Samuel Chiu

Hannah Reagan

Maegan Mendoza

Johnathan Pham

Eint Phoo

FRANKENSTEIN

Choose an implausible or strikingly unrealistic incident or character and

explain how the incident or character is related to the more realistic of plausible

elements in the rest of the work.

PROMPT

Unrealistic – Creature brought to life from dead materials

Realistic – The creature feels emotions similar to humans

yet is not accepted because of his appearance.

PROMPT RELATION TO NOVEL

“His limbs were in proportion… Beautiful! -Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips” (Shelley 35).

-Many human qualities, but still not completely human.-Beautiful in construction yet hideous at the same time.

EXAMPLES

“I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself; the gratification is small, but it is all that I can receive, and it shall content me… I will quit the neighborhood of man” (Shelley 105-106).

-Capable of reasoning yet born a monster.-Desiring someone to be with.-Feelings of loneliness.

Step 1. The antagonist is contradicted.Step 2. The unrealistic antagonist is constantly contradicted.Step 3. In “Frankenstein,” the antagonist is constantly contradicted throughout the novel.Step 4. In “Frankenstein,” the unrealistic antagonist, the Creature, is constantly contradicted throughout the novel.Step 5. In “Frankenstein,” the unrealistic antagonist, the Creature, is constantly contradicted throughout the novel as a creation that exhibits realistic attributes despite the creature’s inhuman physiology.Step 6. In “Frankenstein,” the unrealistic antagonist, the Creature, is constantly contradicted throughout the novel as a creation that exhibits realistic attributes despite the creature’s inhuman physiology by illustrating the creature’s desire to live, love, and learn, his ability to reason and understand propositions and human behavior, and the creature’s grueling guilt and remorse towards the ones he has murdered to finally prove that despite the monster’s implausible existence, he still faces the realest of emotions.

THESIS

The creature comes to lifeI. Changes the rest of young victor’s lifeII. The creature is first introduced III. His obvious grotesque characteristics are illustrated

and this mark as being a horrible monster is constantly reminded to the reader

IV. The creature starts his life similarly to a human baby

i. He learns to speak and understand words by watching others interact

ii. Watching the cottage family reveals his human-like thoughts and feelings

SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS

Victor destroys the creature’s mateI. The creature begins to murder all of Victor’s

loved ones, torturing Victor II. The realistic human emotion of anger is

sparked within the creatureIII.His monstrous qualities are described and

this sets the horrible image of the creature for the rest of the novel.

IV. Leads to Victor’s endless chase of the creature

SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS

 

Victor's immediate hatred for the living creature and leaving the creature alone and confused

“The beauty of my dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 35).

The creature's harsh rejection from the village and peasants making him lose his hope in mankind

“But again, when I reflected that they had spurned and deserted me, anger returned, a rage of anger; and, unable to injure anything human, I turned my fury towards inanimate objects”

(Shelley 99).The creature suffering a bullet wound for saving a child turned hatred into killing wrath

“Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind” (Shelley 101).The creature murders William, the beginning of the creature's quest to cause Victor

misery

“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” (Shelley 102).

The creature murders Henry and Elizabeth, finally moving Victor to begin hunting the monster

“I have but one resource; and I devote myself, either in my life or death, to his destruction” (Shelley 148).

 The creature versus man reappears throughout the novel to progress the story and

explain changes in character. Each conflict leads into another in a cause-and-effect chain showing the character's actions.

MAN VS SUPERNATURAL

“the monster had blinded me to his real intentions; and when I thought that I had prepared only my own death, I hastened that of a far dearer

victim” (Shelley 141).

-Reveals that Elizabeth will soon die by the creature’s hand

-Creates suspense and terror

“the picture appeared a vast and dim scene of evil, and I foresaw obscurely that I was destined to become the most wretched of human

beings. Alas! I prophesized truly, and failed only in one single circumstance, that in all misery I imagined and dreaded, I did not conceive the hundredth part of anguish I was destined to endure”

(Shelley 49).

-Foreshadows the death of William and the rest of his family

-Insinuates that Victor will become a monster of a person

-Leaves the reader questioning the events that are soon to happen and eager to read on

FORESHADOWING

When Justine is accused and condemned for the murder of William Frankenstein

“The ballots had been thrown; they were all black, and Justine was condemned” (Shelly 57).

Ironic because as this whole process occurs Victor knows that the creature is responsible for the death of William but only he and the audience knows this and thus the

innocent Justine is condemned for murder.

  

Victor’s goal was to create life and cure disease for man but instead he created a creature that took life away

“I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life…I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable

to any but a violent death” (Shelly 22).

 

The creature extends his hand to Victor out of love and innocence when he is created but is rejected by Victor who interprets it as an act of hostility.

“He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me” (Shelly 35).

 

The De Lacey family was shown to be virtuous and accepting family but attacked and beat the creature when he approached them.

“Agatha fainted; and Safie, unable to attend to her friend rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward, and with supernatural force toe me from his father… and struck me

violently with a stick” (Shelly 97).

IRONY

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.

WORK CITED