Frankenstein the Classic Horror Novel

Frankenstein

The classic horror novel "Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus" by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly has been studied, made into films, and still is one of the most popular horror novels ever written. The book tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a successful student who becomes obsessed with regenerating life from dead tissue. He creates a terrifying monster who gets loose and begins murdering and frightening the people of Geneva, especially friends and relatives of Victor. The monster tells Victor he is lonely and ostracized because of his size and appearance, and he asks Victor to make him a woman for a companion. Victor refuses, because he does not want to create another horrifying monster. Victor marries his sweetheart, Elizabeth, but the monster murders her, too. The monster leaves civilization to live at the North Pole, so he can no longer hurt anyone else, and Victor chases him to make sure he stays there. Victor sickens and dies as he chases the monster in the Arctic, and the monster goes further toward the North Pole where he cannot harm anyone and die alone.

The main characters in this book are Victor Frankenstein, the monster, Elizabeth Lavenza, Victor's fiance, and Victor's family and friends, and Robert Walton, the Arctic sea captain who is actually narrating the story through his letters home to his family. There are many minor characters that also play a role in the story, such as the teacher who first gets Victor interested in science and starts him on this journey to create a monster.

This book was originally written in 1818, and it is set in Europe of that time. The setting changes from Ingolstadt, Germany, where Victor goes to school, to Geneva, Switzerland, where Victor and his family live, to England and Scotland, and then to the North Pole. All the settings are contemporary to the time Shelley wrote the novel, and so they seem old-fashioned now, but they represent the time and they make it more real for the reader.

The main conflict in the novel is between Victor and the novel, and Victor with himself for creating the monster in the first place. Victor has a conscience, and he is upset with himself for creating something so terrifying that seems to kill everything he loves. The monster is evil, Victor is good, and so they are in conflict throughout the book.

The point-of-view in the novel is first person in both the letters by Captain Walton and the narration told by Victor himself. This helps make the reader feel like they are part of the action and experiencing events as they take place in the novel.

There are many themes in "Frankenstein," and one of the main plot lines is the fight between good and evil. However, there are other themes in the novel. One is Victor's quest for learning, which leads him to create something that is far beyond what he can control. Victor has a thirst for knowledge, he is creative, and his quest takes him down the wrong path. Another theme is the monstrosity of the monster. Because he is ugly and was created by such strange means, he is shunned and alone, and he shows how society treats those who are different and do not fit in. He is frightening, but he is also sad and lonely, and it seems he might not be so bad if more people accepted him. Another theme is keeping things secret and the damage this can do. Victor keeps the monster secret, even when it affects other people, like his family, and the young girl who is accused of murdering William, Victor's brother. Victor also admires his teacher for keeping the "secrets" of science, and so, secrecy in important to this novel. This shows that keeping secrets is not always the best way to deal with problems.