My final book of the school semester was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Coming into this final stretch, I just wanted to get it over with. For years, I thought I knew the story of Frankenstein and that this unit would be a breeze since I knew the basics. I was immediately proven wrong when I learned that the Creation didn’t even have a name and the name Frankenstein was actually the name of his creator. 

The story of Frankenstein follows the telling of Victor Frankenstein’s life. The novel switches between three different narrators, Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the Creation. It begins with letters by Robert Walton who comes across Victor as he travels. Victor then tells his tale to Robert. Victor goes through his childhood and life, the making of his Creation and why Victor is so obsessed with following and capturing his Creation. Throughout the novel he talks about his tragedies and failures. Most importantly, he laments his mistakes in bringing this Creation into the world and putting mankind in danger. 

As the novel was based on Romantic ideals (written during the Romanticism period), much of the novel involves life and nature. Shelley’s Frankenstein was one of the biggest works that reflected the romantic period through the idea of creating, love (or lack thereof) and the effect society has on life. I enjoyed the idea that Shelley formed that nature was alive and a being not to be altered or tested. Especially how nature messed with Victor as its own warning or revenge against him for trying to defy its laws.

I really liked how I became invested in the book. I don’t think I could have been more infuriated with a character more than the main character, the main storyteller; Victor Frankenstein. This was one character that really made my blood boil. Victor Frankenstein is the kind of guy who only thinks about himself, pays no attention to how his actions could affect those around him, and is one to pin the blame on anyone except himself. I found myself rooting for the Creation despite him also committing major acts of violence. 

That was something I also found interesting. It was hard to pick sides. Both Victor and his Creation could be considered monsters to humanity. Victor for ignoring his entire family to fulfill a goal he ended up scrapping, being so inhumane to his own Creation and not giving his Creation a chance to have a life to enjoy; the Creation for the various crimes he had committed onto humanity such as murder and arson. While I’m obviously biased, others can look at their stories in a completely different way and disagree with my interpretation. A great part of Shelley’s novel is the idea of perspectives and how it is told. She makes this a much more conflicting story due to the different perspectives she created in her characters and their own reasonings and actions.

Overall, Frankenstein was a good book to end the year on. It was an easy, quick read that still was interesting in both its themes and characters. Shelley is a fantastic writer to create such emotion inducing characters. I feel like I could do a character study and discussion for hours from what she has written. I would definitely recommend Frankenstein to others. Despite being such a well known story, there is still much to read and learn from it.

-Nicole R.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.