Chapter 11-17 Notes

Chapters 11-17:
The Creature’s Story
Chapter 11: Tale of the Monster
Describes awakening, confused, indistinct sensations.
It was dark and cold when he awoke so he covers himself with some clothes and wanders outside.
Sees the moon outside and wonders at its beauty.
Finds water in a nearby stream, and seems an abandoned fire (left by beggars).Throws his hand into the fire because of its warmth, and screams in pain.

C. 11: Survival in the forest
Searches for food, which is scarce.
After some snow falls, he sees a small hut and watches an old man near the fire, who sees the monster and flees leaving a delicious meal behind for the monster to enjoy.
Near a village, the monster is seen by some women and children who shriek when they spy him.

C. 11: Villagers pursue the creature
He finds a shelter with a lean to attached to a hut. While looking inside the hut, unknown to its occupants, the creature sees a family, observes their speech, music, and benevolence toward each other. There is an old man, and a young man and girl.
The creature continues to observe the family and is fascinated when they light candles at dark.

Chapter 12: The Lonely Observer
Monster is fascinated with the gentle mannerisms of the cottagers.
Watches their routine; notices their unhappiness.
Old man=blind, young man works away from the home, young girl and man show affection and sacrifice to the old man (these are the Delaceys).

Creature wonders why the cottagers are so sad. (C. 12)
The monster is perceptive enough to realize that it is less strange that he is so lonely versus the loneliness of the DeLaceys.
M stops stealing food from the family because he realizes that they have so little of it. M begins to find his own provisions and brings firewood to the family anonymously.
M listens to the words of the family and learns language.
Young girl is named Agatha, and the young man is Felix. (Felix is the saddest of the three family members).

C. 12: Learning and Loneliness
M notices the use of written language and yearns to learn that also.
M sees himself in a pool of water and is horrified at his ugliness. M and the cottagers settle into a routine where M clears a path in the snow for the family and cuts firewood for them.
As the season changes to spring, M is invigorated by the changes in nature.
*M = Monster

C. 13 – The most moving part of my story”
A beautiful stranger arrives on horseback and Felix is delighted.
Felix calls her “his sweet Arabian” – there is a language barrier, but she begins to learn English (M listens to the lessons and learns faster than Safie (the girl).
M watches all of this for two months.
M progresses in understanding human feelings, society, and what humans value (money, noble birth) which he does not have.

C. 13 Knowledge and Discontent
M wonders why people might kill others, and yet feels “there was just one means to overcome the sensation of pain, and that was death-a state I did not yet understand.”
M learns about gender differences, and hates not having a family of his own.
Questions if his life has any value at all.

C. 14- The Story of Safie and Felix
The elderly man, De Lacey, has origins in France. He once lived in an aristocratic home, and his children were once high in societal position.
Safie’s dad was the cause of the decline of the De Laceys. He was a Turkish merchant who was placed in jail because of his religion and wealth.
Felix happened to be at the trial. Felix vows to help the Turk, and is offered Safie’s hand in marriage by her dad.

C. 14
The monster has copies of letters between Felix and Safie and he offers to show them to Victor to prove that his story is correct.
Felix helps Safie’s dad escape, with forged passports, and then her dad wishes to betray Felix so he cannot marry Safie, so her dad tells the government of Felix’s deceit.
The De Laceys are imprisoned, and Felix is unable to help as a trial ensues and they lose their fortune and are exiled from their home country.

C. 14
The De Laceys are exiled to Germany in the cottage where the monster sees them.
Safie, who is supposed to stay in Italy in exile according to her dad’s plan, secretly escapes so she can find Felix. An attendant helps her find the family.

Chapter 15 – “My beloved cottagers”
On an August night, M finds gifts for him: clothing, a leather portmanteau (large suitcase), some books – Milton’s Paradise Lost, Plutarch’s Lives, and The Sorrows of Werter.
M reads, learns, analyzes his condition, mentally, physically, socially.
Ponders God, and wonders if Satan may be more of an emblem of his condition.

Chapter 15 - Discovery
M finds some papers from V’s lab (V’s journal of creating the monster).
Lots of description of V’s horror at the creature’s appearance. This makes M mad at his “Accursed creator!” and he questions why he was formed.
In the meantime, life improves for the exiled De Laceys. As their lives improve somewhat, the monster is in despair and a continually increasing tumultuousness.
M prepares to find a way to meet with the De Laceys in a few months.
M yearns for love/companionship
As winter comes, the monster is obsessed with meeting the family so one day he visits the old man, while the young people are gone.
M speaks of his loneliness, and his “friends” who live nearby. M finally admits that he means the De Laceys and the young people return and in horror send the creature back to his hovel.

C. 16 – Notice M’s rage at his creator
M grieves over why he was created, and is overwhelmed with feelings of rage and revenge.
He begins to wander in the woods, howling like a beast. Says he has a hell within him, like Satan. He hears voices and hides.
Sleeps, but with fitful dreams.
A man is asking for rent from the De Laceys, but Felix says they can no longer live there because of danger to his father.
M is filled with rage and revenge and burns the cottage. Then he decides to find his creator.

C. 16 M on a mission to find V
M travels at night, knows geography because of his studies
Saves a young girl who falls into a stream, then as he attempts to render aid to her a farmer sees him and fires a gun at him.
Arrives near Geneva (V’s home) and sees a beautiful young boy (William). When he tries to talk to the child, the child screams at him for being ugly and says his father, M. Frankenstein, will punish him.

Encounter with William
M kills William, and sees the miniature of the beautiful Caroline, and is angry that he will never be attractive.
M sees Justine sleeping, and places the miniature in the folds of her dress and flees.
M wonders if he might see V…and now asks V to make him a female companion.

C. 17 M and V talk about the companion
M begs for a companion who is as ugly as he is, and reasons that since he is shunned by humans, he deserves someone of his own.
M says he hates V and wishes to destroy him…says “you will curse the hour of your birth” to V.
M says that he and his female companion will travel to South America and never bother V or his family again.
V agrees to the newest “creation”
Dedicates himself to a hateful task.
Returns to Chamounix to start the creation.
M vows to watch and make sure the project is complete.