Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

Résumé du document

This passage corresponds to a climax in the narrative. It corresponds to the birth of the creature that Victor wanted to give life to. Victor is the narrator of this passage and he has just completed his creation after two years of work. This passage is a key moment in the story and corresponds to a big change in Victor's life. Firstly, we are going to speak of the atmosphere of the passage. We can start with the setting, which is a bleak atmosphere. For example, we see that the scene takes place at night, more precisely at one o'clock, when the monster comes to life. Moreover, the weather is very bad and it is raining. At the end of the passage, I quote: "The comfortless black sky" reflects the narrator's feeling in as he stands in front of the front of the creation. Many other elements create a feeling of impending doom stressed by the monstrous appearance of the creature.

Extraits

[...] He also stresses the horrid contrast between his teeth, his hair and his complexion. Victor speaks then of the “breathless horror” which filled his heart at the sight of the creature. The names that Victor's gives to his creation reflect his repulsion. He calls the creature first a being, then a wretch, a demoniacal corpse, a mummy before referring to Dante who wrote The Inferno' so, although Victor has given life to the creature, he now associate him with the Demon and with the Death II) An anti-climax in the story We saw that this passage corresponds to a climax in the story because it describes a moment which was expected for a long time and which is crucial in the narrative. [...]

[...] III) New feeling Because of the change of the situation, new feelings fill Victor. After intense moments at work and longs expectations, we saw that he is totally disappointed and horrified. He is shocked and feels miserable because he realizes that he made a big mistake. He keeps repeating that he has created a monster and he his totally upset by this because he has never imagined that is creature could be so ugly and frightening. Victor tries to go to sleep, contrary to what he had done before. [...]

[...] To conclude, we can say that this passage is a turning point in the novel. It was supposed to be a climactic moment but it became an anti climax because the situation is totally reversed. At the beginning of the scene, when the monster came to life, Victor was filled with hope whereas at the end of the passage, he feels totally despaired and threatened. The end of the passage creates a sense of suspense because we imagine that the monster is going to pursue his creator. [...]

[...] The atmosphere First, we are going to speak of the atmosphere of the passage. We can start with the setting, which is used a bleak atmosphere. For example, we can see that the scene takes place at night, more precisely at one o'clock when the monster comes to life. Moreover, the weathers very bad : It's raining. At the end of the passage, I quote: The comfortless black reflects the narrator's feeling in front of the creation and many other elements creates a feeling of impending doom stressed by the monstrous appearance of the creature. [...]

[...] The fear of the creature is emphasized by the dreams he had. He dreamt that he kissed Elizabeth, his fiancée, after meeting her by chance in Ingolstadt, but her lips became livid with the hue of death and then her feature turned into his mothers's ones. This disturbing nightmare in which Elizabeth and his mother were associated in death and which Victor kills symbolically his fiancée by kissing her contributes to emphasized gothic atmosphere. This nightmare can be seen as a omen which announces Elizabeth death in the fourth chapter of the last volume. [...]