Read the extract printed below.

This is from the section of the novel where William is

discovered to have been murdered by the monster. This is part of a letter written by
Alphonse Frankenstein.

Explore the significance of crime and violence in the novel.

You should consider:

• the presentation of crime and violence in the extract below and at different points in
the novel

• the use of fantasy elements in constructing a fictional world.

[35 marks]

We returned again, with torches; for I could not rest, when I thought that my sweet boy
had lost himself, and was exposed to all the damps and dews of night; Elizabeth also
suffered extreme anguish. About five in the morning I discovered my lovely boy, whom the
night before I had seen blooming and active in health, stretched on the grass livid and
motionless; the print of the murder’s finger was on his neck.
“He was conveyed home, and the anguish that was visible in my countenance betrayed
the secret to Elizabeth. She was very earnest to see the corpse. At first I attempted to
prevent her but she persisted, and entering the room where it lay, hastily examined the
neck of the victim, and clasping her hands exclaimed, ‘O God! I have murdered my darling
child!’
“She fainted, and was restored with extreme difficulty. When she again lived, it was only
to weep and sigh. She told me, that that same evening William had teased her to let him
wear a very valuable miniature that she possessed of your mother. This picture is gone, and
was doubtless the temptation which urged the murderer to the deed. We have no trace of
him at present, although our exertions to discover him are unremitted; but they will not
restore my beloved William!
“Come, dearest Victor; you alone can console Elizabeth. She weeps continually, and
accuses herself unjustly as the cause of his death; her words pierce my heart. We are all
unhappy; but will not that be an additional motive for you, my son, to return and be our
comforter? Your dear mother! Alas, Victor! I now say, Thank God she did not live to witness
the cruel, miserable death of her youngest darling!
Fundamental: the role of violence and crime is crucial in Shelleys purposeful presentation of the
manifestation that when people feel desolate, they resort to such grotesque actions to feel included.
Shelleys critique of Elizabethan society is apparent as she intertwines violence as a release for such
an outsider: the creature. The creature is clearly casted as a deviant due to his ‘wretched’
countenance and overlooked as a being of evil despite his once benevolent character- similar to a
child learning the norms of society. The fantastical elements of the story- the animation of the
monster develops a feeling of separation for the contemporary reader- however the modern reader
can form more of a parallel between the cause of the monsters violence and crime being a result of
his treatment.

Shelley alludes to a contrast between the innocents and deviants- who commit such acts of crime- in
society through the metaphor of William- being once ‘blooming’ akin to a healthy, ‘active’ flower.
The bi-labial plosive verb ‘blooming’ metamorphosises William to a flower- flourishing in society due
to his once angelic features. Now, due to the monsters growing vengeance on society, he remains
‘motionless’. This juxtaposition positions the readers focus onto Williams death- here, Shelley
preludes to the admonition that violence and crime will remain the epicentre of society if people fail
to understand the consequences of their judgements. Moreover, the placement of dead William
being ‘stretched on the grass’ almost parallels the corpses’ used by Victor to mould the monster
together- contextually this links to grave digging: a crime which was rife during the publishing of
Frankenstein. Perhaps Shelley is not only showing the violence and crime in humans’ judgements but
also their inhumane actions as a result of scientific curiosity.

The acts of violence in Frankenstein committed by the monster are not only surface level actions-
they have a narrative surface and they also have a signification beneath- which are more subtly
placed into the text by Shelley. The idea of ‘us’ vs them which the monster suffers under is the root
of the crimes committed in the novel. The monster leaves his mark on Williams neck. This may
symbolize the corruption of society which the monster now acknowledges due to his reading and
self education. ‘The print of the murderers finger on his neck’- shows literally that the monster
strangled William to death, however Shelley may be alluding to the idea of strangulation being a
violent release for the monster. The monster is frustrated and arguably wants to get rid of societies
ideas from William- as William parallels Victor and calls him a ‘wretch’-triggering the murder. Hence,
here Shelley critiques societies superficial values and shows the result of them: crime, violence and
murder.