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society: The American and French Revolutions erupted, andthe Industrial Revolution orced people into long grueling daysin actories. The Gothic novelists aimed to represent the darkside that accompanied this age o apparent human progress.At a time when writers and thinkers had begun to believe inthe “innite perectability o man,” Gothic novelists portrayedhuman beings as woeully imperect and at the mercy o armore powerul orces, such as nature and death.
Extra Credit
A ghost story.
On a stormy night in June o 1816, Mary Shelley,her husband, and a ew other companions, including theRomantic poet Lord Byron, decided to try to write their ownghost stories, but Shelley couldn’t come up with any ideas.A ew nights later, she had a dream in which she envisioned“the pale student o unhallowed arts” kneeling beside hiscreation—the monster. She began writing the story thatbecame
Frankenstein
the next morning.
The Tale o Two Frankensteins.
Shelley published the rstedition o 
Frankenstein
anonymously, perhaps due to herconcern that such a grim and violent tale would not be wellreceived by her audience i they knew her gender. She revisedthe novel and published it under her real name in 1831. Somekey dierences exist between the editions, namely that inthe rst edition, Elizabeth is Alphonse’s niece and, thereore,Victor’s cousin. (In the 1831 edition, the more popular versionand the one used in this Outline, the Frankensteins adoptElizabeth rom another amily).
Background Info
narrative contains the monster’s rst person story as well asletters rom other characters.
Historical and Literary Context
When Published:
1818
Literary Period:
Switzerland and London, England: 1816–1817
Related Literary Works:
The Gothic novel fourished inEnglish literature rom the publication o Horace Walpole’s
The Castle of Otranto
, which established the genre in 1764,until about 1820. Gothic novels emphasized mystery andhorror, and almost always contained dark orests, castles,the supernatural, trap doors, secret rooms, and other similarelements now amiliar rom “horror” movies. Yet while
Frankenstein
is one o the most amous novels in the Gothicgenre, it was written at a time when the Gothic novel wasslowly giving way to the literary movement o Romanticism,and the novel shares the Romantic emphasis on the “sublime”power o nature. In writing
Frankenstein
, Shelley also drewheavily on John Milton’s seventeenth century
Paradise Lost 
,an epic poem that traces humankind’s all rom grace. Theepigraph o 
Frankenstein
is a quotation rom
Paradise Lost 
, inwhich Adam curses God or creating him, just as the monstercurses Victor Frankenstein, his creator.
Related Historical Events:
Most critics consider the Gothicgenre a reaction to the “Age o Reason,” a movement in 18th-century British and European art and politics that stressedthe power o the human mind above all. Empowered byan unchecked aith in humanity, people set out to reshape
Author Bio
Full Name:
Mary Wollstonecrat Shelley
Date o Birth:
1797
Date o Death:
1851
Place o Birth:
London
Brie Lie Story:
Mary Wollstonecrat Shelley was the daughtero the philosopher William Godwin and the writer MaryWollstonecrat, who wrote “Vindication o the Rights o Woman”(1792). Shelley’s mother died in childbirth and she was raised byher ather. At age 18 Shelley ran o with Percy Bysshe Shelley,a leading British Romantic poet, who she married in 1816. Thecouple had a son, but ater her husband died in a shipwreckin 1822, Mary Shelley ell into poverty. She continued to writection to support hersel.
Frankenstein
(1818) was her rst andby ar her most successul work o ction.
Key Facts
Full Title:
 
Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus
Genre:
Gothic novel
Setting:
Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, and the NorthPole in the 18th century
Climax:
The Monster’s murder o Elizabeth Lavenza on herwedding night to Victor
Protagonist:
Victor Frankenstein
Antagonist:
The Monster
Point o View:
Frankenstein is told through a ew layers o rstperson narratives. Walton is the primary narrator, who thenrecounts Victor’s rst-person narrative. In addition, Victor’s
Robert Walton
, the captain o a ship bound or the North Pole,writes a letter to his sister,
Margaret Saville
, in which he saysthat his crew members recently discovered a man adrit at sea.The man,
Victor Frankenstein
, oered to tell Walton his story.Frankenstein has a perect childhood in Switzerland, with aloving amily that even adopted orphans in need, including thebeautiul
Elizabeth
, who soon becomes Victor’s closest riend,condante, and love. Victor also has a caring and wonderul bestriend,
Henry Clerval
. Just beore Victor turns seventeen andgoes to study at the University at Ingoldstadt, his mother dies o scarlet ever. At Ingolstadt, Victor dives into “natural philosophy”with a passion, studying the secrets o lie with such zeal thathe even loses touch with his amily. He soon rises to the top o his eld, and suddenly, one night, discovers the secret o lie.With visions o creating a new and noble race, Victor puts hisknowledge to work. But when he animates his rst creature,its appearance is so horriying he abandons it. Victor hopesthe monster has disappeared or ever, but some months laterhe receives word that his youngest brother, William, has beenmurdered. Though Victor sees the monster lingering at the siteo the murder and is sure it did the deed, he ears no one willbelieve him and keeps silent.
 Justine Moritz
, another adopteein his amily, has been alsely accused based o the crime. She isconvicted and executed. Victor is consumed by guilt.To escape its tragedy, the Frankensteins go on vacation.Victor oten hikes in the mountains, hoping to alleviate his su-ering with the beauty o nature. One day the monster appears,and despite Victor’s curses begs him incredibly eloquently tolisten to its story. The monster describes his wretched lie, ullo suering and rejection solely because o his horriying ap-pearance. (The monster also explains how he learned to readand speak so well.) The monster blames his rage on humanity’sinability to perceive his inner goodness and his resulting totalisolation. It demands that Victor, its creator who brought it intothis wretched lie, create a emale monster to give it the lovethat no human ever will. Victor reuses at rst, but then agrees.Back in Geneva, Victor’s ather expresses his wish that Victormarry Elizabeth. Victor says he rst must travel to England. Onthe way to England, Victor meets up with Clerval. Soon, though,Victor leaves Clerval at the house o a riend in Scotland andmoves to a remote island to make his second, emale, monster.But one night Victor begins to worry that the emale monstermight turn out more destructive than the rst. At the same mo-ment, Victor sees the rst monster watching him work through awindow. The horriying sight pushes Victor to destroy the emalemonster. The monster vows revenge, warning Victor that it will“be with him on [his] wedding night.” Victor takes the remains o the emale monster and dumps them in the ocean. But when hereturns to shore, he is accused o a murder that was committedthat same night. When Victor discovers that the victim is Clerval,he collapses and remains delusional or two months. When hewakes his ather has arrived, and he is cleared o the criminalcharges against him.Victor returns with his ather to Geneva, and marries Elizabeth.But on his wedding night, the monster instead kills Elizabeth. Vic-tor’s ather dies o grie soon thereater. Now, all alone in theworld, Victor dedicates himsel solely to seeking revenge againstthe monster. He tracks the monster to the Arctic, but becomestrapped on breaking ice and is rescued by Walton’s crew.Walton writes another series o letters to his sister. He tellsher about his ailure to reach the North Pole and to restore Victor,who died soon ater his rescue. Walton’s nal letter describeshis discovery o the monster grieving over Victor’s corpse. Heaccuses the monster o having no remorse, but the monster saysit has suered more than anyone. With Victor dead, the monsterhas its revenge and plans to end its own lie.
Plot SummaryCharacters
Victor Frankenstein
– The oldest son in the Frankensteinamily, the eventual husband o 
Elizabeth Lavenza
, and thenovel’s protagonist and narrator o most o the story (he tellshis story to
Robert Walton
, who relates it to the reader). Fromchildhood, Victor has a thirst or knowledge and powerul am-bition. These two traits lead him to study biology at universityin Ingolstadt, where he eventually discovers the “secret o lie”and then uses that knowledge to create his own living being.But Frankenstein is also prejudiced, and cannot stand hiscreation’s ugliness. He thinks it a
monster
though in act it’skind and loving. Victor’s abandonment o his “monster” cre-ates a cycle o guilt, anger, and destruction, in which rst themonster takes vengeance upon Victor, and then Victor swearsvengeance on the monster. In the end, Victor resembles themonster he hates ar more than he would care to imagine.
The Monster
– The hideous-looking creature that
VictorFrankenstein
creates (though the name “Frankenstein” hasbecome associated with the monster, the monster is, in act,nameless). Though the monster is originally kind and sensitiveand wants nothing more than to be loved and accepted, it issurrounded by people who judge it as evil because o its ter-rible appearance. The monster is isolated and demonized byhuman society, and soon becomes embittered and enragedat his treatment. Eventually, the monster becomes a killer, notrom a criminal thirst to hurt, but rom a desire or revengeagainst Victor and all o humanity or rejecting him.
Robert Walton
– An explorer who rescues
Victor
rom theice, hears his harrowing story, and sets it down on paper in let-ters to his sister,
Margaret Saville
. Walton’s quest or knowl-edge in the North Pole parallels Victor’s search or educationand enlightenment at Ingolstadt. Because he parallels Victor inthis way, Robert Walton is a “double” o Victor, whose actions,by mirroring or contrasting Victor’s own, serve to highlight Vic-tor’s character and various themes in
Frankenstein
.
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Frankenstein
 
Elizabeth Lavenza
–
Victor’s
sister by adoption, and laterhis wie. Elizabeth is a stunningly beautiul and remarkablypure girl whom Victor’s mother adopts. All the Frankensteinsadore Elizabeth, and Victor, about our years her elder, quicklybegins to “protect, love, and cherish” her. Eventually Victor andElizabeth marry. Through all o it, Elizabeth remains gorgeous,pure, and passive. NOTE: In the rst edition (1818) o Franken-stein, Elizabeth is Alphonse’s niece and, thereore, Victor’scousin. In the revised 1831 edition, the Frankensteins adoptElizabeth, as described above.
Henry Clerval
–
Victor’s
dear riend rom childhood. Vic-tor describes Clerval as having a vast imagination, a sensitiveheart, and boundless love o nature. Clerval serves as Victor’sguiding light throughout
Frankenstein
, selfessly helping Victorbut never prodding him to reveal his secrets. Clerval’s opti-mism also stands in contrast to Victor’s gloominess.
Alphonse Frankenstein
–
Victor’s
ather. A devotedhusband and parent, and a well-respected public magistrate.Alphonse is a loving ather to Victor, and a man who believesin amily and society.
 Justine Moritz
– A young woman who the Frankensteinsadopt at the age o 12. She is convicted o the murder o 
Wil-liam Frankenstein
on circumstantial evidence and executed.Though all the Frankenstein’s believe she is innocent, only
Vic-tor
knows that the
monster
is the true murderer.
William Frankenstein
–
Victor’s
youngest brother, be-loved by everyone. The
monster
strangles him in a orestnear Geneva.
Ernest Frankenstein
–
Victor’s
younger brother by six years. He is the only Frankenstein to survive the novel.
Caroline Beauort
–
Beauort’s
daughter,
Victor’s
moth-er, and
Alphonse
Frankenstein’s wie. Caroline is an exampleo idealized womanhood: smart, kind, generous, and resource-ul. Caroline dies o scarlet ever when Victor is seventeen.
Beauort
–
Caroline’s
ather and a close riend to AlphonseFrankenstein. Beauort was a merchant who ell into povertyand moved to Lucerne with his daughter. He died soon there-ater.
De Lacey
– A blind old man who lives in exile with hischildren
Felix
and
Agatha
in a cottage and a orest. As ablind man, De Lacey can’t perceive the
monster’s
wretchedappearance and thereore does not recoil in horror at hispresence. He represents the goodness o human nature in theabsence o prejudice.
Felix
– The son o 
De Lacey
and brother o 
Agatha
. Felixalls in love with
Safe
and marries her in exchange or help-ing her ather escape rom prison. When the
monster
entershis amily’s cottage in Germany, Felix pelts it with rocks andchases it away.
Agatha
–
De Lacey’s
daughter. She represents an ideal o womanliness: kind, gentle, and devoted to her amily.
Safe
– The young Turkish “Arabian” whose beauty captivates
Felix
. Though raised as a Muslim, she longs or a reer andhappier lie with Felix, a Christian.
Margaret Saville
–
Robert Walton’s
sister and the recipi-ent o his letters, which rame the novel.
M. Waldman
–
Victor’s
chemistry proessor at Ingolstadt.He supports Victor’s pursuit o “natural philosophy,” especiallychemistry, and becomes a mentor to Victor.
M. Krempe
–
Victor’s
proessor o natural philosophy atIngolstadt. A short squat conceited man, Krempe calls Victor’sstudies “nonsense.”
Mr. Kirwin
– An Irish magistrate.
Family, Society, Isolation
In its preace,
Frankenstein
claims to be a novel that givesa fattering depiction o “domestic aection.” That seems astrange claim in a novel ull o murder, tragedy, and despair.But, in act, all that tragedy, murder, and despair occur be-cause o a lack o connection to either amily or society. Putanother way, the true evil in
Frankenstein
is not
Victor
orthe
monster
, but isolation. When Victor becomes lost in hisstudies he removes himsel rom human society, and thereoreloses sight o his responsibilities and the consequences o hisactions. The monster turns vengeul not because it’s evil, butbecause its isolation lls it with overwhelming hate and anger.And what is the monster’s vengeance? To make Victor as iso-lated as it. Add it all up, and it becomes clear that
Frankenstein
 sees isolation rom amily and society as the worst imaginableate, and the cause o hatred, violence, and revenge.
Ambition and Fallibility
Through
Victor
and
Walton
, Frankenstein portrays humanbeings as deeply ambitious, and yet also deeply fawed. BothVictor and Walton dream o transorming society and bringingglory to themselves through their scientic achievements. Yettheir ambitions also make them allible. Blinded by dreams o glory, they ail to consider the consequences o their actions.So while Victor turns himsel into a god, a creator, by bringinghis
monster
to lie, this only highlights his allibility when heis completely incapable o ullling the responsibilities that acreator has to its creation. Victor thinks he will be like a god,but ends up the ather o a devil. Walton, at least, turns backrom his quest to the North Pole beore getting himsel andhis crew killed, but he does so with the angry conclusion thathe has been robbed o glory. Neither Victor nor Walton everescapes rom their blinding ambitions, suggesting that all men,and particularly those who seek to raise themselves up in gloryabove the rest o society, are in act rash and “unashionedcreatures” with “weak and aulty natures.”
Romanticism and Nature
Romantic writers portrayed nature as the greatest and mostperect orce in the universe. They used words like “sublime”(as Mary Shelley hersel does in describing Mont Blanc in
Fran-kenstein
) to convey the unathomable power and fawlessnesso the natural world. In contrast, Victor describes people as“hal made up.” The implication is clear: human beings, weigheddown by petty concerns and countless faws such as vanity andprejudice, pale in comparison to nature’s perection.It should come as no surprise, then, that crises and suer-ing result when, in
Frankenstein
, imperect men disturb na-ture’s perection.
Victor
in his pride attempts to discover the“mysteries o creation,” to “pioneer a new way” by penetratingthe “citadel o nature.” But just as a wave will take down eventhe strongest swimmer, nature prevails in the end and Victor isdestroyed or his misguided attempt to manipulate its power.
Revenge
The
monster
begins its lie with a warm, open heart. Butater it is abandoned and mistreated rst by
Victor
and thenby the
De Lacey
amily, the monster turns to revenge. Themonster’s actions are understandable: it has been hurt by theunair rejection o a humanity that cannot see past its ownprejudices, and in turn wants to hurt those who hurt it. As themonster says when
Felix
attacks it and fees with the rest o the De Lacey amily, “…eelings o revenge and hatred lled mybosom…[and] I bent my mind towards injury and death.” But intaking revenge, two things happen to the monster. First, it en-sures that it will never be accepted in human society. Second,because by taking revenge the monster eliminates any hopeo 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 ood.”Revenge does not just consume the monster, however. Italso consumes Victor, the victim o the monster’s revenge.Ater the monster murders Victor’s relatives, Victor vows a“great and signal revenge on [the monster’s] cursed head.” Ina sense then, the very human desire or revenge transormsboth Victor and the monster into true monsters that have noeelings or desires beyond destroying their oe.
Prejudice
Frankenstein
explores one o mankind’s most persistent and de-structive faws: prejudice. Nearly every human character in thenovel assumes that the monster must be dangerous based onits outward appearance, when in truth the monster is (originally)warm and open-hearted. Again and again the monster ndshimsel assaulted and rejected by entire villages and amiliesdespite his attempts to convey his benevolent intentions. Theviolence and prejudice he encounters convinces him o the“barbarity o man.” That the only character who accepts themonster is a blind man,
De Lacey 
, suggests that the monster isright: mankind is barbaric, and blinded by its own prejudice.
Lost Innocence
Frankenstein
presents many examples o the corruption o  youthul innocence. The most obvious case o lost innocenceinvolves
Victor
. A young man on the cusp o adulthood, Victorleaves or university with high hopes and loty ambitions. Heaims to explore “unknown powers” and enlighten all o humanityto the deepest “mysteries o creation,” but his success and hispride brings an end to his innocence. He creates a
monster
thatrefects back to him the many faws inherent in his own species(an unquenchable thirst or love, a tendency toward violence,and a bloodthirsty need or justice and revenge) and in himsel (prejudice based on appearance). And, in turn, Victor’s cruel“un-innocent” behavior also destroys the monster’s innocence.Victor and the monster’s losses o innocence ultimatelylead to the deaths o 
William
,
 Justine
,
Elizabeth
, and
Cler-val
, our characters whom the novel portrays as uniquelygentle, kind, and, above all, innocent. Through these murders,Shelley suggests that innocence is feeting, and will always beeither lost or destroyed by the harsh reality o human nature.
 Themes
Light
Light symbolizes enlightenment in
Frankenstein
. Walton expectsto nd the secrets o the universe unveiled in the North Pole,which he describes as “a country o eternal light.” Light alsoaccompanies nearly all o 
Victor’s
epiphanies. When he rst dis-covers natural philosophy, he says, “A new light seemed to dawnupon my mind.” When he discovers the secret to creating lie, hedescribes his eelings as i “a sudden light broke in upon me.” Heenvisions pouring a “torrent o light into our dark world” throughthe creation o a new species. Yet light that’s too bright is alsoblinding, and both Victor and Walton ail to see or consider thedangerous consequences o their quests or enlightenment.
Symbols
In LitCharts, each theme gets its own corresponding color,which you can use to track where the themes occur in thework. There are two ways to track themes:Reer to the color-coded bars next to each plot point
•
throughout the
 Summary and Analysis
sections.Use the
•
ThemeTracker 
section to get a quick overview o where the themes appear throughout the entire work.Symbols are shown in
red
text whenever they appear in the
Plot Summary 
and
 Summary and Analysis
sections o thisLitChart.
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Summary and Analysis
Preface
The Preace explains the origin o the novel. Shelleyspent the summer o 1816 near Geneva, Switzerland,where much o the novel takes place. One rainynight, Shelley and her riends challenged each otherto write ghost stories.
Frankenstein
was the onlyone o the stories to be completed. The Preace alsoreveals Shelley’s aim in writing the novel: to presenta fattering depiction o “domestic aection” and“universal virtue.”
The origin of the novel as a ghost story places it squarely within the Gothic genre. Thestatement that the novel ismeant to provide a positiveimage of “domestic affection” indicates that family will be amajor theme.
Letter 1
Frankenstein
begins with a series o our letters rom
Robert Walton
to his sister,
Margaret Saville
.The rst letter is written on December 11 romSt. Petersburg, Russia, sometime in the eighteenthcentury. Walton is about to set out on a journey at seato reach the North Pole, which he considers a regiono warmth, “eternal
light
,” and unparalleled beauty.
Walton’s description of theNorth Pole reads like a Roman-tic poem full of beautiful im-ages of nature, and establishesthat nature and its beauty will play a major role in the novel.
Walton’s
purpose in venturing to the North Poleis twoold: to discover a northern passage to thecountries on the other side o the world; and todetermine the origin o the North Pole’s magnetism.Walton
 
says he once hoped to become a amouspoet, but ailed. Yet he has kept his childhood dreamo reaching the North Pole. He adds that he couldhave lived his lie in wealth and ease, but did not. Forthis reason, he eels that he deserves to “accomplishsome great purpose.”
 Ambition motivates Walton, but it is an ambition that stemsfrom an arrogant sense of entitlement. He feels that hedeserves to make his mark onhistory. Yet Walton’s ambitionalso emerges from a childhood dream. This combination of ambition and innocence is also,as it will be made clear, what motivated Frankenstein.
Walton
plans to rent a ship, hire a crew, and departrom northern Russia in June, unsure o when or i hewill ever return.
Walton is willing to give up hislife to achieve his ambitions.
Letter 2
In his second letter on March 28th o the ollowing year,rom Archangel, Russia,
Walton
describes himsel aslonely. He worries that his rened upbringing hasmade him too sensitive or the “brutality” o lie atsea.
Walton’s experience of loneli-ness as a terrible experienceestablishes the idea of thehorror of isolation that is soimportant throughout he rest of Frankenstein.
Walton
writes that his resolution to carry out his journey is “xed as ate.” He conesses his “romantic… love or the marvellous” and his passion orthe dangers o the sea, which he attributes to hisondness or Coleridge’s poem, “The Rime o theAncient Mariner.”
Note the inuence of Romanti 
-cism (and poets like Coleridge)on Shelley’s work. Yet the fact that his view of the sea isbased on books, not experience,establishes his innocence (and ignorance).
Letter 3
Written on July 7th, this short letter describesWalton’s journey so ar as a “triumph.” His menremain resolved and loyal, and the weather has beenne, though sheets o ice in the ocean suggest worseconditions may soon threaten.
Walton
closes hisletter with the rhetorical question, “What can stopthe determined heart and resolved will o man?”
Walton’s condence reveals
his faith in man as an almost divine being. But there is an an-swer to his question, suggested by the ice in the sea: Nature.
Fire
The complete title o Shelley’s novel is
Frankenstein, Or theModern Prometheus
. Prometheus was the titan who, in Greekmythology, gave the knowledge o re to humanity and thensuered severe punishment at the hands o the Gods or hisgenerous actions. In
Frankenstein
,
Victor
attempts to givethe git o the secret o lie to humanity, but ends up suer-ing grave punishment as a result: the
monster
he createsdestroys his amily and his lie. Fire appears throughout thenovel as a dangerous orce used or sustenance (as when themonster discovers re) and punishment (as when the monsterdescribes demons suering in the lake o re in hell).
Letter 4
In the rst entry o this three-part letter,
Walton
sayshis crew has observed a huge “savage” gure in adogsled speeding across the ice. The next morninghis crew members discover another man, this onenormal sized and European, within reach o the ship.
Walton’s use of the word “savage” places him alongsidethe many other characters inFrankenstein who prejudge themonster based on appearancealone.
The man comes aboard.
Walton
says he showed a“benevolence and sweetness” unequalled by anyoneelse he had ever met. As the days pass and thestranger recovers his strength, Walton comes to lovehim as a brother and considers him the riend henever thought he would meet on his voyage.
Walton loves the stranger because he is similar, and there-fore offers the promise of anend to isolation. His acceptanceof the stranger shows that it isWalton who is truly innocent and full of “sweetness.” 
In the second part o the letter,
Walton
tells thestranger that he is on a quest or knowledge, whichupsets the stranger. The stranger tells Walton that hehas lost everything and is at the end o his lie, yetWalton is more interested in the stranger’s sensitivityto nature.
Walton holds tightly on tohis innocence. He focuses onVictor’s romantic love of naturerather than his warning against an ambition-fueled quest for knowledge.
In the third part o the letter, the stranger says he’sdecided to tell his story to either help
Walton
in hisquest or knowledge, or convince him to give it up. Hehopes that Walton might “deduce an apt moral” romhearing his tale.
Victor sees himself as a manof “experience” instructing another, “innocent” man. Heclearly has something to say onthe subject of ambition.
Walton
tells the stranger that his destiny has alreadybeen determined. Walton then promises his sisterthat he will take down the stranger’s story in anarrative. His “notes” rame Frankenstein’s mainnarrative, which begins in Chapter 1.
Shelley portrays Walton as astubborn innocent fool. Hechooses to ignore Victor’s warn-ings and, believing himself todeserve achieving his ambition,trusts “fate” instead.
Chapter 1
The stranger,
Victor Frankenstein
, says he wasborn in Naples and grew up in Geneva, Switzerland.His ather,
Alphonse
, and his mother,
Caroline
, rstbecame close when Alphonse’s riend and Caroline’sather,
Beauort
, died. Alphonse became Caroline’sprotector, and eventually married her.
Victor’s childhood is innocent and perfect. His family life isperfect domestic bliss.
When he was ve, his mother discovered a beautiulblond orphan girl named
Elizabeth Lavenza
in anItalian village and adopted her.
In the 1818 edition of Franken-stein, Elizabeth is Alphonse’sniece (and Victor’s cousin).
Victor
, his parents, and all the Frankensteins adored
Elizabeth
. She became to him a “more than sister.”The two children reerred to each other as cousins,rather than brother and sister.
 More domestic affection, and the relationship between Victor and Elizabeth hints at futureromantic love.
Chapter 2
Victor
describes his perect childhood. He and
Elizabeth
got along perectly, though she avoredpoetry while he longed to unravel the “physicalsecrets” o lie, including the “hidden laws o nature.”
 An early hint at Victor’s danger-ous ambition, and his innocent belief that man is powerful and wise enough to comprehend nature.
In addition to
Elizabeth
,
Victor
shares a closeriendship with
Henry Clerval
, his well-readschoolmate. Like Victor, Clerval possesses a “soaringambition” to leave his mark on human history.
Like Victor, Henry is also too young and innocent not to seethe vanity and futility of hisambitions.
As he grows up,
Victor
becomes ascinated with“natural philosophy,” and reads widely among thethinkers in this eld who want to penetrate the“citadel o nature.”
Nature portrayed as a fortressthat will yield to an assault by man. This antagonistic relation-ship between Victor and naturebodes poorly.
The color-coded bars in
 Summary and Analysis
make it easy to track the themes through thework. Each color corresponds to one o the themes explained in the Themes section. For in-stance, a bar o indicates that all six themes apply to that part o the summary.
3
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