Frankenstein Volume II Chapters 2-9 Quiz

1. What ‘sight’ helps Victor to forget the passing cares of life?

“The sight of the awful and majestic in nature” pg. 110
2. Victor states, “If our impulses were confined to hunger, thirst, and
desire, we might be nearly free” (pg. 111). Do you agree with this
statement? What point is Victor trying to make?
He wants to point out that he built the monster out of some inner desire and
impulse, and if he had never sought to learn and explore, he would have
never created this monster that now racked him with guilt.
3. What do you think is the importance of the poem excerpt on page 111?
What was Victor’s original ‘dream?’
It talks about human nature: “we rest, a dream has power to poison sleep,”
perhaps Victor’s ‘dream’ poisoned his world, his desire to look beyond basic
human instinct and need led to evilness. Goes along with the theme of
dangerous knowledge.
4. The creature approaches Victor with what kind of speed? How might he
possess such capabilities?
Superhuman. He is not really human, he was created from human parts but
is not entirely human.
5. At the end of chapter II, Victor finally feels what for the first time?
Victor feels he needs to do what for the monster?
What the duties of a creator towards his creature were. ‘Render him happy’
and comply with the monster’s demands.
6. The symbol of FIRE is introduced in ch. III (pg 119)—what are the two
opposite effects that fire can produce and what might fire symbolize?
Delight in its warmth, and also that it can cause pain. Fire might symbolize
the joy and pain that knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge can create
(can apply to the theme of DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE).
7. In Chapter III, the creature states: “…the old man took no notice, until
she sobbed audibly…He raised her, and smiled with such kindness and
affection, that I felt sensations of a peculiar and overpowering nature:
they were a mixture of pain and pleasure, such as I had never before
experienced, either from hunger or cold, warmth or food; and I
withdrew from the window, unable to bear these emotions” (pgs. 124-
125). What mixture of emotions might the creature be experiencing?
Why might he experience these?
Perhaps love and jealousy, he desires to belong with the family and he
has never before experienced love or jealousy.
 8. The monster sees the poverty of the family in Chapter IV, and he
learns what lesson? What does he do for the family once he learns this
lesson?
Kindness and sacrifice. He stops stealing their food, he cuts wood for them
and leaves it for them.
9. On page 129, what is the ‘Godlike science’ that the monster discovers
and desires to become acquainted with?
Speech, language.
10. What are the names of the monsters’ three “protectors?”
Father, Agatha, and brother/son/Felix
11. What other things does the monster do for his protectors? Why
does he do these things?
Cleared their path of snow and performed other things he watched Felix do.
He is giving and kind and loves his family as best he knows how.
12. How does the monster imagine he will be received by the family
(pg. 133)? INCLUDE A QUOTE FROM THE CHAPTER!
They will first be disgusted by his appearance, but then his gentle demeanor
and conciliating words will win their favor, and eventually win their love.
13. The monster learns an important lesson in Chapter V about
human nature as he learns about history. What is this lesson (pg. 139)?
The dual nature of mankind—how man can be so virtuous and magnificent
but also so vicious and base.
14. As the monster becomes self-aware, his sorrow increases with
knowledge (pg. 140). How does this compare/contrast to Victor’s desire
from question #2?
He wishes he had remained in his native wood and never known or felt
beyond the sensations of hunger, thirst, and heat.
15. What person has been the cause of the family’s ruin?
Safie’s father.
16. What two characters from Paradise Lost does the monster compare
himself to in Chapter VII? Why might he compare himself to these two?
Like Adam, he is united by no link to any other being in existence, but like
Satan also, because he views the bliss of his protectors and experiences
envy.

17.What does the monster find in his coat pocket?

He finds Victor’s journal that details the process and the creation of the monster.
 18.What “greater treasures than a little food or rest” in Chapter VII does the
monster desire?

Kindness and sympathy.

19.The monster experiences a final despair as the De Lacey family shuns him.
What, then, does he decide in Ch. VIII? What does the monster “declare?”
INCLUDE A QUOTE!!

He declares “war against the species, and, more than all, war against him who had
formed me, and sent me forth to this insupportable misery” (162).

20.The De Lacey family makes what saddening decision? What ‘link’ does this
decision break?

They decide to leave the cottage because of the incident, and this breaks the
monsters only ‘link’ to the world.

21.What might be symbolic about what the monster does to the De Lacey
cottage once they have departed?

He burns it down; he wishes to destroy the place where he received knowledge (as
fire represents knowledge, perhaps he received DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE), where
he learned to desire love, to belong, language, and to read.

22.What kind act does the monster perform and how is he rewarded? What does
this do to him? What does he vow?

He saves a girl from drowning, but he is shot by someone who was with the girl.
This makes him hate mankind even more, he vows eternal vengeance and hatred
upon mankind.

23.By causing the death of William, the monster claims that he, too, can create
what? Why might this make him happy, and compare this to what he feels
Victor has done to him?

Desolation, this makes him happy because he has found a way to carry despair to
Victor, and he feels that Victor created nothing but desolation in creating him and
now he, too, is capable of this action.

24.What request does the monster have for Victor?

To create a similar being, a companion for the monster.

25.The monster states in Chapter IX that “hatred and vice must be my

portion…” and this will only be broken by what?

The love of another will destroy the cause of his crimes ( 176).
 26.What does Victor decide to do about the monster’s request?

He will comply with his demand and create a female monster.