Webquest:  "Frankenstein"

Overview

Nature controls the narrative. Discuss a powerful statement that captures the technique of pathetic fallacy

Nature vs. Nurture is an important theme throughout Frankenstein and is representative/ transformation  With the case of Victor’s creature, he does not teach it or raise it but abandons it to figure out life on its own. If Victor had raised the creature, how do you think it would have turned out? Would it have still become a vindictive creature because it is its nature to be so? Or would it have maybe followed in Victor’s footsteps to seek learning opportunities (since it is in fact quite intelligent) because Victor nurtured it that way?

1. How does Shelley use nature as a reflection of Victor and the creature’s inner turmoil through the technique of pathetic fallacy, and why is this effective in conveying their emotional states?

2. Why does Shelley explore the theme of Nature vs. Nurture through the creature’s abandonment, and how might his transformation suggest the potential impact of nurture on one’s moral and emotional development?

3. How might the creature's fate have differed if Victor had chosen to nurture and guide him, and why does Shelley leave this question open to interpretation in the context of their tragic outcomes?

Standards of Beauty/ Appearances

Mary Shelley critiques society’s rigid standards of beauty and the consequences of judging worth by appearance. The creature, despite possessing intelligence, empathy, and a yearning for human connection, is shunned and labeled a “monster” because of his physical form. His appearance becomes a barrier, leading others to fear and reject him without understanding his inner character. Shelley uses the creature’s plight to underscore the cruelty of superficial judgments and to highlight society’s inclination to equate beauty with goodness and ugliness with evil. This bias against the creature fuels his isolation and descent into anger, emphasizing how restrictive beauty standards can harm both individuals and society by fostering prejudice and exclusion.

1. How does Shelley use the creature’s experiences to reveal the consequences of society’s bias toward physical appearance, and what does this suggest about the broader implications of beauty standards?

2. Why does Shelley emphasize the creature's inner qualities, such as intelligence and empathy, in contrast to his outer appearance, and how does this contrast critique societal values?

3. How does the creature’s isolation due to societal rejection shape his identity and actions, and why might Shelley use this transformation to comment on the dangers of superficial judgments?

Overview

Every female character in the novel remains exclusively in the domestic sphere and primarily functions as a channel of action for men. They are passive, submissive, and dependent. Events and actions happen to them, usually to teach men some sort of lesson.

Because of Frankenstein’s structure, there is no objective narrative voice; Shelley’s women are described and narrated by male characters. How might this affect their portrayal, both in their social roles and as individuals? Why might Shelley have chosen to filter the narratives of female characters through the perspective of male characters? Had Shelley’s women been given direct access to the narrative, what might have changed?

Overall, Mary Shelley depicts the roles of women as highly restrictive. Why do you think she, as a woman herself, intentionally represents women as the submissive gender in Frankenstein? Do you think Shelley believed women were inferior or, to the contrary, might her novel subtly argue in favor of feminism? Explain your reasoning. 

1. How does the male perspective impact the portrayal of women’s roles in *Frankenstein*?

2. Why might Shelley limit female characters to passive roles within a male-dominated narrative?

3. How could a direct female perspective alter the novel’s depiction of gender dynamics?

Overview

This is a cautionary tale warning about the threat to a diminished humanity posed by Science.  Both Walton, the narrator and Frankenstein are challenging the frontiers of human knowledge and will suffer for it.  Shelley parallels Walton's spatial explorations and Frankenstein's forays into unknown knowledge, as both men seek to “pioneer a new way,” to make progress beyond established limits.

Science was rapidly changing in the 1800s, and it continues to further advance today. For many readers, Shelley’s novel serves as a warning of science gone awry and the irreversible outcomes of well-intentioned experiments. What are some scientific inventions/experiments that are happening right now that could lead to monstrous results?

• Rapid development of technology disrupts our ecosystem and humanity.

• Transhumanism: the systematic attempts to transcend human embodiment technologically.

• Human cloning/Artificial Intelligence and engineering threatens individuality and freedom

• Natural disasters are eminent and pose a direct threat to humanity

• Through their bio-technological industries such companies still act firmly in accordance with the ‘Promethean’ ethos of modern science, intent on using scientific knowledge to ‘command’ the earth

• The Romantics argued against the dehumanizing effects of the industrial revolution and Shelley wondered what unintended disasters could develop from scientific experiments.  You can discuss topics like climate change, internet addiction, designer genetics, and the like. The debate over the consequences of technological development surrounds us. 

Write your thoughts and responses regarding the relationship of Frankenstein to current scientific issues such as recombinant DNA and biogenetic engineering. Do you agree that Frankenstein is a stern warning about scientific progress and that the “the secrets of nature” should remain untouched? Or do you feel this is a misunderstanding and exaggeration of the theme of Frankenstein? Give reasons for your beliefs. 

1. How does Shelley use Walton and Victor to critique unchecked scientific ambition?

2. Why might Shelley warn against surpassing nature’s limits in the pursuit of knowledge?

3. How does Frankenstein foreshadow issues posed by modern bioengineering and artificial intelligence?

Overview

• Isolation is a pervasive theme in *Frankenstein*, underscoring the emotional and physical suffering of characters who are cut off from human connection. Shelley’s choice of desolate settings, such as the Arctic’s cold, vast emptiness, mirrors the characters’ internal desolation and heightens the sense of loneliness they experience. Unlike Walton and Victor, who willingly isolate themselves in their pursuit of discovery and ambition, the creature is forced into solitude. Though he yearns for companionship and acceptance, each attempt at connection ends in rejection and violence, as people recoil in fear. This repeated abuse drives the creature into a painful self-imposed exile near the De Laceys’ cottage, where he watches others live out the connection he can never attain. Shelley's depiction emphasizes how isolation can corrupt and destroy, revealing its devastating effects on individuals and the lengths they may go to escape or reconcile with it.

• 1. How does isolation shape the creature’s identity and actions throughout Frankenstein?

• 2. Why does Shelley emphasize isolated settings like the Arctic to reflect her characters' loneliness?

• 3. How does forced isolation differ from self-imposed isolation in Shelley’s narrative?

Overview

The role of the violence and suffering in the novel “Frankenstein” is just an external manifestation of how a man will be driven towards violence when he feels desolate.  More than the aesthetics of physical distortion of Victor Frankenstein’s monster, what the novel really conveys is the idea of how “ugly and violent” we can get when we feel bad about ourselves and our surroundings.  In Shelley’s Frankenstein, the monster had no other positive experience than that of alienation and misery that led it to be vindictive and commit murder.

The tendency of how can man becomes violent initially manifested when the first monster confessed to Victor that he was the one who murdered his younger brother William.  In the monster’s confession, he told how desolate he felt by being alienated from society; that he killed the boy out of revenge.  The monster further confessed how miserable it feels to be alone and miserable because of his monster physique that even the family of cottagers who sheltered him that gave him hopes for compassion even drove him away.  To regain his sense humanity, the monster would like Victor to create him a female partner in order to regain his chance to reconnect with his humanity as a partner will no longer make him feel desolate and miserable.  Victor agreed to create the monster a partner and this is where the tragedy begun.

1. How does Shelley link desolation to violence in the creature’s character development?

2. Why does alienation drive the creature toward seeking revenge against Victor and humanity?

3. How might a companion have influenced the creature's understanding of compassion and humanity?

Overview/Questions to consider

Prejudice = intolerance, isolation, hatred and revenge

• Prejudice, or judging people with little or no evidence, is a recurring theme throughout Frankenstein. The first major incidence of it comes when Victor abandons his creature.

Shelley makes us question how we treat those who appear monstrous when we may be monsters ourselves. Victor also suffers prejudice, in parallel with the Monster, when he is washed up in Scotland and treated with immediate suspicion and anger, called a ‘villain’, and accused of a murder he did not commit.

People who come across the Monster are all deceived by its appearance into thinking it will do them harm, when in reality it has been born with completely pure and good intentions. It is attacked by townspeople, beaten by Felix (who it thought could be a friend) and shot at by a peasant. It is no wonder it turns evil in the face of such prejudice. Shelley makes us question how we treat those who appear monstrous when we may be monsters ourselves. Victor also suffers prejudice, in parallel with the Monster, when he is washed up in Scotland and treated with immediate suspicion and anger, called a ‘villain’, and accused of a murder he did not commit. Justine suffers prejudice, and pays with her life, when she is accused of murdering a child. That child, William, is himself prejudiced. He insults the Monster with the same words Victor uses against it, when all it wanted was to to make friends. Shelley is constantly showing her readers the destructive and isolating nature of prejudice

1. How does suffering alter the creature’s perception of humanity and moral values?

2. Why does the creature equate companionship with regaining his sense of humanity?

3. How does Shelley portray violence as a response to prolonged emotional isolation?

Overview/Questions to consider

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a profound exploration of creativity's boundaries, ethics, and consequences, centering on Victor Frankenstein's ambition to push the limits of human potential. Shelley presents creativity as a powerful force capable of unprecedented breakthroughs, yet warns of its perilous potential when unchecked by moral considerations. Victor’s obsession with reanimating life reflects a desire not just to emulate, but to surpass natural creative forces, tapping into science to replicate and redefine life itself. His creative process, though rooted in ambition and intellect, spirals into an ethical quagmire as he neglects the social and moral responsibilities that accompany creation. The creature, in turn, becomes a poignant embodiment of creativity's double-edged nature: born from Victor’s ambition, yet abandoned and unloved, he learns to navigate a world that fears and ostracizes him.

Shelley uses the creature's journey to reflect on the nature of creative power — both the creation of life and the shaping of intellect and self-awareness. As he develops language, empathy, and desires, the creature illustrates creativity’s role in personal growth and identity, contrasting with Victor’s cold scientific endeavor. The monster’s tragedy arises not from his physical form but from his creator’s refusal to nurture, guide, or empathize with him, making Shelley’s novel a cautionary tale about the human need to take responsibility for our creations. Shelley also delves into the Romantic view of creativity as something organic and intertwined with nature, juxtaposed with the Enlightenment’s scientific pursuits. Her portrayal critiques the dangers of scientific hubris and questions whether human creativity should have limits. In the end, Frankenstein examines creativity as a reflection of its creator's intentions, urging readers to consider the ethical obligations tied to human ingenuity.

1. How does Shelley connect Victor’s creativity with ethical responsibilities in *Frankenstein*?

2. Why does the creature's abandonment reveal creativity’s double-edged nature in Shelley’s narrative?

3. How does Shelley contrast Romantic and Enlightenment views of creativity through Victor’s scientific pursuits?

Overview/Questions to consider

In "Frankenstein", Mary Shelley exploresthe  themes of identity and the doppelgänger, using Victor Frankenstein and his creation as mirrors that reflect and distort one another’s existence. Victor’s identity as an ambitious scientist and creator becomes inextricably linked to the creature he brings to life, yet he struggles to accept the darker aspects of himself that the creature represents. The doppelgänger motif is apparent as the monster, though a separate being, embodies Victor's repressed fears, guilt, and the monstrous outcomes of his unchecked ambition. Shelley employs this duality to explore the fragmented nature of identity; Victor and his creature are two halves of a whole, representing both creator and creation, human and monster, civilized intellect and primal instinct. The creature's evolving identity, initially innocent and eager for connection, transforms as he is continuously rejected, highlighting how identity is shaped by both internal desires and external perceptions.

The monster becomes a dark reflection of Victor's inner turmoil and failures, symbolizing the destructive potential of alienation and abandonment. Shelley’s use of the doppelgänger suggests that Victor’s refusal to acknowledge his creature as part of himself — a product of his mind and work — leads to his downfall. As the creature learns language and attempts to understand his place in the world, his identity becomes a painful paradox: he is both human in consciousness and alien in form, forever caught between identities. This duality haunts Victor, who sees in the creature a horrifying echo of his own soul’s potential darkness. Shelley’s narrative challenges readers to consider how identity is neither fixed nor isolated; instead, it is fluid, often mirroring others in complex, sometimes disturbing ways. Through the intertwined fates of creator and creation, *Frankenstein* becomes a study of the dangers of disowning one’s actions and denying aspects of one’s identity, illustrating the tragic consequences when we fail to accept our own dualities.

1. How does the doppelgänger motif reveal Victor’s repressed fears and guilt?

2. Why does Shelley use the creature to reflect Victor's inner turmoil and failures?

3. How does alienation shape the creature’s fragmented sense of identity throughout *Frankenstein*?

In "Frankenstein", communication – or the lack thereof – plays a central role in shaping the tragic dynamic between Victor and his creature. Victor’s failure to communicate with his creation stems from fear, guilt, and horror, leading him to abandon the creature without guidance or compassion. This lack of communication fosters the creature’s loneliness and eventual bitterness. Left alone, the creature painstakingly learns to communicate by observing humans from a distance, notably a family he watches while hiding. He acquires language and understanding through self-education, absorbing human emotions, literature, and empathy. However, despite his eloquence and desire to connect, society and Victor reject him, emphasizing how a lack of meaningful communication can breed isolation, resentment, and, ultimately, destruction.

1. How does Victor's silence impact the creature’s development and sense of belonging ?

2. Why does Shelley emphasize the creature’s self-taught communication skills in his search for connection?

3. How does lack of communication between creator and creation lead to tragic consequences?

Mary Shelley explores the themes of culture and cultural misrepresentation, particularly through the creature’s experiences as he confronts society's prejudice. Despite his self-education and understanding of human culture — learning language, literature, and customs from afar — the creature faces constant rejection based solely on his appearance. Shelley critiques society’s superficial judgments, showing how cultural norms and biases unfairly define "humanity" and exclude those who don’t fit the mold. The creature, despite embodying human curiosity, intelligence, and emotional depth, is misrepresented as a "monster" and denied compassion. This cultural misrepresentation illuminates the novel’s moral: that humanity should be defined by character and empathy rather than outward appearance, questioning society's harsh standards of acceptance and belonging.

1. How does cultural misrepresentation shape the creature's identity and self-worth?

2. Why does Shelley use the creature’s rejection to critique society’s superficial judgments?

3. How do societal biases in *Frankenstein* challenge definitions of humanity and compassion?

Overview

Shelley's novel conveys different points of views through different texts incorporated in the novel such as letters, notes, and journals. Walton's letters encompass the entire tale while Victor's story envelops the monster's story, and lastly the monster's story encircles the love story of Felix and Safie and also alludes to Paradise Lost. Language serves an enormous role in the monster’s maturation. Through observing the peasants' interaction, the monster learns to speak and read, allowing him to understand the daily mannerisms and norms of the human species. In a form of communication, the monster later turns nature into a surface to write on by leaving notes for Victor by inscribing words on trees and rocks as Victor chases him into the northern region.

Mary Shelley also emphasizes on the lack of communication that concludes into secrecy and isolation. During the time of the monster's creation, Victor willingly detaches himself from all human contact. Until he is found by Walton, he does not tell anyone of his obsession in creating life and in destroying the monster. In contrast, the monster is forced to hide from the humans due to his monstrous appearance. The monster’s involuntary seclusion from society leads to his hatred toward his creator, and in turn, the monster kills everyone who Victor cares for. As a result, both Victor and Frankenstein live in hatred and solely for the reason to revenge upon each other. In confessing to Walton just before he dies, Victor escapes the suffocating secrecy that has ruined his life; similarly, the monster uses Walton’s presence as a human connection, hoping that someone will finally understand, and empathize with, his miserable reality.

Throughout the novel, Frankenstein refers to his creation as a dæmon. According to the ancient Greeks, a dæmon is a mystical being that is neither human nor god but somewhere in between. In popular fiction, the term describes an animal that is the manifestation of a person’s soul, often showcasing the person’s dark side. Using these definitions, how has Victor’s language influenced your perception of his creature? Has his negative language regarding his creation influenced your perception of Victor?

1. How does Shelley’s layered narrative structure impact our understanding of each character's perspective?

2. Why does the monster’s acquisition of language shape his identity and desire for acceptance?

3. How does Victor’s language influence readers’ perceptions of the creature’s nature and morality?

Overview

Shelley's novel conveys different points of views through different texts incorporated in the novel such as letters, notes, and journals. Walton's letters encompass the entire tale while Victor's story envelops the monster's story, and lastly the monster's story encircles the love story of Felix and Safie and also alludes to Paradise Lost. Language serves an enormous role in the monster’s maturation. Through observing the peasants' interaction, the monster learns to speak and read, allowing him to understand the daily mannerisms and norms of the human species. In a form of communication, the monster later turns nature into a surface to write on by leaving notes for Victor by inscribing words on trees and rocks as Victor chases him into the northern region.

Mary Shelley also emphasizes on the lack of communication that concludes into secrecy and isolation. During the time of the monster's creation, Victor willingly detaches himself from all human contact. Until he is found by Walton, he does not tell anyone of his obsession in creating life and in destroying the monster. In contrast, the monster is forced to hide from the humans due to his monstrous appearance. The monster’s involuntary seclusion from society leads to his hatred toward his creator, and in turn, the monster kills everyone who Victor cares for. As a result, both Victor and Frankenstein live in hatred and solely for the reason to revenge upon each other. In confessing to Walton just before he dies, Victor escapes the suffocating secrecy that has ruined his life; similarly, the monster uses Walton’s presence as a human connection, hoping that someone will finally understand, and empathize with, his miserable reality.

Throughout the novel, Frankenstein refers to his creation as a dæmon. According to the ancient Greeks, a dæmon is a mystical being that is neither human nor god but somewhere in between. In popular fiction, the term describes an animal that is the manifestation of a person’s soul, often showcasing the person’s dark side. Using these definitions, how has Victor’s language influenced your perception of his creature? Has his negative language regarding his creation influenced your perception of Victor?

1. How does the novel’s use of embedded narratives deepen our understanding of each character’s motives?

2. Why does the monster use natural surfaces for communication with Victor during the chase?

3. How does Victor’s use of “dæmon” shape readers’ perceptions of his creation and himself?

Overview

Mary Shelley uses symbolism to deepen the novel’s exploration of themes like ambition, isolation, and responsibility. The creature itself symbolizes the consequences of scientific overreach and the dangers of creating without foresight or compassion. It represents both Victor’s ambition and humanity's darker, often overlooked sides. The Alps, where Victor and the creature confront each other, symbolize the sublime power of nature — a force that contrasts sharply with Victor’s attempts to control and reshape life. Light and fire also serve as recurring symbols: light represents enlightenment and discovery, while fire, evoking the myth of Prometheus, symbolizes knowledge that can bring warmth but also destruction. Through these symbols, Shelley illustrates the complex dualities inherent in human nature and ambition.

1. How does the creature symbolize the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition in *Frankenstein*?

2. Why does Shelley contrast nature’s power with Victor’s attempts to control life?

3. How do light and fire illustrate the dualities of knowledge and ambition?