Frankenstein is one of my all-time
favorite novels. However, the elements of a novel are much the same as the elements of
a short story, and will apply to all stories.
Among these
are plot, character, setting, conflict, mood/tone, symbol, theme, etc. I will include a
link to a handbook which will help you further understand these terms, but I will apply
them to Shelley's Frankenstein for
you.
I don't know how far you are in the novel, but
undoubtedly by now you understand that Victor Frankenstein has built a creature out of
"used" parts as a result of his mother's untimely death through a difficult childbirth.
He says that no one should have to die while giving birth, or really, at all. This is
the basic plot. Victor is interested in science from the very beginning, his mother
dies, he is propelled to bring a creature to life, and then he spends the rest of the
novel battling his morals and belief system as a result of the creature's vengeful
attitude.
The main characters are Victor, the obsessed
scientist who has only a few good friends, devoted family members, and otherwise keeps
to himself. Every time he secludes himself and ignores Nature, his health suffers and
he falls ill.
Henry, Victor's best friend, is a people
person and is responsible for bringing out the best in Victor along with Elizabeth. He
loves literature, drama, and other "people" centered
activities.
Elizabeth, Victor's "sister" and future wife,
is also a social being. She is full of energy and draws Victor out of his seclusion and
science experiments.
It is important to know that Victor,
the main character, is a withdrawn and introspective type. His thoughts, words, actions
all play on a major theme: is it OK to play God? Shelley's answer is a resounding "NO"
since Victor's creation is the ruination of everyone dear to him. Other themes are also
evident while studying Victor's character. When he secludes himself, he is engaged in
his science experiments where he "forgets" to take care of himself. When he is
exercising and walking among Nature (ie, God) he is in tune with the Creator and
everything is right. He is healthy, and his mind is right. But his health fails and he
falls into either physical or mental or both illness when he is in seclusion. Thus, the
state that Henry finds Victor in after Victor creates the creature that dreary November
evening.
Setting includes not only the geographic location,
but also the mood/tone of the place, the time period, the weather, etc. So, when it's
rainy and storming in the novel (or any novel) the author is letting you in on how the
characters are feeling or that they should be aware that something isn't right. Of
course, the night the creature is created and brought to life, it is dark, dreary,
stormy, and miserable...foreshadowing the rest of Victor's life. When Victor is
outdoors, everything is OK. When he's indoors shut up in dark and secret rooms, things
go wrong. The isolated place in Scotland where he chooses to build the female creature
is a horrible place. Can anything good come of this? As we read on, we see that the
answer is no.
Conflict deals with any problems in a story.
Victor's conflicts are both internal and external. He questions his own motives, and
then he wrestles with what the right thing to do is. He questions his ability to
protect his family and friends, etc. He argues with his father, with Elizabeth, with
the creature.
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