Literary Criticism: Frankenstein

 

Frankenstein, The Modern Prometheus set in Switzerland and in the North Pole.

There are four narrators, the first one is the captain of a vessel, Robert Walton, who through letters describe his adventure to his sister Margaret Walton Seville.

In the letters a contrast will emerge between the captain and the crew, the navigation to the north pole is extremely dangerous, no one wants to die for the ambitions of their captain to discover the secret of nature.

The second narrator is Victor Frankenstein, he tells us about his strong desire to discover the secrets of life.

Victor decides to go to the cemetery to assemble a human body.

Through a thunderstorm the creature will take life.

Conscious of having created a monster, he will decide to abandon him to his fate.

The third narrator is the creature, he is naive and innocent, the reader will assist in the corruption of a creature which will transform him into a resentful and hateful monster for having been abandoned and ignored by his creator and the local people.

The fourth narrator is again Robert Walton, which will bring us to the conclusion of the story.

Through the plot it emerges that Robert and Victor are intent on defying the laws of nature and that of replacing God as done by the modern Prometheus.

There are many themes, the creation, abandonment, isolation and lack of identity.