20% . Themes in Frankenstein Treacherous Knowledge. The name Frankenstein has become popularly attached to the creature itself, who has become one of the best-known monsters in the history of motion pictures. I gasped for breath, and throwing myself on the body, I exclaimed, "Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry, of life? SparkNotes PLUS Victor longs to supersede the barrier of secrecy that has been erected between him and the rest of humanity. They put it into a bed and rubbed it, and Daniel went to the town for an apothecary, but life was quite gone. 20% Frankenstein throws himself upon the body, and becomes almost mad with grief and guilt; he is carried from the room in convulsions. Revenge invigorates him, intoxicates him: the joy he feels at seeing the creature's sledge marks the first time he has been happy in innumerable months. Upon entering the bedroom, he finds Elizabeth lying strangled upon the bed, her clothes and hair in a state of disarray; the print of the monster's fingers are still fresh upon her neck. The central theme of the novel Frankenstein is the pursuit of knowledge. Upon his release, all Victor is obsessed by thoughts of taking revenge upon his creature. Copy. Mr. Kirwin is a magistrate, and you are to give an account of the death of a gentleman who was found murdered here last night." . And various witnesses testify that a boat much like Victor's was seen at sea. "Alas! Next section Victor Frankenstein Test your knowledge Take the Character List Quick Quiz Take a study break QUIZ: Is This a Taylor Swift Lyric or a Quote by Edgar Allan Poe? After confronting Victor, the townspeople take him to Mr. Kirwin, the town magistrate. I lay for two months on the point of death; my ravings, as I afterwards heard, were frightful; I called myself the murderer of William, of Justine, and of Clerval. Elizabeth, for her part, finds her joy commingled with an inexplicable foreboding of misfortune; in this way, Shelley foreshadows her doom. He had apparently been strangled, for there was no sign of any violence except the black mark of fingers on his neck. As the wedding-day approaches, the threat seems to be almost a delusion; Victor allows himself to believe that the marriage will actually take place, and that he will at last know happiness. Discount, Discount Code Nothing, at this moment, could have given me greater pleasure than the arrival of my father. Why does Frankenstein first agree to make his Monster a companion? He often imagines that he feels the hands of the monster closing about his neck, and starts from his bed in an agony of terror. I was soon introduced into the presence of the magistrate, an old benevolent man with calm and mild manners. Mr. Kirwin: He was the person that accused Victor of murdering Henry when in reality Henry was murdered by the monster as well. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. . Sometimes, indeed, I felt a wish for happiness and thought with melancholy delight of my beloved cousin or longed, with a devouringmaladie du pays, to see once more the blue lake and rapid Rhone, that had been so dear to me in early childhood; but my general state of feeling was a torpor in which a prison was as welcome a residence as the divinest scene in nature; and these fits were seldom interrupted but by paroxysms of anguish and despair. 32) "Caroline Beaufort possessed a mind of an uncommon mould, and her courage rose to support her in her adversity. Why does Frankenstein create the Monster? Victor is now deprived of even that joy, since he no longer has the privilege of seeing the world through Clerval's eyes. Sometimes it can end up there. Frankenstein liberates himself from his prison of guilt, opting instead for one of wrath. Summary and Analysis Chapter 21. That Victor also falls ill soon after creating the monster and experiences a decline in health after the deaths of William and Justine points toward guilt as the trigger for this psychological mechanism. Through Frankenstein's eyes, the reader sees this creature as a horrifying monster who murders Frankenstein's loved ones. Mr. Kirwin. He came, therefore, sometimes to see that I was not neglected, but his visits were short and with long intervals. She has lost the vivacity of her youth, but Victor regards her, in her new compassion and gentleness, as an even more fitting companion "for one so blasted and miserable" as he. Caroline Beaufort/Frankenstein (Victor's mother) Ernest Frankenstein (Victor's younger brother) William Frankenstein (Victor's youngest brother) Justine Moritz Professor Kempe Professor. As the wedding day approaches, Victor grows more and more nervous about his impending confrontation with the monster. Fritz - Hung on a noose by the monster. Here, we can see that he has forsaken his former selfishness: though he often longs for death, he forces himself to overcome this self-serving impulse in the hopes of keeping his surviving family from harm. Strangely enough, this final chapter of Victor's narration, in which he is suffering a decline, finds him more dynamic than he has been since the days of his first experiment. Who helps with Victor's defense? Frankenstein has lost the capacity for voluntary thought; his entire consciousness is occupied by fantasies of revenge. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Victor responds by destroying the unfinished female in front of the monster, destroying the workshop, and rowing a small boat out to sea in the wee hours of the morning to dispose of the female's . He is doomed from the moment he begins feverishly studying chemistry to discover the secret to life. Yet while many readers have remarked on the Irish resonances of Stoker's novel, few have noticed the place . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Frankenstein Chapter 21-24 Summary 161 Words | 1 Pages. Victor Frankenstein creates a man-like creature in a lab that escapes and is forced to learn the ways of human as. He treats Victor kindly , advising him that he will likely be freed. My father, who was watching over me, perceiving my restlessness, awoke me; the dashing waves were around, the cloudy sky above, the fiend was not here: a sense of security, a feeling that a truce was established between the present hour and the irresistible, disastrous future imparted to me a kind of calm forgetfulness, of which the human mind is by its structure peculiarly susceptible. What happens to Victor after his arrest? 2023 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. The elder Frankenstein urges him to take solace in society. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Victor rushes to leave his island within two days, once he dismantles the laboratory and hides the remains. His father's presence is "like that of a good angel" for Victor; slowly, he begins to regain his health. horse master John Falkener . Question 7. Victor, however, cannot bring himself to comply: the company of people is abhorrent to him. Victor is brought before the magistrate, and several witnesses testify against him. About Quizlet. Chapter 21 Victor is brought to a man named Mr. Kirwin. volume 2 Frankenstein. Discount, Discount Code "Your family is perfectly well," said Mr. Kirwin with gentleness; "and someone, a friend, is come to visit you." I know not by what chain of thought the idea presented itself, but it instantly darted into my mind that the murderer had come to mock at my misery and taunt me with the death of Clerval, as a new incitement for me to comply with his hellish desires. Continue to start your free trial. TAGS frankenstein; despair; beheld; remained His father tries to help by getting him to engage with society, but Victor feels he has no right to. There is a certain irony in Victor's being cleared of murder. Victor takes a number of precautions to protect both himself and his beloved; he becomes accustomed to carrying pistols and daggers about his person wherever he goes. He rose and quitted the room with my nurse, and in a moment my father entered it. What happens to Henry Clerval in the book Frankenstein? | He talked of Geneva, which I should soon visit, of Elizabeth and Ernest; but these words only drew deep groans from me. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The wind rises with sudden violence, and Frankenstein becomes increasingly anxious: he is certain that either he or his creature will die tonight. But you will, I hope, soon quit this melancholy abode, for doubtless evidence can easily be brought to free you from the criminal charge. Wiki User. But the appearance of my father was to me like that of my good angel, and I gradually recovered my health. Wed love to have you back! The human frame could no longer support the agonies that I endured, and I was carried out of the room in strong convulsions. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Finally, the wedding takes place, and Victor and Elizabeth depart for a family cottage to spend the night. At length, Victor determines to triumph over "selfish despair," so that he might return to Geneva to protect his remaining family. Frankenstein e-text contains the full text of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Besides, they observed that it appeared that I had brought the body from another place, and it was likely that as I did not appear to know the shore, I might have put into the harbour ignorant of the distance of the town of from the place where I had deposited the corpse. Also like Frankenstein, Clerval makes a discovery at university. Soon, oh, very soon, will death extinguish these throbbings and relieve me from the mighty weight of anguish that bears me to the dust; and, in executing the award of justice, I shall also sink to rest. Tags: Question 8 . When Frankenstein falls into another fever, this one lasting two months, Kirwin nurses him back to health until Victor's father arrives ( 3.4.4 ). Take a study break The 7 Most Embarrassing Proposals in Literature Dont have an account? As a result of spending so much time in Ingolstadt ignoring his family, and also as a result of the monsters depredations, Victor becomes aware of the importance of interaction with family and friends. 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