I have a few questions after reading Frankenstein and I don’t know where to ask them. So hoping some people can render light to these
- Why did no one ask Victor Frankenstein who the murderer was, when he told them that he knew who the real murderer was and it was not Justine? I understand why he didn’t want to tell them it was the monster he created but no one even asked him “Well who is it if it’s not Justine?”. They were just happy he knew and continued to feel bad for Justine.
- Victor advises Walton to stop his ambitious pursuit of knowledge and narrates his entire story as a warning to him. Why the does he encourage the sailors to go north when they say they don’t want to? He talks about honour and valour to them but continues to take lessons on how taking care of your loved ones is the best thing you can do. Is this to show that victor is self-serving or an oversight from the author?
- Why did Victor think the monster was coming to kill him on his wedding night? The monster told him that he’ll make him feel the same loneliness he feels. So it was obvious he was going to target his wife Elizabeth. Was this another way of telling Victor’s lack of empathy to the monster’s life or was it just a plot device for a 19th century plot twist?
Would be so glad if someone could answer these questions.
Not sure about 1 and 2, but as for 3: I think this just illustrates that Victor’s mind cannot establish even the most primitive empathetic connection with the monster. He intuitively doesn’t see it as a feeling creature. It doesn’t cross his mind that the creature wants to inflict on him something that it itself is feeling, because he can’t comprehend that it feels anything. The monster to him is an abstractly dangerous non-person. He is scared of it, but in the way you are scared of a raging fire or a stalking tiger. You would never think to yourself “hang on that fire isn’t going after me, it’s going after my wife”. So I think this is purposeful, to really drive home just how completely Victor misunderstands the nature of his creation.
Yea he comes close to realising when the monster finishes narrating his tale but then dismisses it as him trying to manipulate him.