Letters 1, 2, 3, and 4 - Amazon Web Services that “one man's life is a small price to pay for the...

Letters 1, 2, 3, and 4LITERATURE STUDY QUESTIONS

To whom is Robert Walton writing in all four of his letters? How are they related to one another?

In letter 2 what seems to be Walton's opinion of the sailors he has been hiring? What reason does he give for feeling unsatisfied in spite of that?

What condition is Victor in when Walton's crew finds him? What reason does Victor give for being there?

5.

4. During the one month gap between letters 3 and 4, what is the “strange accident” that Walton describes has happened?

3.

2. What country (not in England) is Walton in when he writes letter number 1? Where is he headed after that?

1.

STUDENT NAME

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What sorts of assumptions does Walton make about Victor while describing him to Margaret?

According to Walton, what need must be fulfilled for a man to boast of true happiness?

9. Why does Victor finally decide a week later to tell Walton what has happened to him? What effects (if any) does Victor think telling his story could have for Walton, and separately for himself?

8.

7. On August 13, after eight days of recovering his health, how does Victor react when Walton comments that “one man's life is a small price to pay for the knowledge I seek…”?

6.

Letters 1, 2, 3, and 4

LITERATURE STUDY QUESTIONS

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Victor's story begins here. Where is he from, according to the label he gives himself?

What is Victor's childhood like?

Who is Henry Clerval?14.

13. Who is Elizabeth Lavenza? Explain how she ended up with the poverty-stricken family in Italy, and where she goes to live after that. Why was this new arrangement made?

12.

11. How does Victor's father, Alphonse Frankenstein, meet Caroline Beaufort? Why is there such a large difference in age between the two of them?

10.

Chapters 1 through 5


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Describe the interests of each character --Victor, Elizabeth, and Henry. What is each of them most passionate about?

What happens when Victor at age fifteen sees an oak tree destroyed by lightning and hears an explanation? What does Victor then begin to study?

What happens to Victor's mother as a result of Elizabeth's scarlet fever? What does Caroline direct Elizabeth and Victor to do for the sake of “future happiness” and to console Alphonse?

19.

18. Who or what does Victor say is responsible for changing his focus of studies? Who or what does he blame for his “utter and terrible destruction”?

17.

16. Who is Cornelius Agrippa, and what leads Victor to find out about him? How does his father react when he finds Victor at age thirteen reading Agrippa's works?

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Why does Victor's father send him to the University of Ingolstadt in Germany? How old is Victor then?

How does Victor feel about the teachings of his chemistry teacher, Professor Waldman? What does Victor say he will now do as a result of what Waldman says about modern science?

What reason does Victor suddenly give to Walton while telling this tale, for not wanting to give Walton too much information too early?

24.

23. How much time passes while Victor stays in Ingolstadt and makes no visits home to Geneva? What is he so interested in during that time, and what does he discover about human bodies?

22.

21. Describe Professor Krempe's reaction when he first meets Victor and hears which natural philosophy authors Victor has been self-studying. How does Victor feel about Krempe as a result?

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Approximately how long does it take Victor to create a life? What happens to him physically during this timeframe?

Describe Victor's reaction to his creature when it finally becomes alive in his laboratory. What is surprisingly different to him between his expectations and what it looks like?

What startles Victor and wakens him, causing him to flee to the courtyard?29.

28. What does Victor dream after he leaves the creature in the laboratory?

27.

26. What are some of the places Victor sought raw materials (body parts) for his project?

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Who arrives in a coach the next morning from Geneva? What does he notice about Victor right away? When they go to Victor's apartment together, what does Victor find? How does Victor react to this?

31. How long does Victor spend being nursed back to health? What is the one favor his friend wants him to do in exchange for all that care?

30.



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Who is Justine Moritz, and what does Elizabeth write about Justine's background? What role does Justine play in the Frankenstein household, and how is that role different in Switzerland than it would be in other countries?

Why does Victor feel “tortured” by Professor Waldman's praise of him while he is introducing Henry to each of his professors?

What do Victor and Henry do at the end of the school year to “bid a personal farewell” to Germany as they wait to return to Switzerland?

36.

35. What do Henry and Victor both decide to study rather than the natural sciences?

34.

33. Who is William? About how old is he now?

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What does Victor find when he returns to his apartment? What news does he learn?

What does Victor decide to go looking for on the stormy night that he arrives in Switzerland and has to wait outside of town for Geneva's gates to be unlocked? Whom does he see there for the first time in two years?

Why does Victor decide in the morning not to immediately tell everyone what he saw last night and what he thinks he knows?

41.

40. What is Victor's theory about what happened to William? What other conclusions does he assume about the creature now?

39.

38. How many years has Victor been absent from Geneva while studying in Ingolstadt?

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Who has been accused of William's murder, and based on what evidence?

Describe Justine’s behavior and words during the murder trial. Describe Elizabeth’s speech to the court during the trial. Describe Victor’s reaction to the trial and its outcome.

45. What explanation does Justine give Elizabeth and Victor for her false confession when they ask herabout it? What is Victor's perspective now about the suffering of Justine and Elizabeth comparedto his own?

44.

43. What are two reasons Victor and/or Alphonse do not bother to speak up in defense of the accusedperson?

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Describe Victor's emotional and physical state after Justine's execution. How are Elizabeth's personality and her view of society different now from her former ways and beliefs?

How do the majestic mountain peaks make Victor feel? Why do you think he decides to travel higher toward the summit of Montanvert?

When we finally hear the creature speak, what obligation does he seem to say Victor has to him? What ultimatum does he give Victor?

50.

49. Who does Victor meet on the glacier? Describe the greeting he gives him.

48.

47. Describe the landscape of the valley that Victor travels through in the Alps on his way to the valley of Chamounix. What time of year is it now? How long has it been since Justine's death?

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What does the creature say is the reason for his bloodthirsty, fiendish behavior?

In the last paragraph of the chapter, what two reasons does Victor give for agreeing to listen to the creature's story?

What animals does the creature observe to learn about oral communication? What other sorts of things is he beginning to learn, sense, or feel at this time?

55.

54. In Chapter 11 the creature is now narrating. What does he say about his earliest memories after coming to life in the laboratory? How and where does he survive after running away from there?

53.

52. What does the creature plead with Victor to do in this chapter?

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Why does the creature stay so long by the abandoned fire pit he found? Then why does he leave it? Why does he “lament” having to leave this fire behind?

What kinds of emotions is the creature filled with by secretly watching the people who live in the cottage? What actions of theirs fill him with these emotions? (Remember that he does not yet know any human language, so he cannot understand anything they might say, or even what speaking is.)

59. At first the creature is confused that such kind, loving people would ever weep. What does he discover makes them so sad? What ways does he try to help solve the problem?

58.

57. Describe the hovel in which the creature finds shelter. Where is it located? Also, how does he make it more homelike for himself?

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Who are Agatha and Felix? What is their relationship like to one another and to the old man they call “Father”?

Now that it is springtime in the creature's story, think back to what was happening in Chapter 5 with Victor during this same springtime. Where was he, and what was going on in his life while the creature lived here in the hovel of the cottage?

64. What does the creature hope to use to win the family's acceptance and affection?

63.

62. When the creature accidentally sees his own reflection, how does he react? What two reasons does he mention for hesitating to reveal himself to the family?

61.

60. How does the creature begin to learn vocabulary? Why do you think it was easier for him to learn the words for objects in the room than words for concepts such as “good,” “dearest,” and “unhappy”?



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