The Summer of Our Discontent--part 26

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

"I abstained...neighbouring wood."99

The sustenance that Frankenstein's creation learns to survive on is berries, nuts and roots from the woods nearby where he is staying. The foods that he finds are three of the main things that a civilized man would use if he were trapped in the wilderness without food. The chapter about the creature's development is highly comparative to the development of man. Once again, like the fire, the berries and other naturally provided sustanence represent basic knowledge.

The Summer of Our Discontent--part 25

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

"Great god...expire." 163

This is the feelings that Victor experiences after he discoveres that his creation has killed his precious Elizabeth. Elizabeth had been his beloved childhood friend and his most cherished person. And finally they had been married and on their wedding night his very own creation comes and kills her. He wants to die because he has lost the one thing that had meaning to him. The experience represents hopelessness, and understanding. It represents understanding because finally he is brought to understand the emptiness that his creation feels.

The Summer of Our Discontent--part 24

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley



"'Mont Blanc...aiguilles...'"87


An aiguille is a "a sharp-pointed pinnacle of rock." The aguilles surround Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps. The Alps is where Frankenstein's creature chooses to hide away from civilization. The auigilles, being sharp points of rock, suggest protection, as well as being ominous.

"Mont Blanc." Wikipedia. July 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Blanc>




"Aguilles." Merriam-Webster Dictionary. July 2008. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aiguilles>

The Summer of Our Discontent--part 23

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

"'One night...leathern portmanteau..."111

A portmanteau means two things packed into one word. However it can also mean a kind of suitcase, as it does here. Inside of the portmanteau Frankenstein's creation finds three books which influence him greatly(Paradise Lost, Plutarch's Lives, and The Sorrows of Werter). The word portmanteau comes from the words porter(to take or carry) and manteau which is a cloak or mantle. Here the portmanteau symbolizes hidden knowledge.

"Portmanteau." Wikipedia. July 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau>

The Summer of Our Discontent--part 22

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

"The sun...oaten cake..." 143

Here Victor satisfies his hunger with an oat cake. The oatcakes symbolizes satisfaction and weariness because he was tired and hungry. The recipe for an oatcake, according to a geocities blogger, is:

"Oatcake Recipe

Makes 12
8 oz fine oatmeal8 oz wholewheat or plain flour1 tsp salt1/2 oz fresh yeast1 1/2 pints warm milk and water, mixed half and half1 tsp sugar(Chris and Pam Ellis, ex-pats in Australia use double the amount of salt and sugar and claim to get excellent results. They should know because they have tasted the original. They even cook them on the barbie!!)Method
1. Add salt to flour and oatmeal.
2. Dissolve yeast with a little warm liquid and add sugar. Allow to become frothy.
3. Mix dry ingredients with yeast and rest of warm liquid to make a batter.
4. Cover with clean cloth and leave in warm place for 1 hour.
5. Bake on well-greased griddle. Put enough batter onto griddle to produce an oatcake about 8 or 9 inches in diameter. The surface will be covered in holes as it cooks. Turn oatcake after 2-3 minutes when upperside appears dry and underside is golden brown, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.Eat as soon as possible. Oatcakes freeze well."

"North Statfordshire Oatcakes Homepage." July 2008. <http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/2333/howmade.htm>

The Summer of Our Discontent--part 21

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley



"I sickened...turn from me in disgust?" 113

There is a lot of confusion and anger that Frankenstein's creation feels throughout the novel. He doesn't understand why he was created. He was suddenly brought into the world and from that moment on was just hated by anyone who laid eyes on him. He doesn't understand why his own creator doesn't want to lay eyes on him: "Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?" The creature feels like an abandoned child who keeps trying to reach out to a parent who won't respond. The hatred and disgust that his creator feels towards him symbolize abandonment, and loneliness.

The Summer of Our Discontent--part 20

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

"I looked...sicken in my bosom." 140

The theme of fear and evil is one of the main themes in this book. Frankenstein has been asked to make a female version of his creation so that it won't be lonely. It is a decision that he has to make to determine his own future as well as his creation's. On one hand he is hopeful but on the other hand he is scared which affects his decisions, making his "heart sicken in [his] bosom." The emotions that overwhelm him affect him emotionally and physically. Fear makes him begin the requested creature and then fear makes him stop. It's like he is caught in a room with spikes on the walls. Whichever wall he chooses to cower against may eventually be his undoing. His emotions control him and affect him greatly.