Frankenstein Study Guide:

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Frankenstein Study Guide:"

Allyson Holt
6 years ago
Views:

1 Frankenstein Study Guide: Letters: 1. How are the author of the letters and Mrs. Saville related? 2. Where is the author of the letter going? And why is he going? 3. Describe the author s surroundings in the 1 st letter. 4. How long has he been planning this trip? 5. Describe the love story told in the second letter. 6. What steps is Robert taking to secure his voyage? 7. Based on the letters what kind of a relationship would you say the author has with his sister? 8. What state was the man in when they picked him up to the boat? 9. Why wouldn t Robert let the others ask him questions? 10. What was the man doing on the ice? 11. Why is the man going to tell Robert his story? 12. What parts of the letters add to the suspense of the story? Chapter I: 1. Who is telling the story? 2. Explain the story behind the relationship of his mother and father. 3. What was his childhood like? 4. What was his relationship with Elizabeth? 5. Describe his father s character. Chapter II: 1. How were Frankenstein and Elizabeth a perfect pair? 2. What type of a person was Henry Clerval? 3. How did Victor s father encourage him to learn? 4. List the scientists he studied. 5. What was his goal in his studies? 6. Describe the incident with the lightening. 7. What do you think he means when he says Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction? Chapter III: 1. What happened just before Victor left for Ingolstadt? 2. His mother s dying wishes were what? 3. What was Victor s state of mind upon his departure? 4. How did Victor s views differ from those of M. Krempe? 5. Compare Krempe to Waldman. 6. What did Waldman say that captured Victor s attention? 7. What is it about Waldman that draws Victor in? Chapter IV: 1. In what ways did victor become obsessed? 2. Where did Victor get the bodies he studied? (This was a very common practice.) 3. What did Victor find that he was able to do? 4. Why did Victor want to make a being of gigantic stature? 5. What were the physical effects of Victor s studies? 6. How had Victor s relationships with his family changed? 7. Why was he avoiding others?

2 Chapter V: 1. Chapter V starts out in a very Gothic tradition. What is it? 2. Describe the monster that Victor created. 3. Explain Victor s nightmare. 4. What might that nightmare foreshadow? 5. What does Victor imply by his allusion to Dante? 6. How did Henry bring Victor back from despair? 7. Describe the fit Victor went into. 8. How does Victor appear to have returned to his former self? Chapter VI: 1. What has been happening at Victor s home in his absence? 2. Why is it ironic that Elizabeth mentions how the home never changes? 3. Explain the circumstances behind the emergence of Justine as a major character. 4. Why is Victor tormented by the praise of his professors? 5. Why did Victor join Henry in his studies? 6. How does it seem that Victor has fully recovered from his illness? Chapter VII: 1. What tragic news does Victor s father convey? 2. Why did Elizabeth blame herself? 3. What reason does his father give to get him to come home? 4. Explain this quote: One sudden and desolating change had taken place; but a thousand little circumstances might have by degrees worked other alterations, which, although they were done more tranquilly, might not be less decisive. 5. How does the scene outside of the carriage reflect his emotions inside? 6. Who is Victor convinced is the murderer? 7. Why didn t Victor tell his father who killed William? 8. Why is Justine being tried for the murder? 9. Explain how the tragedy of William s death is compounded in everyone s mind. Chapter VIII: 1. What was the evidence against Justine? 2. How did Elizabeth try to help? 3. Why did Justine confess? 4. How is Victor s guilt being compiled during this chapter? 5. If the trial were held today, what would Justine s fate have been? Chapter IX: 1. How did Justine s death affect Victor? 2. How was Victor s feeling for Elizabeth saving him? 3. What is foreshadowed by Victor? Even as she spoke I drew near to her, as if in terror; lest at that very moment the destroyer had been near to rob me of her. 4. Why did Victor leave? 5. How did the nature match Victor s inner turmoil? Chapter X: 1. Describe the setting in detail. 2. What emotions does this place evoke from Victor? 3. What is the symbolism behind the glacier? 4. How did Victor greet the monster?

3 5. What was the monster s response? 6. How does the monster view Victor? 7. Why does he make an allusion to Adam? 8. What does Shelley want us to feel for the monster? 9. Why does Victor give in to the monster? Chapter XI: 1. Who is now telling the story? 2. What did the monster learn in the forest? 3. How did people react to the monster? 4. Where did he take up residence? 5. What made the monster feel safe at the cottage? 6. What did he do at the cottage? Chapter XII: 1. Explain the familial relationships in the cottage. 2. How did the monster begin to help the cottagers? 3. What were the cottagers inadvertently doing to help him? 4. What is the personality of the monster? 5. Why did he not speak to the family? Chapter XIII: 1. Describe the scene of the visitor as witnessed by the monster. 2. What new things did the monster learn from Felix? 3. Why did the monster not feel that he was a man? 4. How does the monster lead in to the nature versus nurture debate? Chapter XIV: 1. Summarize the history of the family in the cottage. 2. Why is it important that we know the family s history? Chapter XV: 1. In what ways did the history of the family reflect the monster? 2. What ways did the monster question his own existence? 3. How did the monster compare to Adam? 4. What did he find in Victor s pocket? 5. How long did the monster live outside of the cottage? 6. Why did he feel comfortable with the old man, but no one else? 7. In what ways did the family seal the monster s fate when they came home? Chapter XVI: 1. What affect did the rejection have on the monster? 2. Why did the family leave the cottage? 3. What were the monster s feelings toward Victor? Why? 4. The monster faced a new rejection at the river. What was it? 5. Why did the monster kill William? 6. How did the monster inadvertently frame Justine? 7. What does the monster want Victor to do? Chapter XVII: 1. What does the monster threaten to do?

4 2. Why does Victor not want to meet the monster s request? 3. Why did Victor not kill the monster on the spot? 4. What are the monster s arguments for a wife? Chapter XVIII: 1. Why would Victor not go back to his work? 2. How was Victor still changed from his former self? 3. Why is Victor s father questioning him about Elizabeth? 4. Why did Victor not want to immediately marry Elizabeth? 5. Where did Victor intend to perform his task? Why? 6. Why is it ironic that Victor was passing beautiful scenery? 7. Based on Victor s description what can we assumed happened to Henry? Chapter XIX: 1. How is Victor changing again? 2. What path did Victor take in getting to Scotland? 3. What was Victor s fear? 4. How did the desolation of Scotland add to the despair? 5. Why did Victor not question himself? Chapter XX: 1. What are Victor s new arguments for not creating the new monster? 2. What is ironic about the following quote? You are my creator, but I am your master obey! 3. Who has the better point, the monster or Victor? 4. What horror does Victor find when he enters the lab? 5. Why did Victor decide to fight for his life in the boat? 6. What was Victor going to be questioned about? Chapter XXI: 1. How did the man die? 2. The manner of death leads the reader to think who committed the crime? 3. Who was the dead man? 4. How long was Victor sick this time? 5. How is Victor now is a similar circumstance to the monster? 6. Why is Mr. Kirwin so eager to help Victor? 7. What evidence freed Victor from prison? 8. Why did Victor want to return to Geneva? 9. What is the problem with Victor drinking laudanum? Chapter XXII: 1. Why was Victor now avoiding society? 2. How did Victor s father react to his confessions? 3. What was the purpose of Elizabeth s letter? 4. What is the one thing that the monster said that haunts Victor? What does it foreshadow? 5. What is the allusion to the apple? 6. What was Victor s response to Elizabeth? 7. Why was Victor depressed about his upcoming wedding? 8. How is the setting reflective of the event? 9. Why is Victor so terrified by the night?

5 Chapter XXIII: 1. The second paragraph of this chapter epitomizes romanticism. How? 2. Why is it ironic that Victor referred to his wedding night as dreadful, very dreadful? 3. What did Victor find when he heard Elizabeth s screams? 4. What happened to Victor after shooting the gun? 5. Why did Victor go home? 6. How did his father take the news? 7. Why do you think none of the legal officials will act? Chapter XXIV: 1. What vow does Victor make at the tomb? 2. Why did the monster not kill Victor? 3. Where has Victor followed the monster? 4. How does the monster keep him on his track? 5. What form has Victor s obsession now taken? 6. What does Victor ask Walton to vow? Letters: 1. What evidence has Walton seen that causes him to believe Victor? 2. Why would Victor not tell Walton how he made the monster? 3. What does Walton think about Victor? 4. Why is Victor fighting death? 5. What is Walton s fear? 6. What do the sailors want Walton to do? 7. How is Walton s voyage like that of Victor s? 8. How did Victor die? 9. Why is the monster mourning Victor? 10. How does Walton feel about the monster? 11. What guilt does the monster bear? 12. What is the monster going to do?

Frankenstein Reading Guide. My name is. Do not take my reading guide or I will use your body parts on my next creation.

Frankenstein Reading Guide. My name is. Do not take my reading guide or I will use your body parts on my next creation. Frankenstein Reading Guide My name is. Do not take my reading guide or I will use your body parts on my next creation. Letters 1-4 1. Who is writing Letter 1 (and all the letters)? 2. To whom is he writing?