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koopacaleb 's review for:
Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
by Mary Shelley
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Intro
This is another book that I definitely read in high school/middle school but didn't really remember all of it. I can see why it is read in so many classrooms, there are so many deep themes in this book, especially about the nature of man. This is also one of the first science fiction books so that's a huge achievement by Mary Shelley. This book obviously holds up decently well, we see so many different depictions of Frankenstein's Monster in modern pop culture.
Plot Overview
I like how this story is told. The story of Frankenstein is being told by a mysterious man who was found by a crew captained by a Mr. Walton. He is on a journey to find a path to the America's via the North Sea around the North Pole. This stranger was found on a sheet of ice and they brought him in. He seemed very reluctant to tell his story but is now ready. So the rest of the story is actually Captain Walton's recollection of the man's narration. I just really like how this is set up.
Frankenstein was a very ambitious and smart young man who grew up in Geneva. He eventually goes off to college to pursue his studies. While there he becomes obsessed with the idea of bringing something back to life. He completely throws himself into this idea, hardly doing anything other than studying and trying these experiments. He eventually succeeds and creates a horrible monster that is an amalgamation of mismatched human parts. This monster is taller, larger, and much grosser than any human being. Upon seeing his monster actually move and come to life Frankenstein is immediately overcome with fear and disgust and flees. By the time he comes back the monster has disappeared but Frankenstein falls into a sickness form these harsh emotions.
Once he gains his health back he heads back to his hometown of Geneva. When he gets there he finds that his youngest brother has been strangled to death. Upon hearing the story Frankenstein immediately assumes that his monster did this terrible task. He mourns for a long time before eventually taking a trip up into the mountains to clear his mind. While up there he encounters the monster who surprisingly speaks intelligently and takes Frankenstein so the monster can tell his side of the story.
After being created, the monster went around the wilderness for awhile before eventually coming upon a country home where he stayed and silently stalked a small family. From watching this family through cracks in the wall he learned literature, philosophy and all kinds of other things. He eventually builds up the courage to try to introduce himself to them. This goes terribly wrong as they freak out over his grotesque figure and they flee. This pisses the monster off and he goes to Geneva. While there he happens across Frankenstein's brother out by himself. The monster thinks since he is a child he wont' be so harsh in his judgement. He was wrong, the brother starts screaming and the monster decides to strangle him to death.
The monster is mad at Frankenstein for making him such an ugly creature and now has one request for the scientists. He wants Frankenstein to make him a female counterpart with whom he can spend the rest of his days with. He promises that they'll go somewhere no humans will ever find them and live peacefully after this. Frankenstein reluctantly agrees and leave the castle.
He eventually makes a trip to England where he plans to carry out this task with his friend Henry Clerval. While making the female counterpart he comes to the realization that he has no guarantee that this monster won't turn out evil. The first monster has shown itself to rageful and vengeful and who's to say they're actually going to stay away from humans. He destroys his work when the original monster comes in absolutely livid. He basically promises to make Frankenstein's life a living hell.
He accomplishes this. He kills Henry, then Elizabeth, Frankenstein's recent wife, which in turn kills Frankenstein's father. Frankenstein goes on a quest to chase down his terrible monster and is set to kill him before he himself dies. He follows him all the way to the arctic where he is found sick by Walton's crew.
After the telling of the story Frankenstein succumbs to his sickness and dies. One night Walton goes where Frankenstein's body is to find the monster standing over him. The monster goes on a speech about how he really is a monster and now that his creator is dead he realizes all of the destruction he has caused and promises to go die at the North Pole all alone and escapes out of the ship.
My Opinion
I really like how the themes in this book present themselves. It starts off by showing you that with great passion you can accomplish anything, immediately followed by the fact that passion can overcome you and block your broader vision of the world. Not to mention the idea that one shouldn't "play God" and try to make life.
My favorite section is where Frankenstein's Monster is explaining how he kind of gained consciousness and how he stalked that family and learned. It really made you sympathize for the monster and he has some valid points. He didn't ask to be brought into this world looking so unfit for human eyes. I don't think murdering an innocent child was the right call there, but Frankenstein does owe it to him to pay him back in some way, but he doesn't take any accountability for that.
The monster's nature also shows you the impact that prejudice, isolation, and no family can have on an individual. He started out as an optimistic creature but soon turned into a murderous vengeful machine with his mind set on nothing else except to ruin Frankenstein's life.
Closure
When you look closer at this book you see so many deep themes. Mary Shelley made an overall easy to follow story into something so philosophical with many though-provoking topics. The lesson's about "flying too close to the sun" and how passion can overtake you are some of my favorites from this book. "It’s a haunting reminder that just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should."
This is another book that I definitely read in high school/middle school but didn't really remember all of it. I can see why it is read in so many classrooms, there are so many deep themes in this book, especially about the nature of man. This is also one of the first science fiction books so that's a huge achievement by Mary Shelley. This book obviously holds up decently well, we see so many different depictions of Frankenstein's Monster in modern pop culture.
Plot Overview
I like how this story is told. The story of Frankenstein is being told by a mysterious man who was found by a crew captained by a Mr. Walton. He is on a journey to find a path to the America's via the North Sea around the North Pole. This stranger was found on a sheet of ice and they brought him in. He seemed very reluctant to tell his story but is now ready. So the rest of the story is actually Captain Walton's recollection of the man's narration. I just really like how this is set up.
Frankenstein was a very ambitious and smart young man who grew up in Geneva. He eventually goes off to college to pursue his studies. While there he becomes obsessed with the idea of bringing something back to life. He completely throws himself into this idea, hardly doing anything other than studying and trying these experiments. He eventually succeeds and creates a horrible monster that is an amalgamation of mismatched human parts. This monster is taller, larger, and much grosser than any human being. Upon seeing his monster actually move and come to life Frankenstein is immediately overcome with fear and disgust and flees. By the time he comes back the monster has disappeared but Frankenstein falls into a sickness form these harsh emotions.
Once he gains his health back he heads back to his hometown of Geneva. When he gets there he finds that his youngest brother has been strangled to death. Upon hearing the story Frankenstein immediately assumes that his monster did this terrible task. He mourns for a long time before eventually taking a trip up into the mountains to clear his mind. While up there he encounters the monster who surprisingly speaks intelligently and takes Frankenstein so the monster can tell his side of the story.
After being created, the monster went around the wilderness for awhile before eventually coming upon a country home where he stayed and silently stalked a small family. From watching this family through cracks in the wall he learned literature, philosophy and all kinds of other things. He eventually builds up the courage to try to introduce himself to them. This goes terribly wrong as they freak out over his grotesque figure and they flee. This pisses the monster off and he goes to Geneva. While there he happens across Frankenstein's brother out by himself. The monster thinks since he is a child he wont' be so harsh in his judgement. He was wrong, the brother starts screaming and the monster decides to strangle him to death.
The monster is mad at Frankenstein for making him such an ugly creature and now has one request for the scientists. He wants Frankenstein to make him a female counterpart with whom he can spend the rest of his days with. He promises that they'll go somewhere no humans will ever find them and live peacefully after this. Frankenstein reluctantly agrees and leave the castle.
He eventually makes a trip to England where he plans to carry out this task with his friend Henry Clerval. While making the female counterpart he comes to the realization that he has no guarantee that this monster won't turn out evil. The first monster has shown itself to rageful and vengeful and who's to say they're actually going to stay away from humans. He destroys his work when the original monster comes in absolutely livid. He basically promises to make Frankenstein's life a living hell.
He accomplishes this. He kills Henry, then Elizabeth, Frankenstein's recent wife, which in turn kills Frankenstein's father. Frankenstein goes on a quest to chase down his terrible monster and is set to kill him before he himself dies. He follows him all the way to the arctic where he is found sick by Walton's crew.
After the telling of the story Frankenstein succumbs to his sickness and dies. One night Walton goes where Frankenstein's body is to find the monster standing over him. The monster goes on a speech about how he really is a monster and now that his creator is dead he realizes all of the destruction he has caused and promises to go die at the North Pole all alone and escapes out of the ship.
My Opinion
I really like how the themes in this book present themselves. It starts off by showing you that with great passion you can accomplish anything, immediately followed by the fact that passion can overcome you and block your broader vision of the world. Not to mention the idea that one shouldn't "play God" and try to make life.
My favorite section is where Frankenstein's Monster is explaining how he kind of gained consciousness and how he stalked that family and learned. It really made you sympathize for the monster and he has some valid points. He didn't ask to be brought into this world looking so unfit for human eyes. I don't think murdering an innocent child was the right call there, but Frankenstein does owe it to him to pay him back in some way, but he doesn't take any accountability for that.
The monster's nature also shows you the impact that prejudice, isolation, and no family can have on an individual. He started out as an optimistic creature but soon turned into a murderous vengeful machine with his mind set on nothing else except to ruin Frankenstein's life.
Closure
When you look closer at this book you see so many deep themes. Mary Shelley made an overall easy to follow story into something so philosophical with many though-provoking topics. The lesson's about "flying too close to the sun" and how passion can overtake you are some of my favorites from this book. "It’s a haunting reminder that just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should."