| Forbidden Knowledge— The Modern Prometheus | |
| Moral & Ethical Implications of Science | |
| Personal Ambition vs. Social Responsibility | |
| “Domestic Affections”/ Family |
| Epistolary narrative provides verisimilitude | ||
| Prepares us for central narrative’s themes through parallel situations and characters | ||
| Dangerous quest for “forbidden knowledge” by ambitious individualist | ||
| Setting foreshadows quest’s outcome | ||
| Arctic Setting | ||
| Unknown—quest for extraordinary knowledge | ||
| Dangerous—dangers of forbidden knowledge | ||
| Cold—cold-heartedness/spiritual death | ||
| Isolated—loneliness of the ambitious individualist | ||
| Robert Walton—parallels Frankenstein | ||
| Loving nature, strong domestic ties | ||
| Tremendous ambition, violates domestic ties (pp. 932-934; pp. 1028-1031) | ||
| Isolated and lonely | ||
| Victor Frankenstein—divided nature | ||
| Benevolent—domestic affection, desire to serve humanity | ||
| Selfishly ambitious—devotion to science, ignores responsibilities to others | ||
| Noble but fallen | ||
| The Creature—Frankenstein’s Doppelganger (“double-goer”/ alter ego) | ||
| Embodies destructive ambitions that bring isolation and spiritual death (p. 934-935) | ||
| The Creature—Frankenstein’s Doppelganger | ||
| Embodies destructive ambitions that bring isolation and spiritual death (p. 934-935) | ||
| Enacts Frankenstein’s desires to escape domestic responsibilities (p. 935) | ||
| The Creature—Frankenstein’s Doppelganger | ||
| Embodies destructive ambitions that bring isolation and spiritual death (p. 934-935) | ||
| Enacts Frankenstein’s desires to escape domestic responsibilities (p. 935) | ||
| Embodies Frankenstein’s benevolence and domestic affections (p. 972-973; p. 986) | ||