Introduction
Frankenstein is a book written by Mary Shelly and has three main characters. The main character is Captain Walton, who narrates most parts of the book and refers to the past experiences in his life that have shaped his present. The second character in the book is Margaret, who is identified as Walton's sister. Margaret is identified through the numerous letters that Walton writes to her throughout the book (Shelley 1)). Through such letters, the author builds the content of the book and makes Walton the narrator. The third character in the book is Victor Frankenstein, who speaks about his experiences in the Arctic. Frankenstein keeps narrating about his life as well as the Arctic experiences to Walton. Thus, since Margaret is not given centrality in narration, just like Frankenstein, the position of narration is given to Captain Walton.
The novel begins with Walton's letters to his sister Margaret. As the story flows, the viewpoint shifts to Victor Frankenstein. Walton had met Frankenstein while wandering in the Arctic. The stranger seems disturbed during their meeting, and his look is desperate and rugged. Walton even questions his sanity. Nonetheless, Walton comes to appreciate the experiences of Frankenstein. When it gets to the point where the stranger talks about meeting a monster, the author shifts the narration to the monster. Even though Victor and Walton expect the monster to be violent, inhuman, and barbaric, the author presents the monster to be a very intelligent creature (Shelley 142). After the narration of the monster and the humane signs of the love of compassion, Shelly shifts the narration to Victor, who completes his explanations. Towards the end, the author gives Walton the final narration, and this makes Walton the main narrator.
The Creation Scene
In Chapters three to five, it is the narration of victor and the monster. The chapters show Victor's journey to the tragedy that he cannot see. He seems to be determined in the pursuit of something he barely understands. Victor had hoped that the creation story would be a scientific one. However, from the narration of the monster, it is revealed that the creation story is a grotesque one. Victor experiences nightmares that show his wandering in the Arctic is a gothic one. It is also through the nightmares that the death of Elisabeth is foreseen.
Victor and the monster mostly narrate the chapters. In the nightmares, Victor sees Elisabeth's images as "livid with the hue of death," which foretell to the audience the eventual death of Elisabeth. Therefore, the readers could use Elisabeth's eventual death to the creation of the monster that Victor meets later on. Thus, Victor is encouraged by his pursuit for science which he thinks he will find the truth when he says, "In other studies, you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder" (Shelly Chapter 4, 1).
Victor goes on with his desire for the unknown darkness in scientific research. It is also through the search that he meets Captain Walton. On his part, Walton sought for the unknown in the region of the North Pole. Thus, Victor remains secretive about his scientific experiment and refuses to heed pieces of advice from previous researchers and his family or friends. The revelations of the monster about the death of Elisabeth. He expected the monster to be harmful, but instead, he is calm and intelligent. The monster speaks in parables by saying, "I go, but I shall be with you on your wedding-night" (Shelly 142). In this case, the monster speaks about killing Elisabeth on the very night that Victor shall marry her.
The Difference Between the Creation Scene in the Book and in the 1931 Film
The scene of creation in the book differs from what the author presents in the film Victor Frankenstein. The film differs from the book such that in the former, Victor has an assistant. The role of the assistant is to invoke unrealistic thoughts of murder in the brain of a person. However, this idea is not part of the original book that Shelly had written. While the film features windmills in paragraph 4 of the creation story, the book does not mention any windmills. According to the film, Victor forms a creature that moves around, mowing like a cow. In contrast, the context of the book does not apply such sounds from the creature. Lastly, the film features Victor as a proud person who boasts about the creature he has made. In contrast, the book presents Victor as a very secretive person whose boastful experience is not seen.
What makes Frankenstein as Bildungsroman?
Bildungsroman is a German term used to refer to the process of acquiring education. It is also a term used to refer to growth. In this case, it refers to Victor's growth from a dreaming scientist to an experienced one. Despite urges from family and friends, his scientific appeal and knowledge help him in the recreation of other living creatures by stitching together the parts of dead bodies. Thus Victor has knowledge about science and creation through which he gets to mold creatures from dead bodies.
How is the Monster Educated?
When the monster is animated, the author portrays it as formless and void, one that lacks knowledge or understanding about its surroundings or other creatures. However, it is later on revealed that the monster is not as black as it seems. Instead, it is aware of the fact that it is naked. Since it is Victor who created it, it learns that there is a need to put on some clothes before leaving the Frankenstein laboratory. When Victor is pleased with his new creation, the monster also deduces this reaction. Thus, as it leaves, it promises to be back on Victor's wedding night. The author associates the monster with the biblical Adam and Eve before their fall from God's grace. The awareness of nakedness speaks about the monster's sense of humanity. Lastly, the fact that the created monster has the ability to destroy lives makes it possible for him to feel guilty for his own being.
How does the film The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) depict the education of the Monster?
The Bride of Frankenstein features the monster as a supernatural being. The monster also appears to have the power to manipulate the rest of the people. While the original book features the monster as a male, this film portrays the monster as a female. The blindness of the groom makes him fall in love with a monster. Towards the end, the book is branded 'one wedding and numerous deaths".
Where do Victor and the Monster end in the Novel
Victor eventually dies in regret. He feels like he should have destroyed the monster before allowing it to destroy him. In contrast, the monster feels guilty about the killings and decides to commit suicide.
Definition of Terms
Universal Studios refers to an American filming company owned and directed by Comcast under the NBC label. The hollow earth theory states that the earth is void or empty or may contain internal space underneath. James Whale is an American film director and a producer of "The Bride of Frank Einstein."
