Alphonse Frankenstein
English Lit: AQA GCSE Frankenstein, topic 2.3.3
Summary of Alphonse Frankenstein's Character
Alphonse Frankenstein is Victor's father. He is a respectable man from an affluent background and is very supportive of his son. He also loves his adopted daughter, Elizabeth, very much.
Supportive parent
- Although Alphonse can seem distant and formal in his letters to Victor, he is a supportive parent.
- He sends Victor to university, facilitating his education.
- He is always there to help Victor and remind him of the importance of family, even when Victor is neglectful.
- He wants Victor to achieve happiness through his marriage to Elizabeth.
Compassionate man
- The compassionate behaviour of Alphonse as a father to Victor helps to highlight Victor's own lacking in his role as a parent to the Monster.
- The shock and stress of Elizabeth's murder leads to Alphonse's death, whereas Victor actively tries to destroy his creation.
Alphonse Frankenstein - Key Quotations
Alphonse Frankenstein is Victor's father. He is a respectable man from an affluent background and is very supportive of his son. He also loves his adopted daughter, Elizabeth, very much.
Emotionally understanding
- 'I confess, my son, that I have always looked forward to your marriage with our dear Elizabeth as the tie of our domestic comfort, and the stay of my declining years. […] You, perhaps, regard her as your sister, without any wish that she might become your wife.' (Volume Three: Chapter 1).
- Alphonse is willing to accept that marriage to Elizabeth may not be what Victor wants.
- Alphonse is presented as being thoughtful and emotionally understanding to present the caring parenting from which Victor benefits.
- This contrasts to how Victor treats the Monster.
Supportive parenting
- '"My father!" cried I, while every feature and every muscle was relaxed from anguish to pleasure: "is my father indeed come? How kind, how very kind!"' (Volume Three: Chapter 4).
- Alphonse cares so deeply for his son that he travels to Ireland to offer support to Victor whilst he is sick and imprisoned.
- Victor's enthusiastic response to hearing of his father's presence demonstrates the positive impact supportive parenting can have.
Shock of family deaths
- 'He could not live under the horrors that were accumulated around him; the springs of existence suddenly gave way: he was unable to rise from his bed, and in a few days he died in my arms.' (Volume Three: Chapter 6).
- Alphonse is presented as being sensitive to the shock of the deaths of his close family members.
- Shelley is careful to make the connection between these deaths and Alphonse's own demise to suggest that Alphonse's death is another effect of Victor's ongoing battle with his creation.
Test yourself on Alphonse Frankenstein
Who is Alphonse Frankenstein?
What leads to Alphonse's death?
Why is it important that Alphonse is presented as being a thoughtful and emotionally understanding parent?
Where in the book is the following quotation from?
'"My father!" cried I, while every feature and every muscle was relaxed from anguish to pleasure: "is my father indeed come? How kind, how very kind!"'