Frankenstein pages 17-42

This reading includes chapters 1 through 5 of "Frankenstein". Robert Walton finds out that the stranger's name is victor Frankenstein, and he tells his life story, which includes his background, birth, early childhood, and his father and mother. Walton then goes ahead and describes his childhood and life to Victor, feeling a connection with his stories. Then the novel flashs back to Victor's childhood and we see a look at his early life.

Victor grew up with a close grew of friends and was very happy with his life. Then as he became a teenager he became fascinated by nature and the mysteries of it. He witnessed a terrible storm where lightening struck a tree near his house. He was blown away by how the strange light force in the sky was able to destroy a tree. Then a natural philosepher helps his family describe to him the nature of electricity.

When Victor was seventeen he left his family to attend the University at Inglostadt. Just before he leaves, his mother catches the scarlet fever and while on her deathbed begs that Victor marry one of his good friends named Elizabeth. He still went with his original plan to attend the university and while studying there was convinced that he wants to keep studying sciences. Victor is fascinated with the creation of life and the destruction of it. He spends all of his time to focus on his studies and forgets about his social life and his family back home. Secretly, Victor begins building this creature in the privacy of his own apartment. He soon becomes lonely and obsessed with the creating of his new creature. Later on he finally finishes his creation and brings it to life. He is horrified with the disgusting look of the creature. He finds himself having nightmares about his dead mother and Elizabeth. The monster of a creature came into his room when Victor was trying to sleep, and hovered over his bed. Victor ran outside pacing back and forth when he sees his old friend Henry Clerval. Seeing his old friend was a breath of fresh air for Victor, but he was still weakened by his months of hard work creating the creature that he developed a nervous fever that lasted for months. Henry nursed him back to health and then Victor recieved a letter from Elizabeth.

I think it's so crazy how someone can go from being a social and family fun guy to completely isolating himself from everything except for his creation of a monster. It shows that anyone can become so obsessed with something that they forget what the other part of their lives are about. I'm really interested to find out what the letter from Elizabeth says and how it will affect Victor and his creature he created.