Chapters 16-19

Chapter 16

Because of the cruel reception he's got from all humans he has met, the Monster wages war on humanity, especially Victor.

Revenge

In the morning, the cottagers flee and the Monster sets the cottage on fire and sets out to Geneva for revenge.
On the way he saves a young girl from drowning, unable to control his remaining instinct for good, but is shot in the arm by her male companion which reminds him of his hatred for humans.
He has to spend weeks recovering from his injury, becoming more and more bitter and twisted about his treatment at the hands of humans.

William

Two months later, the Monster is in Geneva and woken from sleeping by a beautiful little boy.
The Monster wishes to make friends with him, hoping a child would be less prejudiced than adults, but the boy (William Frankenstein) is afraid and insults the Monster.

Rage

William claims he will get his father, the magistrate, M. Frankenstein, to deal with him.
Upon hearing this name, the Monster becomes enraged and strangles the child, aware that this act will be a perfect act of revenge upon Victor.

Justine

He then finds a sleeping Justine close by and takes the locket from the dead child’s body. He plants it on her to frame her for the murder.
After this admission of his guilt, the Monster concludes his narration, after demanding that Victor create him a female Monster.

Chapter 17

Chapter 17 starts Victor’s intra-diegetic narration again.

Intra-diegetic narration

Victor recounts how the Monster eloquently but threateningly demands that Victor create a new female monster for him.
He vows that if Victor does, he will no longer haunt him and will take off into the mountains with his mate, never to trouble humans again.

Chamonix

Though he has serious reservations, Victor is impressed by the Monster’s eloquence and agrees to his task.
He questions the consequences of such a creation after the Monster leaves and contemplates suicide, but the restorative power of nature calms him down.
He returns to Chamonix to be with his family, who are worried about his appearance. They all return to Geneva the next day.

Companionship

"The picture I present to you is peaceful and human and you must feel like you could deny it only in the wantonness of power and cruelty".
The Monster proposes a very convincing argument to Victor and questions his creator’s morals and ego whilst making an appeal for companionship.

Chapters 18 and 19

Concerned by the task awaiting him, Victor procrastinates and instead surrounds himself with nature.

Trip to England

Victor reassures his father that he will marry Elizabeth, but secretly wants to get his secret task of creating a female monster done before he gets married.
He decides to visit England to research, gain solitude and try to put distance between his family and the Monster.
Concerned for his well being, it is agreed amongst the Frankenstein family that Clerval will accompany Victor on his travels.
They travel via Germany and Holland then on to London.

Tintern Abbey

In an analeptic narrative shift back to Walton, who is listening to the story, Victor expresses admiration for Clerval’s character and admits that he is now dead and how much he misses him.
He quotes from Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth (see Intertextual references) when describing Clerval, which parallels his character with the ideals and beliefs of the Romantic movement.

London

We find out that Clerval and Victor live in London during the winter.
Victor finds it hard to lift himself out of depression and sees Henry as a replica of what he used to be before he created the Monster and ruined his life.
After many different journeys around the country, they travel to Edinburgh, Scotland and then up to Perth.

Parting

In Perth, Victor suggests that he and Henry part ways for a while, secretly desperate to make a start on his new female creature.
Even though he is plagued with doubt and disgusted by the deed, he makes progress, after travelling up to the Orkney Islands in order to gain solitude for the task.

Analeptic narrative shift

"But I am a blasted tree - the bolt has entered my soul".
This internal analeptic narrative shift refers to Chapter 2, when Victor views the unbridled power of nature.
By referring to himself as the ‘blasted tree’, he is acknowledging his inability to be able to control nature and therefore questions whether he should create another monster.
He is aware that untamed knowledge, ‘the bolt’, has destroyed his life and he feels powerless to change his fate.

1Narrative Structure

1.1Narrative Structure

1.1.1Narrative Structure

1.1.2Narrative Distancing

1.1.3End of Topic Test - Narrative Structure

2Character Summaries

2.1Walton & Frankenstein

2.1.1Walton

2.1.2Victor Frankenstein

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Walton & Frankenstein

2.2The Monster

2.2.1The Monster

2.2.2The Monster 2

2.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster

2.3Elizabeth, Justine & Henry

2.3.1Elizabeth Lavenza

2.3.2Justine Moritz

2.3.3Henry Clerval

2.3.4End of Topic Test - Elizabeth, Justine & Henry

2.4Families & Other Characters

2.4.1The Frankenstein Family

2.4.2The De Lacey Family

2.4.3Other Characters

2.4.4End of Topic Test - Families & Other Characters

3Intertextuality & Allusions

3.1Intertextual References

3.1.1The Modern Prometheus

3.1.2The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

3.1.3The Bible

3.1.4Mutability & Tintern Abbey

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Intertextual References

3.2Philosophical & Scientific Theories

3.2.1Edmund Burke

3.2.2Thomas Paine

3.2.3John Locke

3.2.4Jean-Jacques Rousseau

3.2.5Historical Figures

3.2.6End of Topic Test - Philosophy & Science Theories

4Biographic Context

4.1Biographic Context

4.1.1Shelley's Parents

4.1.2Loss & Maternal Anxiety

4.1.3Literary Legend

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Biographical Context

5Chapter Summaries

5.1Letters

5.1.1Letters 1 & 2

5.1.2Letters 3 & 4

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Letters

5.2Chapters

5.2.1Chapters 1-2

5.2.2Chapters 3-4

5.2.3Chapters 5-6

5.2.4Chapters 7-9

5.2.5Chapters 10-11

5.2.6Chapters 12-15

5.2.7Chapters 16-19

5.2.8Chapters 20-23

5.2.9Chapter 24 & Walton’s Last Letters

5.2.10End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

5.2.11End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-15

5.2.12End of Topic Test - Chapters 16-23

5.2.13End of Topic Test - Chapter 24 & Walton's Letters

6Key Themes

6.1Key Themes

6.1.1Curiosity & Knowledge

6.1.2Science & Society

6.1.3Loss & Companionship

6.1.4Connection to Nature

6.1.5Injustice

6.2Key Locations

6.2.1Extreme Landscapes

6.2.2Industrialised University Cities

6.2.3End of Topic Test - Key Themes & Locations

Jump to other topics