Frankenstein Chapter 9 Pdf

[Katina Piccirilli]

Frankensteinor, The Modern Prometheus tells a story of a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in a unique experiment. Published in 1818, a novel by Mary Shelley was the first sci-fi novel. Featuring atmosphere of Gothic horror, the novel has had a considerable influence on literature and on popular culture.

The atmosphere of the rainy Swiss Alps where Shelley has begun her work on Frankenstein set the dark and ghostly tone to the novel. During cold evenings of summer 1816, Shelley and her friends sat around the fire and amused themselves with German ghost stories. These folk tales, along with the majestic Switzerland scenery, inspired the author and defined the genre of Frankenstein.

The novel begins with a series of letters written by Robert Walton to his sister, Margarette Saville. From the first letter, the reader learns that Robert is about to embark on a voyage to the North Pole. He writes about his dream to discover a northern passage to the Pacific and shares his excitement about the trip.

Although Robert Walton is not the main character of the novel, his presence is essential, as he resembles Victor Frankenstein. Ambitions, wanderlust, and hunger for knowledge are among those qualities that they both possess. These exact qualities eventually brought Frankenstein to his end.

Frankenstein describes his early years in great detail. This description is vital in light of what happened to him later. His childhood memories are innocent. They are full of love and compassion, which makes a vivid contrast with his dark and macabre recollections of the following years.

The relationships between Victor, Clerval, and Elizabeth, as one can find in any Frankenstein analysis, seem ideal, but the three differ in their dispositions. Clerval and Elizabeth are interested in human interactions, theater, and books, while Victor is obsessed with science and natural philosophy. He prefers solitude and, already as a teenager, dreams to understand the secrets of life.

Victor turns seventeen and prepares to become a student at the University in Ingolstadt. The sudden death of his mother delays his departure. Despite the loss, he leaves for Germany, where he meets his new mentors. Professor M. Krempe makes an unpleasant impression on Victor, but professor Waldman becomes his friend and encourages him to return to science.

When Victor arrives in Ingolstadt, his obsessive pursuit of knowledge replaces his friends and family in his heart. Having cut himself from human interactions, he spends days and nights studying chemistry and mathematics.

Continuing hard work, Victor achieved great success. His achievements impressed both his professors and his student fellows. Most of all, he was interested in understanding the transition from life to death and vice versa. He set a goal to create a living matter from an insentient substance and achieved it after all.

In Frankenstein chapter 4, Victor finally solves the puzzle. The light that illuminates him at the moment when he reveals the mystery has a symbolic meaning. In its essence, light represents virtue, desire for enlightenment, and deliverance from darkness. However, a candle that can lighten the path can also turn into a fire that absorbs all living things. The line between the light that gives hope and the light that kills is a very thin one.

The Frankenstein chapter 5 summary suggests that Victor becomes horrified by the menacing appearance of his creation. Still, in reality, Frankenstein is more disgusted by the realization of his own monstrous intentions. He wanted to become God! He dared to believe that he deserved to give or take life.

Frankenstein tries to forget everything related to the Monster, thereby refusing to hold himself accountable for the soul he created. He avoids questions about science and tries to captivate himself with philosophy and poetry. However, a conversation with the once adored professor Waldman creates almost physical rejection as it invokes torturous memories about the Monster.

Victor receives a letter from his father, Alphonse, from which he learns that his little brother, William Frankenstein, was murdered. Devastated and heartbroken, Victor arranges the trip back home. Near the place where the boy died, Victor notices the figure of the Monster and concludes that the creature has killed his brother.

On his way to Geneva, Victor wallows in melancholy. At first, he hurries because he longs to soothe the pain of his loved ones, but the closer Victor approaches home grounds, the more he wishes to postpone the visit. He is overwhelmed with frightening presentiments of future tragedies.

The night he approached the gates of Geneva, severe thunderstorm, the foreboding of future horrors, broke out. Thunderstorms and lightning are the unalienable symbols of all Gothic narratives. They represent doom and evil fate. Interestingly, it is the second time that lightning plays a crucial role in the narrative. The first time it averted Victor from studying natural philosophy (when he, as a boy, witnessed it ruining the tree). This time, in a bright flash of lightning, Victor recognizes the features of the Monster he created.

Victor thinks of suicide as the only way to end the torture. But taking his own life would mean liberation from the torment that Frankenstein, in summary, does not feel he deserves. He is responsible for the loved ones, whom his mindless experiments have doomed to suffer.

Frankenstein, in chapter 10, in summary, spends a day walking up the top of Montanvert mountain. He seeks consolation in nature. As he reaches the summit, his worst enemy appears before him. Overwhelmed with hatred, Victor intends to attack the Monster, but the latter convinces him to listen to his story.

The author pays a lot of attention to the description of the weather because it affects the mood of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley, with a summary of these descriptions, illustrates that nature has a higher power over humans. Its might and tranquility can soothe, heal, and intimidate at the same time.

Chapter 11 focuses on the story of the Monster that the latter tells to Frankenstein. In summary, the first years of his life were a total confusion. Like a child abandoned by his mother, the Monster discovered the basics of being a human by trial and error.

Motivated by these dreams, the Monster learns to speak. Word after word, he enthusiastically discovers the mystery of the human language. His thirst for knowledge is similar to the one experienced earlier by Frankenstein. Mary Shelly, in summary, brings a parallel between the two characters here. Both strove to solve the mystery of knowledge, both were driven by good intentions, and both ended up destroyed by the knowledge they obtained.

However, the difference between the two is that Adam was composed, happy, and beautiful, while the Monster was made ugly and ill-fated. Adam lost his innocence when he disobeyed God. The Monster became a demon because from the moment he was born, his creator abandoned him.

From the moment the De Lacy family has rejected him, the Monster lost all hope to be accepted by people. Seeking vengeance, he heads to Geneva to track down Frankenstein. Chapter 16, in summary, describes the events which turned a sensible creature into a devil and made him declare war to the entire human race, and foremost to his creator.

Outraged and inconsolable, the Monster runs to the forest and ruins everything on his way. Stars, trees, and birds chirping that had previously served as a consolation to his mind, now seem to him a mockery of his grief. From the analysis perspective, such a change in perception is significant because it marks the beginning of the transformation of a good soul into a devil.

On his way to Switzerland, the Monster, not yet immune to kindness, rescues a girl who accidentally fell into the water. Her guard, frightened by his terrible appearance, shoots the Monster. This event embitters the creature even more and fills his heart with rage and thirst for revenge.

By all means, Victor tries to postpone creating the second monster. He does not want to conduct his experiments at home, surrounded by family. Victor decides to arrange a trip to England to collect scientific information. His friend, Clerval, accompanies him on his journey.

Victor convinces his father that he loves Elizabeth and would not wish another happiness for himself than to become her husband. However, the mere thought of having to drag her into a terrible enterprise, which he has pledged to complete, frightens Frankenstein. Chapter 18, in summary, explains why he is not in a rush to get married. Victor wants to create a family only after the nightmare associated with the monster would be behind and long forgotten. That is why he decides to take a trip to London first. He gives himself a year to complete the work.

Having reached Scotland and parting with his friend, Victor finally set to work. His activity aroused an irresistible disgust in him. His feelings are understandable since when he worked on creating his first Monster, he was unaware of the terrible consequences of such experiments. Now, when he was wise and experienced, he realized that by completing the task, he was about to give life to a new evil power which could destroy everything human. The closer he approached the completion of the work, the more tortuous his thoughts became.

To summarize, in chapter 20, Frankenstein breaks his promise to the Monster. The beast confronts him with death threats, but Victor is firm in his decision. He takes a boat and leaves the village. The strong current brings the boat to the banks of Ireland, where locals meet Frankenstein very unfriendly and take him to the judge, Mr. Kirwin.

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