Frankenstein, Reading Journal, Volume 1, Chapters 1-8

After the letters, we begin chapter 1 with Victor’s narrative embedded within the frame narrative of Walton. We are caused to question how accurate this account is, and whether we can trust Walton’s tale of the events. Despite this, we are forced to have belief in Walton as there is no ambiguity in his story.

We are told of Frankenstein’s upbringing; an educated, yet sheltered background. For Victor, it suggests that science gives him a challenge, as before everything was given to him. Elizabeth becomes Victor’s ‘beautiful and adored companion’, however, a darker tone enters the narrative with his closing comment: ‘my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only’. During the novel, we see a deterioration of Frankenstein’s state of mind, and this is our first introduction to seeing this descent.

In chapter 2, we hear more of Frankenstein’s passion for science and how he wants to know more, which, later, we find becomes too much. Victor describes his first rebellion to his father who tells him to ‘not waste his time on such sad trash’. We see a side to Frankenstein that shows he does not stick to the rules; a foreshadowing that he will not commit to the laws of science either. Throughout this chapter is a sense of male dominance as, for instance, Elizabeth is limited to the family circle. Victor describes himself as a Promethean ‘overreacher’, which links to the subtitle of the novel ‘The Modern Prometheus’. For Victor, this is him creating life out of death and going against the natural order.

Chapter 3 describes Victor’s experience at university. We hear that his mother died and Elizabeth falls ill from Scarlett fever. He leaves his family and continues his thirst for knowledge. He describes M. Krempe as ‘a little squat man with a gruff voice and a repulsive countenance.’ It presents to us that, for Victor, physical appearance and beauty is important; paralleling his design for his creature. ‘Thus ended a day memorable to me; it decided my future destiny’ - the last line of the chapter causes an almost chilling feeling for readers, as it is in a paragraph of its own. Victor does not explain what he means; what his future destiny is. Tension is therefore also built.

In chapter 4 we hear that Victor has already created his creature in his mind – he becomes capable of ‘bestowing animation upon lifeless matter’. ‘I am not recording the vision of a madman.’ We are reminded that Robert, the narrator is untrustworthy. This chapter is another example of crucial evidence that Victor is unwell; physically and mentally. His ambition could be argued to be heroic, yet the horrific images of his ‘secret toil’ show his work is more sordid than anything else. This links with the traditional gothic theme of pushing boundaries and going beyond the norm.

Victor is repulsed by his creation in chapter 5, by calling it a ‘wretch’. We see how far Victor is out of his depth and is caught up into something he cannot control. He tries to hide this to his friend Henry, but does not admit anything. He is extremely relieved when the monster has disappeared: ‘great fortune’.

Chapter 6 tells much of Victor’s convalescence as he can no longer bear to think of his scientific discoveries. ‘A servant in Geneva does not mean the same thing as a servant in France and England.’ Elizabeth’s description of treatment of servants could be interpreted as Shelley’s comment on social injustice; a major issue at the time it was written. This links to how the monster is enslaved by Frankenstein. ‘I bounded along with feelings of un-bridled joy and hilarity’. Unlike chapter 3, chapter 6 ends filled with hope – possibly Frankenstein’s hope that his disastrous scientific experiment will come to an end.

Chapter 7 shows repeating evidence of Frankenstein’s guilt: ‘I threw the letter on the table and covered my face with my hands’. He knows what really happened to William and feels a very human trait of remorse. We can sympathise with him. There are also many references to nature, a typical feature of Romanticism. ‘Dear mountains’: Victor further personifies nature, emphasising how alone he is. There are contrasts of feelings in this chapter. In one paragraph there are there are more positive words, such as ‘happiness’, ‘pleasure’ and ‘beloved’. But in the next immediate paragraph there are pessimistic words, such as ‘grief’, ‘fear’ and ‘gloomily’. These extreme polars of emotion prove that emotion is controlling Victor, rather than him controlling them. It could be argued this is because of the loss of William, but in my opinion, this is as a result of Victor’s obsession and creation of the monster. Furthermore, there is also evidence of Mary Shelley criticising science. The chapter describes art the ‘picture of my mother’, ‘dignity and beauty’. Some may argue this is mocking Victor – why couldn’t he do something fabulous, yet safe, instead of the dangerous experiment he achieves.

There is a very long account of the trial in chapter 8, which has the effect of incorporating the whole picture, allowing Victor to come to terms with his guilt. ‘I bore a hell within me.’ Victor echoes Satan in Paradise Lost and suggests the true horror lies inside us, in the mental agonies and torments we inflict upon ourselves.