 Contrast between the inwardly focused Victor and the outwardly focused Henry sharpens  Henry’s interaction with the Frankenstein family and general sociability contrast Victor’s secrecy and self-isolation.  Henry’s optimism and cheer in sublime nature contrast the anxiety that Victor feels in knowing that the monster pervades his natural surroundings.  For Henry, nature is a source of infinite bliss  For Victor it has become an unending reminder of the tragedies that have plagued him.

 The sublime natural world is a source of emotional experience for the individual  Sublime nature offers characters the possibility of spiritual renewal (Victor, Henry, the Monster)  The natural world’s power to console Victor wanes when he realizes that the Monster will haunt him no matter where he goes.  Final (initial) scenes in Arctic functions simply as the symbolic backdrop for his primal struggle against the monster.

Frankenstein says that a "bolt" (as of lightning) has entered his soul. Victor and his creature have become entangled. Both are separated from humanity by, in Victor's words, "an insurmountable barrier": for the creature, that barrier is his deformity; for Victor, it is his guilt. Victor's journey through Northern Europe seems to be a condensed version of the creature's own journey: both reflect on how they were once able to find consolation in nature and stories of human accomplishment (recall the creature and his books); now, nothing can ease their suffering. Victor’s arrival in Ireland mimics the hate and distrust the Monster receives on his journeys.

 Henry is now enthusiastic about natural philosophy and eager to explore the world— much like Victor had been two years before.  One can argue that Henry represents the healthy, safe route to scientific knowledge that Victor never took.  Victor’s emotional outbursts strongly foreshadow Henry’s death: “And where does he now exist?” he asks. “Is this gentle and lovely being lost forever?”  the passive, innocent woman (damsel/good mother):  1. the mother who sacrifices herself for her daughter  2. the fiancée who waits endlessly for her future husband  3. the orphan girl who is rescued from poverty  4. the female monster Victor suddenly aborts after being struck by doubts.

The female monster To Victor = another crime against humanity and nature; To the monster, she = one remaining hope for a life not spent alone. Unlike the God of Genesis, who creates a woman to keep Adam company, Victor does not have ultimate power over his creations. His anxiety leads him to project a stereotypically male view onto the female creature; his decision to destroy her ensures her absolute passivity. The destruction of the female monster serves as the novel’s climax

 The monster vows revenge. 1. "You can blast my other passions, but revenge remains -- revenge, henceforth dearer than light or food! I may die, but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sun that gazes on your misery." 2. “… I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!” 3. “You may hate, but beware! Your hours will pass in dread and misery, and soon the bolt will fall which must ravish from you your happiness forever… You can blast my other passions, but revenge remains- revenge, henceforth dearer than light of food! I may die, but first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sun that gazes on your misery… Man, you shall repent of the injuries you inflict. 4. “It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night.

 Key Concepts:  Focus on self – individual experience  Doctrine of the Basic Goodness of Man – man is born good and is corrupted by society (Rousseau)  Emphasis on emotion – overflow of spontaneous feeling recollected in tranquility (switch from prose to poetry)  Glorified nature – tranquility, peace, moral influence, landscapes, creatures of the natural world, weather

 irresponsibility in the pursuit of knowledge  Consequences of pride  Consequences of society’s rejection of someone who is unattractive  Destructive power of revenge  Parent-child conflicts  Sympathy

 Irony – 2 major ironies  Creature is more sympathetic, more imaginative and more responsible to fellow creatures  Creature has many pleasing qualities but is an outcast because he’s not physically attractive

 White/light= knowledge  Water = knowledge  Ice = danger  Lightning = nature’s power  Nature = acceptance, nuturing, calm  Mountains= sublime in nature

 Victor wants to discern the secret of life.  Victor is the Modern Prometheus by wanting to give the world forbidden knowledge.  eventually results in the destruction of everyone dear to him,  Walton wants to reach the North Pole. quits – saving the lives of his

 Paradise Lost by John Milton – story of man’s fall from innocence to painful knowledge; Victor can be compared to Adam, Satan, and Eve  The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, like narrator, tells story as a warning and a confession