| Passage |
Page # |
Analysis |
| “At these moments I wept bitterly, and wished that peace would revisit my mind only that I might afford them consolation and happiness. But that could not be. Remorse extinguished every hope.” |
62 |
Frankenstein laments on the deaths of William and Justine, blaming himself for what happened. He feels as though all good has left him and that he will never feel content again. He also knows how remorse afflict one differently than grief, and is allowing it to consume him for he sees it as his punishment for creating the monster that killed William. He suffers for his family as well, despairing that he cannot console Elizabeth or his father due to his crushing regret. |
| “How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favorable eye upon thy creature, who implores thy goodness and compassion? Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone?” |
69 |
We become aware that Adam, created by Frankenstein, is not just a hollow shell powered by science. Adam has feelings, desires, and morality. He is suffering because there is no one else like him, and all of humankind sees him as a monster to be killed. Adam has the ability to be good, to be compassionate, and to care. However the crushing sense of isolation he feels drives him towards anger, and he begs Frankenstein to alleviate the pain and see Adam as a human, not a beast.
|
| “This trait of kindness moved me sensibly. I had been accustomed, during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption; but when I found that in doing this I inflicted pain on the cottagers, I abstained, and satisfied myself with berries, nuts, and roots, which I gathered from a neighboring wood.” |
78 |
This is further evidence that Adam is a creature of compassion and humanity, he cares about others and wants to help them. Refraining from stealing food has no benefit to him, if anything it is a detriment, a self sacrifice even. It further reflects on Adam’s desire to fit in and be accepted by others. He does not want to become the monster everyone thinks he is, he wants to be human. |
| “For a long time I could not conceive how one man could go forth to murder his fellow, or even why there were laws and governments; but when I heard details of vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased, and I turned away with disgust and loathing.” |
84 |
This appears to be a statement on the frequent inability for humans to care about others. Shelly sees these bloody acts throughout history as inhumane, so terrible that even Adam, who is seen by humans as a monster, turns away in disgust. Shelly appears to be calling us hypocrites for attacking Adam when humans commit worse atrocities and call them victories. |
| “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.” |
101 |
After being shot for saving a drowning girl, Adam is consumed by anger, and becomes the sole thing he tried to prevent. He sees humans as unforgiving and cruel, feeling as though a great injustice has been done to him. He is born into a world that despises him for existing, even his creator looks upon him with disgust and wishes to destroy him. |
| “I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind? You, my creator, would tear me to pieces and triumph; remember that, and tell me why I should pity man more than he pities me?” |
104 |
Adam is calling out the hypocrisy of Frankenstein’s statement, why should he treat humans in a way that they refuse to treat him? He is seen as a blight rather than a living being, and his sole purpose is seen as destruction, rather than to simply live a good life. It seems as though Adam is not truly to blame for his misdeeds, rather his creator and all those who spite him are the cause. |
| “I saw an insurmountable barrier placed between me and my fellow-men;This barrier was sealed with the blood of William and Justine, and to reflect on the events connected with those names filled my soul with anguish.” |
115 |
Frankenstein feels as though he has crossed into a world of despair that he can never escape from. He cannot find repentance, for there is none to gain, and feels cut off from the rest of the world, much like Adam. It’s ironic that the creator of the outcast being becomes what he created, and what he despises. Yet, does Frankenstein know what he has become and is simply accepting his fate as his punishment? |
| “I felt as if I had committed some great crime, the consciousness of which haunted me. I was guitless, but I had indeed drawn down a horrible curse upon my head, as mortal as that of crime.” |
118 |
It appears that Frankenstein’s grief is a continual theme throughout the novel. Shelly’s writing about the feelings of remorse and grief may stem from her deep depression after the death of three of her children shortly after birth. Much like Frankenstein Shelly may have felt as though she had committed an unknown sin that condemned her to undergo such tragic events, much like Frankenstein did on the deaths of William and Justine. Is Adam a symbol of death in the novel? |
| “Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master;-obey!” |
122 |
After Frankenstein is seen destroying what would have become the bride of Adam, he is confronted. Here the tables are turned on Frankenstein. Adam controls him, and is becoming the monster that everyone sees him as. Does this switch of control a signal of the end of Dr. Frankenstein? The statement seems to be the catalyst for the final act of Frankenstein’s life, and perhaps Adam’s as well. Is Adam planning to kill himself and Frankenstein out of revenge on not only the doctor but humanity as well? |
| “Scoffing devil! Again do I vow vengeance; again to I devote thee, miserable fiend, to torture and death. Never will I give up my search, until either he or I perish; and then with what ecstasy shall I join my Elizabeth and my departed friends.” |
152 |
Adam has achieved his revenge, and Frankenstein now has vowed to end him, and will likely commit suicide either by Adam’s hands or his own. However, a question still lingers, who is the real monster? In the end, both the creator and the creation have lost their sense of being, and are caught in a vengeful battle that will only end in bloodshed. |
Comments (9)
Sharon Murchie said
at 11:16 am on Aug 7, 2019
It's interesting that you refer to the monster as Adam, when he actually isn't named. But the idea, "I ought to be your Adam" definitely connects the idea of the creator and the created, much like the Christian idea of God and man. What is God's responsibility to his creation? Is this what the monster is alluding to?
Sam Sanderson said
at 5:23 pm on Aug 7, 2019
I felt as though the monster had named itself Adam, as a desire to become normal or fit in, and I feel as though he should have been treated as a human rather than a monster, as that would have likely prevented the atrocities he committed. It also was helpful in addressing the points related to his desire to be like a human and not be lonely. I agree with the creator/creation aspect, with Frankenstein being the one responsible for his creation's actions.
20mdiedr@... said
at 8:36 pm on Aug 13, 2019
Yeah it's interesting that you think he named himself Adam, I didn't think of that but that's pretty interesting.
Sam Sanderson said
at 9:26 pm on Aug 15, 2019
I feel as though had he been treated more as a person and less than a malevolent entity, Adam would have easily assimilated into society and become a benevolent person. However, no one except the blind man and Frankenstein, who despised Adam from the beginning so in a way he doesn't count, listened to Adam and even for the blind man he had to pretend he was something else.
Marco De Leon said
at 12:03 am on Aug 15, 2019
Regarding your analysis on page 84, I think a big part of the story was to make us question how human we are. The monster, who is a monster, acts very rationally and even morally in the early parts of his life. Victor on the other hand only wants to kill the monster.
Sam Sanderson said
at 9:29 pm on Aug 15, 2019
I agree, it seems as though the roles are switched, and it calls into question a lot of presumptions we often make about people based on their appearance or demeanor, and that we should give them a chance instead of writing them off right from the start.
Tyler Wargo said
at 10:26 pm on Aug 15, 2019
I totally totally agree with your quote on page 104. He hates because he's only been shown hatred. He equates himself with the feeling and acting upon of death as such because that's how he's been molded and told by society. The times that he has been shown love and compassion from other human beings has been met with the cold stick of betrayal and fear.
Sam Sanderson said
at 10:29 pm on Aug 15, 2019
In a way it seems as though this molding into hatred by society is due solely to the actions of others, and not the creations personal behavior. It asks the question of if we were in this situation, would we also turn to a life of hatred and spite against the world that rejects us?
Sam Sanderson said
at 10:30 pm on Aug 15, 2019
creation's (grammar edit)
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