Frankenstein
From Mary Shellys original book
Adaptation by Margrete Lamond
This book is an adaptation of the most famous horror story in the English language, FRANKENSTEINE.
This book is based on the horrific journey of one man called Victor Frankenstein. He was a child of a very wealthy family in Geneva. He had a normal childhood and was always a very happy child. One stormy night though, he came upon a dark and mythical book about the old ways. It included secret ways of making potions and acquiring the elixir of life. From this day onwards science became his sole passion. He spent days at a time home, experimenting with dead animals, stiching their rotting limbs together to create monsters. This carried on for many years until one day he had an incredible thought. What if he could produce life? What if he could bring something back to life? From this day forward his sole passion became his quest to produce life. Many months later he had collected enough ingredients and body parts to make another human being. One fateful night in November, and hideous creature drew its first breathe. It opened its eyes, the yellow illuminating the room. The monster was born. Victor took one look at the monster and fled his home by its disgust. From that day onwards, Frankensteins fate was decided.
The setting of the book is in Geneva Switzerland in about mid 1800s. Electricity and batteries have just started being wide used in science.
There are two main characters, Victor Frankenstein and The Creature.
When Victor was a child he was always a very happy and curious child. But as he grew older, he became darker and more solitude. He spent hours just reading books and usually avoided conversations. His strength was his determination and setting goals. As soon as he set the goal of creating life, he stopped at nothing to reach it. He spent hours at night building and operating machinery to create the monster. His weakness was allowing others to push him around and telling him what to do. He even let the creature he constructed to boss him around. After creating the creature, he came terminally ill and went mentally insane. He rocked back and forth in his chair, always suspecting the monster to be around the corner. His appearance was of a man twice his age. Wrinkles made his face into a shapeless ball of skin and his rib cage poked though his clothes.
Because he is a very dark and mysterious man, you are not sure if you like him or not. He always snaps and throws insults at the creature like theres not tomorrow. But you do feel for his grief. Almost his whole family was killed by the monster, so you cant help but feel sorry for him.
On the other hand, The Creature is utterly detested by the end of the book. He took many innocent lives that had done no harm to him. At the start, the Creature was thought to be an innocent being that didnt really belong in the world. Later in the book it shared its journey with Victor. He told how he had been so alone. He lived in the forest for many months and learned edible from non-edible and drinkable from non-drinkable. He learned about experiencing pain and emotion.
Later on he moved next to a little house. There he gazed upon a little family for months. Every night he would listen to them talking and reading. There he learnt how to talk and read fluently. He then learnt about companionship. He wanted to make friends. He went up to people greeting them with a fleshy smile only to be shunned with pitchforks and screams. He tried to befriend the family he watched. But when he stepped inside he was attacked by a man. He fled in misery. When he gathered up enough knowledge, he realised that Victor had betrayed him. Victor had abandoned him. He decided to go back to Geneva to confront him. A sudden rage had been passed through him. He wanted to cause Victor the same misery that he had caused to the creature. From then on all he did was cause grief to Victor. He caused Victor so much grief that he was beyond repair. Although we grow to hate the Creature, we have to marvel at his learning capabilities. He was able to learn how to read and talk without the aid of any teaching whatsoever. Hs tracking abilities were outstanding. He found his way all the way to Geneva. He grew so smart that he even outwitted the genius that created him. His weakness was his greed. He only wanted what was good for him. He didnt care about Frankenstein at all.
Quite clearly, the genre of this book is horror. Its not the theme the whole way throughout the book, but by the end you have a sick wrenching feeling in your gut.
It is hard to find a clear message in this book. It seems just like another horror story. But if you look deeper something comes out. Victor followed his dream of creating life, but everything that couldve gone wrong, went wrong. He turned into a mental psychopath and his whole family was murdered by the thing he created. I think the message here is; Follow your dreams, but be prepared for what lies ahead.
At first, FRANKENSTEIN seems like a sick and twisted novel about a mans ill fated destiny. But the story grows on you as it unfolds into mystery and darkness. The novels greatest strengths are being able to captivate a reader so well and the contrast between the start of the book and the end. I really dont think FRANKENSTEIN has any weaknesses. It is easily the best book I have ever read. Its so captivating and you dont want to put it down.
My favourite passage in the whole book is this:
It was on a dreary night on November that I beheld the attainment of my toils and saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open. A convulsion rocked its body, a shudder shocked its limbs, and it gasped its first rasping breath
I like this passage because it is the turning point in the novel. After this moment, Victors life changed. Before, his sole passion was creating the monster. After, his sole passion was to run away from the monster
Overall I think this is a fantastic book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the feeling of a chill down their spine.
Already have an account? Log In Now
4724