Summary by Matt Davis

“…how gladly I would sacrifice my fortune, my existence, my every hope, to the furtherance of my enterprise. One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought for the dominion I should acquire and transmit over the elemental foes of our race.” This confession of R. Walton to Victor Frankenstein opened the floodgates for Victor to finally share his burden in the hope that Walton will not make the same mistake he has.

The story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is a moving and gut wrenching tale about a young Victor Frankenstein who, in pursuing his passion of science, creates a life. However, in creating a life without weighing the implications of his actions, he ultimately takes life from those he loves dear.

Mary Shelly masterfully writes this novel using language and descriptions that draw us into the story to experience the extreme happiness and deep sadness of the characters. We take in the sublime beauty of the rugged mountains, lakes, and flowing waters. Our guts are wrenched as we wrestle with the same sense of justice and duty, virtues and vice, compassion and loneliness that Victor and his Monster wrestle with.

The description R. Walton gives regarding Victor is analogous of the journey we take as we navigate this tale: “Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature. The starry sky, the sea, and every site afforded by these wonderful regions seen still to elevate his soul from earth. Such a man has a double existence. He may suffer misery and be overwhelmed by disappointments yet when he as retired into himself he will be like a celestial spirit that has a halo around him within whose circle no grief or folly ventures.”