Frankenstein

Question 1

Tone and Mood

Answer 1

• overall: dark, gloomy, suspenseful
• sense of foreboding and dread, unsettling
• ominous setting
• melancholy, hope, regret and disappointment

Question 2

Literary Devices

Answer 2

• Foreshadowing: Victor dreams of Elizabeth’s corpse → foreshadow deaths, creates suspense
• Imagery: vivid description of Monster’s looks and of setting to underline gothism
• Symbolism: monster → consequences of going against god/nature, arctic → isolation and despair, fire → represent destruction and creation
• Irony: victors passion for science leading to downfall

Question 3

Structure and Layout

Answer 3

• Story within a story
• Epistolary structure:
• letters show Walton’s perspective
• Victors explains his view
• Creature’s story is mentioned

Question 4

Theme

Answer 4

• Conflict between science and nature: pursuit of scientific knowledge can come at a cost to the natural world
• nature of humanity: what it means to be human/monster, humans fear and disgust unknown things
• dangers of isolation and loneliness: abscence of social life → evokes madness and despair
• Revenge and Redemption: desire for revenge leads to tragedy and destruction

Question 5

Characters

Answer 5

• The Monster: product of Victor’s scientific experiment, is a grotesque creature; initially innocent and gentle but becomes vengeful and destructive after being rejected by society
• Victor Frankenstein: protagonist and narrator of the story; is a brilliant and ambitious scientist; creates the monster and becomes consumed by desire for knowledge and power
• Elizabeth Lavenza: Victor’s adopted sister and eventual wife; is kind, compassionate, and loving; serves as symbol of goodness and innocence
• Robert Walton: explorer who finds Victor stranded in the Arctic and serves as the frame narrator for the story
• Henry Clerval: Victor’s best friend and confidant; is kind, loyal, and supportive, but becomes a victim of the monster’s violence
• Alphonse Frankenstein: Victor’s father, who is loving and supportive of his son but ultimately suffers a tragic loss.
• Justine Moritz: servant in the Frankenstein household who is wrongly accused and executed for the murder of William Frankenstein

Question 6

Plot