Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Begins with Robert Walton’s expedition to the Arctic to discover uncharted territory in the name of scientific discovery and writes to his sister Margaret
He finds Victor Frankenstein on an ice floe who is emaciated and who tells his tale of how he got there. While Walton is still telling Margaret about everything, the narrative now changes to Frankenstein’s point of view
Frankenstein had been chasing a giant creature and likens Walton’s ambition to his own and warns him not to become consumed and obsessed with it lest it destroy him. He tells his story as a cautionary tale
Frankenstein’s tale begins- he comes from a wealthy family who live in Geneva, Switzerland. His family includes his parents, his adopted sister Elizabeth who he becomes betrothed to later, his adopted sister Justine, and his two brothers Ernest and William
Frankenstein’s first loss is his mother and everyone is heartbroken. He later attends the University of Ingolstadt in Germany
Growing up he has always had a fascination with alchemy which later evolves into his study of chemistry at the school
This fascination becomes an idea that he’s very passionate about- the ability to create life from nothing. He isolates himself and buries himself in his work to deal with the grief of his mother’s passing and his family scarcely hears from him
He becomes so obsessed and determined with creating life and consumed by it that he doesn’t think of the repercussions. He unethically, immorally, and illegally uses human and animal body parts which he gathers in different ways and works on his design for some time
After finishing his creation, he is absolutely abhorred and abandons it. In retaliation, the Creature finds out where Victor’s home is through his journal and kills his youngest brother William. Justine is framed and hanged
Victor considers himself a miserable wretch and blames himself. He sees himself as a monster and also compares himself to the Devil
He hikes through the Alps where he encounters the Creature who tells his tale
The Creature had initially been born unable to speak but was yearnin for some learnin and had the ability to reason and think logically. He learned by watching humans to speak and taught himself to read. He also learned about human society, culture, and history through reading
He was touched by the human interaction when he observed a poor family that lived in the mountains and saw the good side of humans
Wanting to show himself to them, though scared at first because of his appearance, he does and the family rebuffs him. He runs away, sad but also angry at the way they treated him. He experiences more prejudice on the way to Geneva because of his ugliness and even encounters William Frankenstein
Frightened of the Creature’s appearance, William reveals he is the son of Alphonse and Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein and must be the brother of Victor, so the Creature takes his life
The reason he did this is to make Victor suffer just as he is suffering. He implores Victor to create a female version in his image so he may have a companion and vows to stop terrorizing humans if Victor accomplishes this. The Creature tells Victor that he owes this to him and is the very least he can do for it
Initially hesitant because he does not want to create a race of creatures, he is persuaded by the Creature’s plight that he owes him this and begins work on a female companion. The Creature supervises
Coming close to finishing the female Creature, Frankenstein abandons the task at the last minute, fearing what havoc and terror they both might inflict upon humanity, and destroys the female, while also condemning the Creature. The Creature tells Victor that he shall be with him on his wedding night as an ambiguous ominous warning
Henry Clerval, Victor’s best friend, is the Creature’s next victim and Frankenstein is almost framed for it
He returns home where his father and Elizabeth sense something is eating away at and torturing him. His father implores him to marry Elizabeth, as is long past due
On the night of their wedding, the Creature takes Elizabeth’s life and Victor’s father succumbs to age and heartbreak
Consumed by vengeance, Victor chases the Creature across Europe, Russia, and into the Arctic. He is very close on gaining on the Creature but his health does not allow him to go any further and is then found by Walton
After some of Walton’s crewmen die, the rest wish to head back to civilization. Walton resolves to follow their wishes so that no more men shall die but Victor admonishes them telling them that the whole purpose of their venture was so for thrill and glory and it was never going to be safe or easy and they can’t give up
Victor vows to follow the Creature alone but dies from exhaustion and hypothermia. The Creature is on the ship and mourns Victor telling Walton that he could not allow Victor to be happy while he was unhappy. His crimes have only made him more miserable and promises Walton that he shall burn himself on an ice floe and no man shall ever know of his existence because of his wretchedness
Walton watches as the Creature drifts off into the freezing distance
END