Frankenstein Study Questions

Ms. Cubeta English IV

Frankenstein – Study Questions Set #1

Letters 1-4 1. Who is Robert Walton and what is revealed about his background? 2. Who is Margaret? 3. In Letter 1, what reasons does Walton offer for making his voyage? 4. At the beginning of Letter 2, what is Walton in need of? 5. What traits does the lieutenant on Walton’s ship possess? 6. What kind of man is the master of Walton’s ship? 7. Who is the “Ancient Mariner” referred to near the end of Letter 2? 8. What route does Walton plan to take on his voyage? 9. What attitude does Walton reveal to his sister in Letter 3? 10. What is unusual about the first words spoken by the stranger Walton tells about in Letter 4? 11. How does Walton describe the stranger? 12. What news of Walton’s arouses the stranger’s interest? 13. What is the stranger’s reaction when Walton says that he will allow nothing to interfere with his journey of exploration? What does the stranger propose to do for Walton? 14. Why does the stranger feel that the polar region is an appropriate setting for the telling of his tale? 15. What is Walton’s plan? 16. What literary devices are used to close the journal entry of August 19?

Chapter 1 17. How does the stranger describe his parents’ character traits? 18. Why do you think Shelley waits until this point to reveal the stranger’s first name? 19. What do Victor’s parents give him as a gift?

Chapter 2 20. How do Elizabeth and Victor differ as children? 21. Who is Henry Clerval, and what are his interests and goals? 22. Whose works does Victor pursue in his reading and studies? Why? Why does his father disapprove? 23. What effect does a violent thunderstorm have on Victor when he is 15?

Chapter 3 24. Why does Victor’s father want his son to study at the University of Ingolstadt? 25. What last requests does Victor’s mother make before she dies? 26. How does Victor cope with the death of his mother? 27. When it is time for Victor to depart, why doesn’t Henry Clerval accompany Victor to Ingolstadt? 28. What realization comes over Victor as soon as he leaves his home? 29. Which professor does Victor favor – Krempe or Waldman? Why? Ms. Cubeta English IV

Frankenstein – Study Questions Set #2 Chapter 4 30. What discovery does Victor make while at the university? 31. How does Walton react to the news of Victor’s discovery? How does Victor respond to Walton? 32. What warning does Victor give Walton about the discovery? 33. What drives Victor on to the creation of a being like himself? 34. What details is the reader given on the construction of the creature? 35. A very short paragraph near the end of Chapter Four reads: “But I forget that I am moralizing in the most interesting part of my tale, and your looks remind me to proceed.” What purpose does this paragraph serve? 36. What words in the last paragraph of Chapter Four express a warning of what’s to come?

Chapter 5 37. Describe the setting on the night the creature comes to life. What mood is created by the setting? 38. Describe the creature. 39. What is Victor’s reaction to his creation? Why? 40. What happens after Victor rushes to his bedchamber? 41. At this point in the story, which character invites sympathy – Victor or the creature he has made? Explain. 42. What idea do the lines from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” convey to the reader? 43. What does Victor do when morning dawns? Whom does he meet? 44. Why has Henry Clerval’s father allowed him to go to Ingolstadt? 45. How does Henry’s character offset Victor’s character at this point in the story? 46. Why does Victor dread returning to his apartment with Henry? What does he find once they arrive there? 47. Describe what happens to Victor as he and Henry wait for a servant to bring breakfast. How does Henry respond? 48. What does Henry do during Victor’s ensuing illness?

Chapter 6 49. What new character is introduced in Elizabeth’s letter to Victor? 50. Why is Elizabeth’s letter important to the story? 51. Why does Victor desert his study of science? What study does he pursue? Why? 52. What is Victor’s mood after his tour of Ingolstadt with Henry? Why does he praise Henry? 53. How does Victor’s mood and his praise of Henry build suspense at the end of Chapter 6?

Chapter 7 54. What bad news awaits Victor in his father’s letter? 55. Why does Elizabeth blame herself for the murder? 56. Why does Victor come to believe that his monster is responsible for William’s death? 57. Why is Justine accused of the crime? 58. Why is Elizabeth particularly miserable after Justine’s arrest? Ms. Cubeta English IV

Frankenstein – Study Questions Set #3 Chapter 8 59. How does Victor react to Justine’s trial? What does this show about Victor’s character? 60. What is the result of the trial? 61. Why does Victor accompany Elizabeth to Justine’s prison cell? 62. Why does Justine confess to having murdered William? 63. When does Victor plead for Justine? 64. What warnings for the future does Victor give after Justine’s death?

Chapter 9 65. What thoughts does Victor have about his monster as Chapter 9 begins? 66. What does Elizabeth say that upsets Victor? Why does it upset him? 67. Why does Victor leave home, and where does he go? 68. How does Victor’s trip affect his spirits?

Chapter 10 69. Why does Victor decide to climb the glacier Montanvert? 70. How does Victor describe the monster’s approach on Montanvert? 71. What impression does the monster give when he speaks? 72. What does the monster request of Victor? Why? 73. Why does Victor agree to listen?

Chapter 11 74. What are the monster’s first memories? 75. What is the purpose of the footnote “The moon” in chapter 11? 76. How does the monster say he learned to live in the world? 77. Describe what happened when the monster enters the village? 78. What are the advantages of the monster’s hiding place? 79. What does the monster first observe about the family?

Chapter 12 80. Why does the monster decide to keep himself hidden from the peasants in the cottage? 81. How does the monster show his capacity to care for others? 82. What kind of knowledge does the monster gain from the cottagers? Why is he eager to have this knowledge? 83. Why is the monster horrified when he sees his own reflection in a pond?

Chapter 13 84. Describe the new character. How does her arrival benefit the monster’s education? 85. How and what does the monster learn about the human race? 86. How do the monster’s emotions change as he gains more knowledge?

Chapter 14 87. Why doesn’t Shelley mention the name of the old man, De Lacey, sooner? 88. Describe Safie’s connection with the De Lacey family. Ms. Cubeta English IV

Frankenstein – Study Questions Set #4 Chapter 15 89. What are the first book the monster reads, and how do they affect him? 90. What is the significance of the papers the monster finds in his clothing? 91. What plan does the monster make? 92. What happens when the monster reveals himself to the cottagers?

Chapter 16 93. What happens to the De Laceys? 94. Why does the monster set fire to the De Lacey’s cottage? 95. Where does the monster decide to go after burning the cottage? 96. What happens on the monster’s journey that further hardens his heart against humans? 97. What happens when the monster reaches Geneva? 98. Is the monster still a sympathetic character at this point? Why? 99. The last sentence of Chapter 16 is “This being you must create.” What is the significance of this sentence?

Chapter 17 100. Who begins the narration now that the monster has finished his story? 101. How does Victor initially react to the monster’s demand? 102. How does the monster reason with Victor? 103. What is Frankenstein’s decision to the monster’s demand? What oath does Victor ask the monster to swear to? Does the monster agree?

Chapter 18 104. What are Victor’s feelings when he returns to Geneva? 105. Why does Victor want to journey to England? 106. What does Victor’s father want him to do? Why? What does Victor reply? 107. Why is the trip to England particularly pleasant? 108. Why does Victor use the past tense when he speaks of Clerval in the paragraphs above and below the Wordsworth quote? What can the reader infer?

Chapter 19 109. Why doesn’t Victor like to be around other people in London? 110. Why do Henry and Victor decide to leave London? 111. What route do Henry and Victor take to Perth? 112. Why does Victor settle on the Orkney Islands as the place where he will work?

Chapter 20 113. Why does Victor destroy his second creation? 114. How does the monster react to the destruction of his “bride”? 115. How does Victor dispose of the remains of his second creation? What happens to Victor after this? 116. What is suspenseful about the ending of Chapter 20? Ms. Cubeta English IV

Frankenstein – Study Questions Set #5

Chapter 21 117. Who has been murdered? How was the victim killed? 118. When Victor finds out who was murdered, what happens to him? What does he say that sounds like a confession? 119. Who is Mr. Kirwin, and how does he treat Victor? 120. What is Victor’s reaction when he is told that a friend has come to visit him in prison? Who is the friend? 121. What has Mr. Kirwin done to help Victor at the grand jury inquiry? 122. What is the outcome of the grand jury inquiry? 123. Where does Victor’s father now take him? How does Victor describe himself on the journey?

Chapter 22 124. What confession does Victor make to his father? What is his father/s reaction? 125. What does Elizabeth ask in her letter to Victor? What does she offer him? Why? 126. What does Victor assume are the monster’s plans for his and Elizabeth’s wedding night? 127. What does Victor promise to tell Elizabeth on the day after their wedding? 128. Where do Victor and Elizabeth plan to spend their honeymoon?

Chapter 23 129. How does Elizabeth die? 130. Where does Victor see the monster? What does the creature do when Victor spies him? 131.What further misery greets Victor in Geneva? 132. What does Victor tell the magistrate? What is the outcome of their conversation?

Chapter 24 133. What happens when Victor visits the graves of his father, William, and Elizabeth? 134. Where does the pursuit of the monster take Victor? 135. How does the monster encourage Victor during the chase? 136. What is meant by the phrase “Walton, in Continuation”? 137. How is Victor able to justify to himself his early treatment of the monster? 138. Before he dies, what final advice does Victor offer Walton? What does this show about Victor’s character? 139. When does Walton meet the monster? 140. Why does the monster suffer over Victor’s death? 141. How does the monster plan to end his life?