In the book, Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is the protagonist. Victor is about twenty to thirty years age, he is from the city of Geneva and attends the University of Ingosladt where he studys chemistry and natural philosophy. Whilst studying Victor discovers the secret to life and decides to create a grotesque monster with his newfound knowledge out of rotten body parts he finds in a cemetery, which he goes on to regret immensely.
Victor also has a family who is also situated in Geniva which consists of his father, mother, brothers, and his adopted sister which he goes on to marry later in the book. However, the beast which Frankenstein creates goes on to kill his youngest brother, William, his father, Alphonse, and his wife, Elizabeth, to get revenge for giving him a life full of sorrow and rejection. In the book Victor’s curious nature is made clear to the reader. This same curious nature causes him to explore the bounds of life and death.
He explains this part of his personality which has been a part of him since childhood, “The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine” (Page 31) Victor also has a tendency to be reckless and ill – judged. He fails to recognize the complications that might arise from his actions. This is seen when Victor almost immediately falls into a state of regret when he sees what he has created : “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care l had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful.
Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dunwhite sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. ” (5. 2) Victor then decides to run away from his own creation. Soon after he gets news that his younger brother has been murdered and realizes that it was a doing of the creature.
The family servant, Justine Cortlaza, is wrongly executed for the crime but Victor decides not to tell anyone of the real culprit in fear of the consequences that may come with it, showing his self-centered nature. The antagonist in the book, Frankenstein, is the monster which Victor creates. Shortly after creating the monster Victor flees, leaving him to fend for himself. The monster tries communicating with humans, but to no avail ; The monster is driven off by humans multiple times due to his deterring looks.
After many failed attempts of approaching humans he decides to take shelter in a shed built alongside a cottage. Through a crack in the shed he is able to observe the family that lives inside. By observing this family he learns how to speak and read french. Even though the monster is interpreted as harmful the reader can still see that has is very caring. When in the woods he encounters a woman drowning and uses “extreme labour” to save her. Contrastingly, a turning point in the plot causes the monster to show its barbaric nature which it had kept suppressed for far too long.
This turning point occurs when a passerby assumes Frankenstein is killing the young girl and shoots him, when in reality he was actually saving her from drowning. This grave misinterpretation causes the monster to go into a state of rage, “This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone. The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind. Soon after he runs into a little boy, when the little boy identifies himself as William Frankenstein the monster’s barbaric nature takes over and he kills him for revenge against his creator, Victor Frankenstein, for giving him a life full of sorrow and hate. One of the conflicts in the book is Victor Frankenstein hunting down the monster he created, this conflict can be categorized as person versus person. After being rejected by humans time and time again the monster is out for vengeance and Victor realizes he has to be stopped before any more innocent people’s lives are taken.
Victor chases the monster for days on end across all types of terrain. In the beginning of the book, before Victor starts telling the crew members the story, the people in a stranded ship notice an eight feet man on a dogsled driving across the ice being chased by a normal sized man that is also on a dog sled. The ship crew take the normal sized man in. This man is Victor Frankenstein, who is almost dead from exhaustion and exposure, showing the extent of the conflict. Another conflict in this book is the rejection from society the monster experiences, this conflict can be categorized and person versus society.
The monster’s good hearted intentions such as interacting with people or helping them are misinterpreted time and time again. This constant misinterpretation causes the monster to reach his breaking point and go on a mission to hurt every loved one of his creator, Victor Frankenstein. Benevolence (noun): Quote – “This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense | now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone.
The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind. ” Definition – well meaning, kindly, and with good will. The word benevolent is used literally in this case. The monster’s kind and caring behaviour is rewarded with violence. The word reward in this case is used ironically because violence is not a reward, which is usually something positive. Sentence – Benevolence is a quality that one should look for in a friend.
Anatomize (verb) Quote – “He might dissect, anatomize, and give names; but, not to speak of a final cause, causes in their secondary and tertiary grades were utterly unknown to him. ” (Page 35) Definition – examine and analyze with great detail. In this case the word anatomize is used literally. Victor talks about how a philosopher may be able to analyze and describe some of the details involving the bounds of life and death but will not be able to talk about their ultimate cause due to lack of knowledge, which results in him exploring the bounds himself.
Sentence – The first step of solving a problem is to anatomize it and find its root cause. Prognosticate (verb) Quote – On the third day my mother sickened; her fever was accompanied by the most alarming symptoms, and the looks of her medical attendants prognosticated the worst event. Definition – tell in advance or make a prediction about. This word is used metaphorically because a look cannot literally tell something in advance or make a prediction. Victor is saying that the medical assistants look concerned and the reason for this concern may be them predicting that his mother is going to die oon. Sentence – The dark clouds outside make it safe to prognosticate that it is going to rain. Repine (verb) Quote – “I had gazed upon the fortifications and impediments that seemed to keep human beings from entering the citadel of nature, and rashly and ignorantly I had repined. ” Definition – feel or express discontent. The word repine in this case is used literally. Victor regrets disregarding all the reasons to not enter the citadel of nature and alter how it works. This ignorance and rash decision making results in the creation of a monster which is out to kill Victor’s family and loved ones.
Sentence – Rather than finding a solution to their problem they repined. Immutable (adjective) Quote – “Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction. ” Definition – not susceptible to change. The word immutable is used metaphorically in this case. The use of this word is metaphorical because destiny itself can not literally have laws. Victor is referring to how his decision to no longer pursue alchemy and study chemistry along with natural philosophy lead him down the irreversible road to experimenting with the composition of nature which ultimately lead to his destruction.
There was nothing he could have done to change his fate as the so called laws of destiny are not subject to change. Sentence – To progress in any aspect of life one must not be immutable. Simile- “He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who committed herself to his care” This metaphor helps the reader understand the degree of love Victor’s father had for his sister, Caroline Frankenstein, by comparing it to the image of an overlooking guardian angel.
Irony – Victor Frankenstein wanted to use science to create life, but in turn his creation killed his own brother, William, and many other loved ones. This use of irony serves as a reminder to the reader that it was Victor’s own decisions that lead to his destruction and the death of his loved ones. “Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction. “