Frankenstein Study
Week 2
Bernie Wrightson’s Frankenstein illustrations, 1983
Week Two Reading Checklist
Creation, Abandonment, and the Cost of Silence
There are moments in a story when everything that follows is already decided, even if the characters do not yet know it. This week contains such a moment.
The act of creation itself is almost abrupt in its delivery. Instead, Shelley slows the narrative immediately after, fixing our attention not on what Victor has done, but on what he refuses to do next. What we see is a man blinded by ambition, but he is not willing to face the consequences head-on. He is truly a coward.
This is not a story about curiosity gone wrong. It is a story about abdication of responsibility and moral ethics. It is about a maker who will not remain with what he has made. I find it an interesting contrast between this creator and the Creator of the universe. For me, it is a beautiful reminder of what could be should the God of our universe not be the source of all that is good, true, and beautiful. How His creation was made from an outpouring of His perfect love.
Victor does not repent or even take responsibility. He disappears and recoils. And Shelley is relentless in tracing the consequences of that flight, not only for the creature, but for everyone bound to Victor’s life. Reminding us that we are not an island unto ourselves and that our choices (for good or for bad) affect everyone around us.
Day 1
☐ Volume I, Chapter 5
Thoughts:
What happens when creation is severed from care and responsibility?
Day 2
☐ Volume I, Chapter 6
Thoughts:
What does avoidance reveal about guilt? How might we relate to that?
Day 3
☐ Volume I, Chapter 7
Thoughts:
Who pays the price when responsibility is refused?
Day 4
☐ Volume I, Chapter 8
Thoughts:
What happens when innocence is sacrificed for comfort? Where do we see that in our own lives and in today’s culture?
Day 5
☐ Volume II, Chapter 1
☐ Volume II, Chapter 2
Thoughts:
What responsibility does a creator bear once life exists?
☐ Week Two Complete
Parallel Text:
Isaiah 59:2
Genesis 2:7
Psalm 127:1, Genesis 4:9
Psalm 51:3, Romans 8:20–22, Micah 6:8
For Reflection:
Shelley never allows Victor to claim ignorance. He knows what he has done, and he is terrified by it. What he lacks is not an awareness, but the courage to do what is right and true.
Next week, the voice shifts. We will hear the story from the one who has been most sinned against.