Frankenstein Mary Shelley

Summary Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells of a doctor’s overreaching ambition in scientific experimentation. Dr. Frankenstein, perhaps driven by the loss of loved ones in his personal life, and perhaps driven by the desire to achieve what no one else has, compiles body parts from various corpses and brings to life a monster. Frankenstein is fearful of his own creation from the start, and he abandons it. The monster, scared and grotesque, starts a revengeful killing spree on Dr. Frankenstein’s family. Dr. Frankenstein then vows to chase the monster and kill him, but he is unable to because the monster is too strong.

Structure and Perspective The story begins as a series of letters from Robert Walton who is embarking on an adventure to the North Pole. He writes to his sister and tells her of his thoughts, emotions, and activities. Eventually, his path intersects with Dr. Frankenstein when the doctor is hunting his monster. The perspective then changes to Dr. Frankenstein’s voice as he tells Walton of all he has done: creating the monster and now hunting it down. During Dr. Frankenstein’s narrative, the story jumps to the monster’s point of view as Frankenstein tells Walton what the monster told him. Finally, the story ends again with Walton’s letters to his sister explaining to her what has happened with Frankenstein on the ship: how he seemed close to death and asked that Walton kill the monster and how the monster appeared and Frankenstein was unable to kill him.

How does the perspective influence the story? Without the changing perspectives, the story would be one sided. If the audience were to only hear from Robert Walton’s point of view, readers would not enjoy the excitement, love, and loss given by both Dr. Frankenstein and the monster. Giving the monster his own point of view begs the audience to jump outside of any typical comfort zone and listen to the pleadings of a killer. In part of the monster’s tale, he is seen as extraordinarily compassionate.

Themes What is life? Beware of too much ambition. The story raises the question of what makes a person alive. Should the monster be considered a person and given human rights? Beware of too much ambition. Similar to other classic stories: Macbeth, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Jurassic Park, and the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus, Frankenstein tells of the ill effects of reaching too far to gain what seems important in a moment without looking at what could happen. Dr. Frankenstein is so focused on whether or not he could do it, he did not stop to this whether or not he should do it.

Quotes “Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”  - the monster to Dr. Frankenstein “Listen to me, Frankenstein. You accuse me of murder; and yet you would, with a satisfied conscience, destroy your own creature. Oh, praise the eternal justice of man!”  - the monster to Dr. Frankenstein

Final Thoughts This is a great book to read on a dark, stormy night. It is the epitome of the horror story, and it is one of the first to make it to the big screen. Frankenstein and is exquisite fodder for the mind when it is read as opposed to watched.

Image Credits Slide 1: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Create-a-Frankenstein- Han-Solo-Love-ChildA/ Slide 3: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-white-snowy- mountain-blue-glacier-svalbard-norway-ice-ocean-iceberg-north-pole-blue- sky-ice-floe-beautiful-landsc-image95621741 Slide 4: http://cancer-center-info.blogspot.com/2015/09/science-fiction- becomes-fact-as.html Slide 5: https://medium.com/the-mission/the-principles-of-life-that- everyone-knows-but-only-a-few-follow-51588060903c and http://www.stephenpbrown.com/psalmquest-41-progress-1-too-much- ambition/