FRANKENSTEIN TIME WITH ALLIE: Chapter 19 and 20 Analysis

SUMMARY/ANALYSIS:

Victor and Clerval arrive in London in October. Victor continues to despair, avoiding people unless they have information that can help him create a second monster.  Clerval, in contrast, is how Victor used to be: excited by learning and wanting to meet and talk to everyone.  Clerval’s innocence contrasts with Victor and shows the joy and delight Victor’s ambition cost him. 

Victor and Clerval travel to Scotland.  There, Victor leaves Clerval with a friend and travels on alone.  He goes to a remote island in the Orkney’s, sets up a lab, and works in solitude on his secret project.  Once again Victor isolates himself from society. Whenever he does this, he makes bad, reckless decisions that cause disaster.  One night in his lab, Victor worries that the new creature he’s creating might refuse to live away from humans, or that the two monsters might produce a “race of devils.” Just then he looks up and sees the monster “grinning” at the window. Overwhelmed by loathing, Victor destroys his work. Outside, the monster howls in agony, and disappears.  The monster might have been grinning in joy at the sight of its companion. But Victor’s superficial prejudice is too powerful. He once again betrays the monster’s trust and sentences it to permanent isolation.  Hours later, the monster returns to Victor’s lab. It now refers to Victor only as “Man” and vows revenge. It promises: “I shall be with you on your wedding night.” Victor thinks the monster means to kill him on that night, and fears for Elizabeth left alone as a widow.  The monster now sees Victor as its enemy, as “Man,” and vows revenge. Victor’s fear for his own life shows he doesn’t understand the monster’s true misery: isolation.  A letter soon arrives from Clerval suggesting they resume their travels. Victor gathers up his laboratory materials and rows out into the ocean to dump them. Victor is so happy he takes a nap in his boat. But he wakes into rough weather and can’t get back to shore. Just as he begins to panic, the winds ease.  Victor panics in the boat because he fears being cut off from land, from human society. It is the same fear as the monster’s, but Victor’s prejudice doesn’t let him recognize it.  When Victor lands a group of angry townspeople gathers around his boat. He’s a suspect in a murder that occurred the previous night, and sent to meet with Mr. Kirwin, a local magistrate.  A cliffhanger ending; it seems likely the monster has already taken some revenge, but how?

MAJOR THEM ALERT!

REVENGE!!!!!!!

In taking revenge, two things happen to the monster. First, it ensures that it will never be accepted in human society. Second, because by taking revenge the monster eliminates any hope of ever joining human society, which is what it really wants, revenge becomes the only thing it has. As the monster puts it, revenge became “dearer than light or food.”