Frankenstein By Mary Shelley: Chapter Analysis

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of the earliest Gothic novels and one of the first science fiction novels of supernatural terror. Shelley’s novel is a compilation of Romantic and Gothic elements combined into a singular work with an unforgettable story.
Mary Shelley’s book first opens in the preface, taken place on a chilly day where an Arctic seafarer encounters Victor Frankenstein, who tells his story, beginning with Chapter 1 of this Gothic novel. The story starts off with Victor explaining his childhood and the tone is immediately somber and depressing. He describes his mother dying of scarlet fever in Chapter 3 and his tone and imagery show his grief through the tragic event. Even so, he receives high education and eventually became

He slowly loses reason and gains passion on the creation of life, causing him to lose "all soul and sensation but for this one pursuit” to work on his creation (Shelley 52). He becomes so absorbed in his work that he’s neglected social contact from his family and his own health. It would seem that the effects of passion are taken too far, turning into one of his humanity’s greatest struggle, and Victor is aware of this, “[growing] alarmed at the wreck [he] perceived that [he] had become” (Shelley 54). His creation has taken over his life without even realizing it. It is only until after Victor finishes his creation that he’s gained back some sense of reason. Upon seeing how horrifying Victor’s creation looked, Victor is filled with disgust and ran out of his laboratory, his passion for creating life fading away once he expresses disappointment of his work. His sense of reason takes a balance in Victor’s life, clashing and controlling his passion, which helps Victor with his broken state. He decides to never try creating another being of life again, and he’s even decided to write back to his family. With the help of Victor’s friend, Henry Clerval, Victor had quickly lost his gloom and became “as cheerful as before [he] was attacked by the fatal passion” to create

It begins with a conversation between Victor Frankenstein and what seems to be his love interest. One of the gothic elements includes a plot being a castle, a monastery, or a religious edifice, in the movie clip Victor has just stormed out of a church service and is obviously frustrated. The girl runs out after Victor and immediately begins questioning Christianity and ranting about human abilities. He wishes they could do more than bringing “life from life”; he wants to bring “life from death” to bring his brother, William, back to life. She’s shocked by his true intentions saying, “that is how Satan tempted our Lord”. Victor’s obsession has obviously gone too far when he says he’d be a “pupil of Satan” if he could bring William back to life. The setting is at a small, old church on a gloomy and overcast day. This kind of setting gives off a dark and unwelcoming tone. It also foreshadows a negative outcome if Victor continues with his unhealthy obsession. Another Gothic element seen in the movie clip is the protagonist being emotional; this is seen when Victor is frustrated that he seems to be the only one wanting to bring death to life, making him feel isolated and alone from others and their views. The characters in the movie give off a gloomy and dark tone, as they are all dressed in