Vol. 3 Chapters 5 and 6

3.Chapter 5
1. Key events of chapter:

Victor and his father travel to Paris where Victor tires to express his depressed feelings to him but doesntt reveal about the creatree.

Elizabeth writes to Victor asking whether he really wants to marry and saying she only cares for his happiness. Victor does want to marry but hess worried about the creature's threat, and as he thinks he will kill him, decides to get married in order to confront him and try to defeat him.

Victor returns to Geneva and the wedding date is settled but still looks out for the creature to attack.

Victor and Elizabeth get married and travel to the Inn.

2. Key quotations

Elizabeth- "our marriage would render me eternally miserable unless it were the dictate of your own free choice" it highlights Elizabeth's personality and her attitudes towards marriage, and how she cares about Victor's happiness in that she is prepared to drop her expectations of marriage in order to make him hapyy. It almost brings out a new approach to Elizabeth and points out the kind of attitudes that Shelley believes are necessary, and disregards the views of obsession over marriage from women and how they must balance both feelings of marriage and let it be a desire through happiness rather than expectations.

Victor- "the apple was already eaten, and the angel' armm bared to drive me from all hope" it relates to Paradise Lost and connects to the Biblical language that the creature used to Victor. It's putting Victor in the position of Adam and Eve and shows him realising that he has fallen from grace by betraying God and trying to put himself in his position. This potrays the effects of these new creations and links to the idea of once somethingss there it cantt go back, and is reflected in Paradise Lost in how man is permantly detached from God.

Victor- "if I had thought what might be the hellish intention of fiendish adversary, I would rather have banished myself for ever from my native country, and wandered a friendless outcast over the earth" Victor is relating to what really happened and what he would have done if he knew. What he says really reflects on how the creature is, and shows how hess ready to put himself in his place in order to protect Elizabeth. It gives a sense that Victor doesnt realise that this is just how the creature has been, and almost shows his inability to realise the damage that hess done to the creature and not just the ones he killed.

3. Narrative voice

Victor is the narrator which is significant as it allows the chapter to be written in a tone that almost signals that somethingss going to happen. At certain points Victor looks ahead and gives peaks of a great disaster approaching,which allows us to question the reliabitity of his words and how his take on events have been changed and altered in the shadow of Elizabeth's death approaching.

4. Structure in the novel

This is the last chapter in which Victor feels any sense of happiness at all and the chapter where he is looking ahead towards a happy life despite his anxiety of the creature's return. Itss the point where we almost feel a sense that he wants to move on from this and continue with life if he can.

5. Context

The role of women is highlighted with Victors return and how Elizabeth helped "she wept with me and for me". This reflects on the expected role of women and how they were meant to comfort men through their troubles and share their burdens.

6.Themes

the theme of domesticity is highlighted through the chapter and hrough the desperation of Victors father for him to marry Elizabeth and start a family "new and dear objects of care will be born to replace those of whom have been lost". It reflects on the continuely shown greatness of family and the expectations that Victor has been shutting out.

Chapter 6
1.Key events

Victor and Elizabeth arrive at the inn where Elizabeth goes upstairs, and while Victor is waiting for the creature to appear it kills Elizabeth. Victor goes up to her and sees the creature running away, and he and several men chase after it. Victor cant keep up so goes back to the inn and watches over Elizabeth.

Victor returns to Geneva to his father and after he talks of Elizabeth's death his father dies.

Victor goes before a magistrate and talks of the creature being behind the murders but doesntt say that he created him. The magistrate refuse to find him as they dont know where he is or what hess caperble of, so Victor decides to kill the creature himself.

2. Key quotetations

"a grin was on the fiend of the monster; he seemed to jeer, as with his fiendish finger he pointed towards the corpse of my wife" the creature is making a point from Victor refusing to provide him withaa female by eliminating Victor's ri 'ght to one. It signifies the importance valued of having a companion and the spreading need that the creature has gained , and Shelley could be lol condemning this importance as the desire led the creature to' even further destruction.

"No creature had ever been so miserable as I was" Victor is almost getting a feeling of how the creature feels and what he has brought on, and indicates that he is coming to realise the extent of his actions and how far theyvve reduced him. The creature seems to presenting to Victor his sufferings and to throw it back at him, of which Shelley presents the consequences of such daring actions.

"I devote myself, either in my life or death, to his destruction" comes to the point where Victor is set to destroy what he's created and resembles the extent to which his anger has driven him on. It reflects on the similar kind of thoughts he had when he first set to create it, and the dangers presented of that one aim controlling you and taking to extreme levels.

3. Narrative voice

Victor is the narrator which really increases the sense being felt from Elizabeth's death and the increasing desire to kill the creature once and for all. It expresses the feelings behind the destruction caused by the creature andthee effect being felt from the crimes of Victors own work and how it pushes him on in the final part.

4. Structure in the novel

The chapter is significant as its a turning point for Victor where the rest of the novel is based completely on the destruction of the creature. Its the point where Victor chooses to finally put an end to the creature and not be put off by his threats and negotiation, and the time when the deaths are sinking in to Victor and pushing him to put his work at an end.

Key contextual information

The rejection from the majistrate is used to highlight the injust system of the 19th century and the lack of effor being expressed, "this will prove impracticable and thus, while every proper measure is pursued, you should make up your mind to disapointmeent". It indicates the idea of not pushing efforts to bring justice if it was seemingly out of reach, and Shelley condemss it in this way similarly to the injustice towards Justine.

Themes which are highlighted

One theme presented in the chapter is Victor's fear of sexuality and his possible desire to not be intimate with someone. This is presented with "Oh peace my love, this night and all will be safe, but this night is dreadful, very dreadful". Although Victor is obviously anxious about the creature it could be argued that itss more directed towards Elizabeth and how they are now married. It is also highlighted through Victors urge to get married in the sense that he's using it to get to the creature and end the destruction. It could be argued that his desire of love has been ruined by the creature and his devotion to his destruction, or the fact that he left to create it could argue that he was without that desire all along.