knew then that the monster was not going to murder him that night but he was going to destroy his loved one. Victor goes to his father who also dies of grieving not long after Elizabeths murder.
Victor promises that he will dedicate the rest of his life to finding the monster and killing him, and he soon departs for his quest to do just that. He tracks the monster northern into the snow and ice. Victor almost catches up to the monster on dog sled but, the whooshing sea below them was strong enough to break the ice making it impossible for Victor to get to the monster. Robert Walton sees Victor and helps him. Robert tells the rest of his story to his sister in England. Victor soon dies of his illness. Walton walks into the room where Frankensteins body is at ease and is shocked to see the monster crying next to the corpse. The monster tells Robert that his creator has died and it is time for him to die also. The monster leaves and goes north to die upon the snow and ice.
Victor goes to the university of Ingolstadt to study biology and chemistry. Victor desires to discover the secret of life and after years of research, he figures it out. After he is full of desired knowledge, he begins to construct a human being made out of different parts from deceased bodies. One night, he brings his creation to life. Victor Frankenstein is unexpectedly horrified by his creation. After a night of interrupted sleep by the monster, he runs out into the street away from the monster. While wandering the streets, Victor runs into a childhood friend, Henry Clerval. Henry is there to go to the university so, Frankenstein takes Henry back to his apartment. The monster is gone but, still Victor falls into an extreme illness. Victor plans to return home for a visit but before he could leave Ingolstadt, he receives a letter from his father saying that his youngest brother, William Frankenstein, had been murdered. Victor Frankenstein rushes home to be with his family to grieve.
While passing the woods where his brother William was strangled, he catches a glimpse of the monster he has created and Victor is convinced that his creation murdered William. After arriving to Geneva, Victor discovers that Justine Moritz, his sweet, gentle, adopted sister has been accused of murdering William. Justine was later taken to court and shortly after, was executed. Victor becomes depressed and guilty knowing that the monster he created was responsible for the deaths of two loved ones who never meant harm.
One day, after the murder of William and the execution of Justine, Victor takes a vacation to the mountains. The monster comes up to Victor to talk to him while Victor is crossing a giant glacier. The monster admits that he has murdered William Frankenstein but, pleas for understanding. The monster tells Victor that he only hurt William in a desperate attempt to hurt Victor because he abandoned him. The monster says that he is lonely and he wants a companion. A companion as disgusting as he. Victor is mortified by the monsters proposal. Disgusted by the thought of another monster, he denied his creation of a companion. However, the monster is quite convincing and intelligent and eventually convinces Victor Frankenstein to create him a partner to love and cherish. Victor then goes back to England with Henry, gathering the information to create a female monster.
Victor leaves Henry in Scotland and goes to a deserted island in the Orkneys to make his first creation a female companion. One night, Victor starts to doubt his ability to create life. As he's staring out the window, he sees his second creation glaring back at him, smiling. Victor is horrified at the thought of what this creature he has created for the second time may do. Victor is afraid of the consequences of making a second monster. In this fear, he destroys the second creation, his first creations companion. The monster is full of rage and swears that he will appear on his wedding night. He wants revenge on Victor for destroying his partner.
That night, Victor takes a boat to go dump the remaining of his second creation but, as the wind starts to blow harder it becomes evident there is no way to get back to the island. In the morning when he wakes up, he finds himself close to the shore next to a small town. They tell him that he will be arrested for murder. Victor knows nothing of a murder but, when they show him the body it is of his best child hood friend, Henry Clerval. Immediately, he knew that he wasn't responsible for his death, and that it was his own creation. Victor becomes ill and full of rage. He is kept in prison until he recovers. Afterwards, he is freed.
After returning home in Geneva, he marries Elizabeth Lavenza. Terrified that the monster will keep his promise, he tells Elizabeth to go and wait for him some where else. While waiting for the monster, he hears a shriek from where he told his newlywed, Elizabeth to wait. He knew then that the monster was not going to murder him that night but he was going to destroy his loved one. Victor goes to his father who also dies of grieving not long after Elizabeths murder.
Victor promises that he will dedicate the rest of his life to finding the monster and killing him, and he soon departs for his quest to do just that. He tracks the monster northern into the snow and ice. Victor almost catches up to the monster on dog sled but, the whooshing sea below them was strong enough to break the ice making it impossible for Victor to get to the monster. Robert Walton sees Victor and helps him. Robert tells the rest of his story to his sister in England. Victor soon dies of his illness. Walton walks into the room where Frankensteins body is at ease and is shocked to see the monster crying next to the corpse. The monster tells Robert that his creator has died and it is time for him to die also. The monster leaves and goes north to die upon the snow and ice.
Theme Knowledge can be dangerous.
The overall theme of Frankenstein is that knowledge can be dangerous. Victor desires and craves knowledge . He even wants to discover the secret of life. The crave of knowledge proves dangerous whenever Victor Frankenstein creates a monster made from deceased human remains. The monster ends up destroying everything close to Frankenstein. The hatred for the monster that Victor carries drives Frankenstein to his death by becoming so ill and depressed. A wise individual once said "knowledge is power". Knowledge is a dangerous power. Creating a monster that is responsible for many, many deaths of loved ones is dangerous.