Name Period

Frankenstein

Letters 1-4

  1. Who is R. Walton and why is he writing to his sister?
  2. What did R. Walton love to read about when he was a boy?
  3. What career did R. Walton pursue unsuccessfully for a year before inheriting his cousin’s fortune?
  4. What does R. Walton tell his sister is the “one want which [he has] never yet been able to satisfy?” (p. 4 HRW, p. 5 Perma-bound)
  1. Why did R. Walton decide to hire the man who is now master of the ship?
  1. What strange sight do R. Walton and his men see with their telescopes as they wait for the fog to clear?
  1. What is odd about the stranger’s asking where the ship is going before consenting to come on board?
  1. What does the stranger answer when asked why he had come so far on the ice?
  1. What is it about the stranger that Captain Walton finds so interesting and appealing?
  1. What is it about the Captain that makes the stranger so gloomy and upset?
  1. Prediction: What will the stranger’s story be about?

Chapters 1-4

12. Whose relationship is the stranger describing when he says, “He strove to shelter her, as a fair exotic is sheltered by the gardener . . .”? (p. 19 HRW, p. 21 Perma-bound)

13. How did the stranger’s parents treat him when he was a child?

14. Why did the peasant family raise Elizabeth—and why did they give her up?

15. To what native country do Victor’s parents return to raise their children?

16. Who is Victor’s close boyhood friend?

  1. What discovery does Victor make in Chapter 4 that pertains to the study of life and death?

Chapter 5

  1. Describe the gothic elements in Chapter 5.
  1. What is Victor’s reaction when his creation comes to life?
  1. Victor describes his creation as a monster. But what is a monster?
  1. Who shows up unexpectedly to visit Victor?
  1. What does Victor discover when he goes back to his room?

Chapter 6

  1. Who is Justine Moritz?
  1. According to Chapters 5 and 6, what qualities are valued in women? Men?

25. What is Victor’s new attitude toward natural philosophy?

Chapter 7

  1. Who is dead?

Chapters 8-10

  1. Why does it look as if Justine committed the murder?
  1. What does Elizabeth say to the court in Justine’s defense?
  1. Why does Justine confess and what is the result?
  1. “When I reflected on his crimes . . . I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak of the Andes, could I when there have precipitated him to their base.” How does Victor feel about his creation—and why doesn’t he hunt down the creature? (p. 79 HRW, p. 87 Perma-bound)
  1. Where does Victor next see the creature and why doesn’t he take the opportunity to destroy his creation?
  1. What deal does the creature make with Victor?

Chapters 11-14

  1. What does the creature tell Victor about how he spent the first weeks of his life?
  1. Briefly describe the cottagers living next to the creature’s refuge.
  1. Write down one or two sentences that show the creature’s positive feelings toward the cottagers as he observes them.
  1. Why are the cottagers unhappy?
  1. List three favors the creature does for the cottagers.
  1. How does the creature learn to read?
  1. How does the creature learn what he looks like?
  1. Prediction: How will the cottagers react when they lay eyes on the monster/creature?
  2. Why does Felix cheer up in the spring?
  1. How does the creature learn the cottagers’ language?
  1. What nationality are the cottagers?
  1. How did the DeLacey family lose their money?

Chapter 15

  1. Name the three books the creature finds.
  1. To which book does the creature react the strongest?
  1. Discussion Question (be prepared to discuss in class): The creature states,

“Whence did I come?” Is that a question we all ask ourselves at some point in our lives? Why is it so important to know where you come from?

  1. Explain the allusion on pp. 118-119 HRW, p. 132 Perma-bound.
  1. What decision does the creature make concerning approaching the cottagers?
  1. Describe the events that occur when the creature finally enters the cottage.

Chapters 16-20

Chapter 16

  1. What does the creature discover when he returns to the cottage to try to win the favor of the old man even after frightening the family?
  1. How does the creature react to the despair he feels after making this discovery (#51)?

53. What makes the creature feel better after he leaves the cottage?

54. What happens when the creature helps the girl?

55. Describe the next encounter the creature has.

56. Opinion: Considering all he’s been through, are any of the creature’s actions justified, or at least understandable?

57. What request does the creature have for Victor?

Chapter 17

  1. What does the creature promise to do if Victor creates a companion for him?
  1. Opinion: How reasonable is the creature’s request?

Chapter 18

  1. What does Victor’s father think is the reason for Victor’s melancholy?
  1. Why does Victor want to go to England?

Chapter 19

  1. Where does Victor go to create the companion? (Be specific. A country is not enough)

Chapter 20

  1. Give four reasons Victor wants to destroy the companion.
  1. Where (which country) does Victor land after being lost at sea?

Chapter 21-Walton, In Continuation

  1. In the country where Victor lands after being lost at sea (#64), who is found dead, and how does this person die?
  1. How is Victor’s reaction to this person’s death like his reaction when the creature is brought to life?
  1. Who is Mr. Kirwin and how does he treat Victor?
  2. What is the contrast in mood between Victor’s father and his bride on the day that Victor and Elizabeth get married?
  1. What do you think would have happened if Victor had given the female to the creature and let them go on their way?
  1. When Victor hears his bride scream, “the whole truth rushe[s] into [his] mind.” Briefly explain what he realizes.
  1. How does Victor’s father react to the news that Elizabeth is dead?
  1. Why does Victor describe the creature to the magistrate?
  1. Why does Victor travel for several months after Elizabeth’s murder?
  1. Why does the creature sometimes leave Victor messages about where to find food?
  1. What does Victor ask Walton to promise if Victor dies while the creatures still lives?
  1. What are Victor’s and Walton’s reactions when the men make their demand to return home?
  1. How does the creature react when he finds Victor dead?
  1. Why doesn’t Walton kill the creature?
  1. At the end of the novel, what does the creature say he is going to do?

Mr. Harris, English IV, Frankenstein study guide questions