Frankenstein - Weintraub

Elizabeth Was Adopted

1 CE

One day Victor and his mother (Caroline Beaufort) came across an orphan named Elizabeth who's German mother died during birth. They saw her as a beautiful girl and decided to adopt her. pg. 34

Beaufort Dies

1 CE

Beaufort was a dear friend of Victor's father who grew into poverty and became ill. After several months, Caroline's father, Beaufort, became worse and died in his daughter's arms, leaving Caroline as an orphan. pg. 32

Chapters

Period: 1 CE to 24

Victor Witnesses Tree Struck By Lightning

2

This event is extremely significant as it marks a turning point when Victor starts to become interested in natural science. (pg. 40)

Victor Becomes Close With Clerval

2

Victor assimilates himself with Clerval as they both share the same childhood ambitions of adventure, enterprise, leadership, and even danger. (page 37)

Victor's Mom Dies

3

Victor's mom caught scarlet fever and tells Victor that he should marry Elizabeth. (page 42)

Victor Goes to School

3

When Victor goes to school, his professor tells him that the texts he is reading and studying are garbage. This influences him even more to dig deeper int natural science in which he discovers his passion to try to animate dead matter. (page 45)

Victor Forms His Plan To Create the Monster

4

Victor, driven by ambition and studies, decides to experiment on dug up human remains and use electricity to create his monster.(pages 50-51)

Victor Becomes Ill

4

During his process in creating the monster, Victor becomes weak and ill both in the physical and mental state. He is so absorbed in his ambition to create his monster that he blocks out everything else and becomes extremely physically drained. (page 52)

Clerval Comes to Study

5

Clerval pays a visit to Victor and soon realizes how consumed he is in making his monster. Clerval tries to help Victor with his illness and takes care of him. (pg 58-59)

Victor Actually Creates His Monster

5

Victor Frankenstein begins to build his monster. He eventually finishes, but when he does, he realizes what a mistake he made and how too driven he was in completing, and becoming popular with his invention. He is scared of his monster's appearance and storms out of his lab. (pages 60-61)

Character Development 1-5

5

In chapter 1, Victor is portrayed as an innocent kid and romanticizes with Elizabeth. He then in chapters 2-3 becomes very intrigued by science and goes to school to study it. While at school, in chapter 4, he becomes obsessed and super driven by ambition to create his monster that he isolates himself and becomes "unstable". In chapter 5, Victor is very scared at his creation, realizes what he has done, and starts to regain his sanity.

Clerval is introduced to the Professors

6

"One of my first duties ... was to introduce Clerval to the several professors of the university" pg.65

Elizabeth has some concerns for Victor

6

"Clerval writes that indeed you are getting better ... I eagerly hope that you will confirm this" pg. 62

Alphonse's Letter

7

Victor receives a letter from his father telling him about the of Victor's younger brother. Henry then looks at the letter and wonders what Victor should do next. (pg 69-71)
"William is dead! that sweet child, whose smiles jelighted and warmed my heart, who was gentle, yet so gay! Victor, he is murdered!" (pg 69)

Home of the Accused

7

"I was firmly convinced in my own mind that Justine, and indeed every human being was guiltless of the crime" (pg 77)

Elizabeth and Victor visit Justine

8

" I did confess, but I confessed a lie. I confessed, that I might obtain absolution; but now that falsehood lies heavier at my heart than all my other sins. The God of heaven forgive me! Ever since I was condemned, my confessor has besieged me; he has threatened and menaced, until I almost began to think that I was the monster he said I was." (pg. 83)

Trial of Justine

8

Justine admits to being guilty of killing william. " Justine was called on for her defence. As the trial proceeded, her countenance had altered "
pg 79 

Victor finds comfort with nature

9

"My wanderings were directed towards the valley of Chamounix" pg.90

Victor considers __

9

"Dear Victor, banish these dark passions remember the friends around you, who centre all their hopes in you..." (Pg89)

Creature finds Victor

10

"As I said this I suddenly beheld the figure of a man, at some distance, advancing towards me with superhuman speed." (Pg. 94)

Creature convinces Victor to hear his story

10

"I demand this from you. Hear my tale; it is long and strange, and the temperature of this place is not fitting to your fine sensations; come to the hut upon the mountain." (Pg. 97)

Monster finds the family

11

"The family, after having been thus occupied for a short time, extinguished their lights and retired, as I conjectured, to rest." Pg. 104

Monster finds fire

11

"I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it." Pg. 99

Understanding the human nature

12

Upon seeing the family, he begins to question why they act the way they do and why they seem unhappy. 
"They were not entirely happy." (Page 105)

Wood Gatherer

12

After the creature realizes that the family that he is stealing from is in fact being saddened by their poverty the creature helps Felix by gathering wood and putting it on their doorstep so that Felix won't have to do it. "they placed food before the old man when they reserved none for themselves." (Page 106)

Monster learns the language

13

"While I improved in speech I also learned the Science of letters as it was taught to the stranger, and this opened before me a wide field for wonder and delight." (Page: 113)

Safie escaped slavery

13

"Felix seemed ravished with delight when he saw her, every trait of sorrow vanished from his face and it instantly expressed a degree of ecstatic joy." (Page: 112)

Victor Character Development 6-14

14

In these chapters, they are mainly focused on the monster's character development into the real world, but Victor was affected by it as well. As a result of the monster being created, Victor enters a phase of guilt, regret, and shame, as he has created a so called killing machine. He witnesses his loved ones getting murdered, and feels responsible for it. He transitioned from a rather hopeful yet isolated character, to a fearful one.

Frankensteins Monster tells about how Safies father was sentenced to death

14

"The father of Safie had been the cause of their ruin... for some reason which I could not learn, he became obnoxious to the government" (116)

Monster finds Victor's journal

15

The monster finds some journal entries in his pocket as he took the clothes from Victor. He realizes Victor was totally grossed out by his creation which amplifies the monster's feelings of isolations and dangerous knowledge. (pages 124-125)

Monster runs into William

16

The monster after being shot at, makes his way to Geneva and runs into William, Victor's younger brother, who reacts similarly to Victor in which the monster strangles him. (pages 135-136)

Monster wants a girlfriend

17

The monster approaches Victor and asks him to make a female monster as it will make him less evil because of being lonely made him a "monster". (page 139)

Victor goes to create second monster

18

Victor goes off to England after arranging with his father to leave for 2 years and is focused on creating the second monster. (pages 145-150)

Victor isolates himself again

19

Victor decides to go to the Orkneys to make the second monster alone where he can spend time with his guilt and thoughts about what destruction might happen by making a second monster. (page 156)

Victor realizes what might happen by making a second monster

20

Victor, in isolation, realizes the new monster will have free-will and might not like the old monster, and visa versa. The opposite might occur where the two make monster babies. Not good. With this Victor destroys his work, dumps the remains in the ocean, and sets sail to a nearby town. (pages 160-163)

Victor Character Development 15-20

20

Victor's character development in the last 5 chapters shifted, as he has gradually become more aware of his surroundings, and not just acting upon ambition, rather than intellect.

Victor is treated as person of high status and not given the natural response of someone accused of murder.

21

"I soon learned that Mr.Kirwin had shown me extreme kindness. He had caused the best room in the prison to be prepared for me." (pg.170)
Unjust Society

Victor knows what really happened to William, Justine and Henry.

22

"I am the cause of this- I murdered her. William, Justine, and Henry- They all died by my hands." (pg 176)
Victor has dangerous knowledge about the monster and how he caused the deaths of William, Justine and Henry.
Dangerous Knowledge

The creature kills Elizabeth on their wedding night.

23

The creature shows his monstrosity by killing the person that Victor loved the most. "She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head hanging down and her pale and distorted features half covered by her hair." (Pg.186)
Monstrosity

Victor Character Development 21-24

24

Victor's character changes in these chapters as he went from worry to grief. He began to worry about his monster and the destructions it brought, but once it killed Elizabeth on their wedding night, he began to mourn and grieve. By this point, the monster has slaughtered everyone Victor cares about, and as a result of his tires, Victor did, leaving the monster with nothing.

The monster feels isolated once Victor dies.

24

"But soon I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt." (page 211) The monster has hated his creator for so long that when the reality of his creator dying hit him, he realized the wrong that he had done and that he was now truly alone.
Alienation and Isolation