FRANKENSTEIN OPEN QUESTIONS

1. Victor doesn't give his monster a name. What does this do for the story? What does
it say about us in society today that we think the monster's name is Frankenstein,
besides the fact that we're apparently ill-read?
2. How is science portrayed in Frankenstein? Consider that this book was written in
the midst of vast scientific advances and the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Are
we living in a similar period today? What contemporary issues seem based on
Frankenstein's-monster-type fears? (Try googling "Frankenfood" for some ideas.)
3. At its heart, Frankenstein is interested in the question of nature vs. nurture: are
people blank slates that are formed by experiences and environment, or are we
born with certain traits—like being evil? What does the book seem to suggest? How
do you know?
4. The book is called Frankenstein, but a huge chunk of it is told from the point of view
of the monster. Who's the real protagonist here? Is Frankenstein right to effectively
disown his creation?
5. You might have noticed some Christian influences in this text. To start off, there's
the creator/creation paradigm. And, of course, the monster is compared to Adam.
But the monster is also compared to the fallen angel—Satan—and Victor takes on
comparisons to God. You could even go so far as to call Victor's death a sacrifice
that makes him a Christ figure. What might Shelley be saying about religion, and
Christianity in particular? (Keep in mind that, while we're not sure how Mary Shelley
felt about religion, both her father and husband were big, honking atheists in a time
when atheism could get you into serious trouble.)
6. Victor claims that he breaks his promise to create him a companion because he
doesn't trust the monster. Is the monster trustworthy? Can Victor be trustworthy
even though he broke his promise?
7. If we can't trust appearances, what can we trust? Words can be misinterpreted;
actions can be understood. Is there any way to truly understand another person
in Frankenstein?
8. Shelley emphasizes the importance of family and suggests that the monster would
have turned out differently if he'd had people around him who loved and understood
him. But the rest of the world would still have hated and feared him. Would a loving
family really have prevented tragedy?
9. What's the point of the frame narrative? Why do we begin and end with Robert
Walton? Does he learn a lesson from his encounter with Frankenstein? If so, what
is it?
 OPEN CLOZE TEST

The story begins with Captain Robert Walton___________ in St. Petersburg, Russia,
probably near the end of the 18th century. He gets on a boat that is ___________ to the
North Pole. Unfortunately, the boat gets stuck in the ___________ hundreds of miles from
land. With nothing else to do, he __________letters to his sister back in England. He
_________a male friend to keep him company.

WRITES- WANTS- ICE-SAILING -LIVING

Soon, Walton's__________is interrupted by the sight of —a man! On the ice! Riding a

dog-sled! The man_________the ship, and it seems as if Walton's wish for a friend has
come true. Except this new friend, Victor, is a ___________. Here's his story, as told to
Walton:

Victor started out like any normal __________in Geneva, with his parents adopting a girl
named Elizabeth for him to__________ when he was older. At college, he decides to
study natural philosophy (like a rudimentary physics) and ______________.In about two
years, he ___________ how to bring a body made of human corpse pieces to life.
Afterwards, he's horrified by his own ___________ and is sick for months while his friend
Henry Clerval helps him.

DISCOVERS-DESPAIR-GOES ON- MADMAN- BOY- MARRY-CHEMISTRY-CREATION

Back in Geneva, Victor's younger brother, William, is___________. The Frankenstein
family servant, Justine, is accused of killing him. Victor magically___________ that his
monster is the real killer, but thinking that no one would believe that his___________did it,
Victor is afraid to________anything. Even when poor Justine is executed.

Victor, in grief, goes on a trip to the Swiss Alps for some much needed_________. All too
conveniently, he __________the monster, who confesses to the crime and tells Victor this
story.

When Frankenstein ___________, he found himself alone. No one accepted him ,except
for one old blind man. He hoped that the blind man's family of cottagers would give him
compassion, but even they drove him away. When he ran across William, he__________
the boy out of revenge. In short, he is angry because his maker created him to be alone
and________, and so would Frankenstein please make him a female companion?

MISERABLE- MURDERED-UNDERSTANDS-MONSTER- SAY- REST-MEETS- RAN

AWAY- KILLED

After much persuading, Victor agrees. But, just before he ________, he destroys the
second monster: he's afraid that the two will bring ____________to humanity rather than
love each other harmlessly. The monster sees him do this and swears revenge … again.
When Victor lands on a shore among Irish people, they accuse him of murdering Henry,
who has been found dead.

Victor returns to Geneva and prepares to_________ Elizabeth, but he's a little worried: the
monster has sworn to be with him on his wedding night. Victor thinks the monster is
threatening him, but the ___________he and Elizabeth are married, the monster kills the
bride instead.

DESTRUCTION-FINISHES- MARRY- NIGHT

Alone, he wants_________, Victor follows the ________ over all imaginable terrain until
he is near death. (In fact, we can't really tell the two of them apart anymore except that the
monster is taller and uglier.) And now we're back up the present: he finds Walton's ship,
tells his story, and ___________.

Walton discovers the monster_________ over Victor's dead body. We're not sure if he's
crying because he's sad or because, as he says, he has nothing to live for anymore—but
either way, he heads off into the ________ to die. Alone. Yeah, it's not quite a Hollywood
ending.

MONSTER- ARCTIC-CRYING-REVENGE- DIES