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Frankenstein Begins His Story • 1
ADAPTED BY
Emily Hutchinson
FRANKENSTEINMARY SHELLEY
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FRANKENSTEIN
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Call of the Wild
A Christmas Carol
Frankenstein
The Red Badge of Courage
The Scarlet Letter
A Tale of Two Cities
Treasure Island
Development and Production: Laurel Associates, Inc.Cover and Interior Art: Black Eagle Productions
Three WatsonIrvine, CA 92618-2767E-Mail: [email protected]: www.sdlback.com
ISBN 1-56254-264-8
Printed in the United States of America
09 08 07 06 05 6 5 4 3 2 1
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronicor mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informationstorage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.
Copyright © 1999 by Saddleback Educational Publishing. All rights reserved.
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Frankenstein Begins His Story • 1
Opening Letter ................................. 5
1 Frankenstein Begins His Story ....... 7
2 Frankenstein Learns theSecret of Life .............................. 11
3 The Creature Comes to Life .......... 16
4 The Creature’s First Victims .......... 22
5 Frankenstein Meets the Creature .. 29
6 The Creature Tells of HisEarly Life ..................................... 34
7 The Creature Continues His Tale... 39
8 The Creature’s Request ................. 43
9 Frankenstein Breaks His Promise .. 51
10 Frankenstein Loses His Friend ...... 57
11 Another Loss for Frankenstein ...... 63
12 The Chase ...................................... 68
Closing Letters ............................... 74
CONTENTS
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FRANKENSTEIN
Opening Letter
To: Mrs. Saville, EnglandAugust 5, 17__
Dear Sister,First, I want to tell you that I am alive
and well. My dream of traveling to theNorth Pole seems closer than ever to beingfulfilled. But second, I want to tell you astrange story about what has beenhappening.
Our ship is nearly closed in by ice andfog. Now and then the seas churn, andhuge chunks of ice break up. The otherday, I stood looking out over the vastplains of ice. Suddenly, about half a mileaway, I saw a dog sled going north. Thefigure in the carriage had the shape of aman, but it was the size of a giant. Hewas gone before I could see more.
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The next morning, we came upon asecond sled. Only one dog remained alive.There was a man, nearly frozen, in thesled. We got him on board and carried himto my cabin. I never saw a man in sowretched a condition. Two days passedbefore he was able to speak. We havebecome friends. He is a kind, intelligent,gentle, and well-educated man. I am veryfond of him. Something, however, istroubling him deeply.
Last night, he told me that he has astory to tell me. Tomorrow, he will beginit. I plan to write it down in his ownwords as much as possible.
Your loving brother,R. Walton
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FrankensteinBegins His Story
My name is Victor Frankenstein. I grewup in Geneva, Switzerland. My family is oneof the best-known families there. For a longtime I was my parents’ only child. But thatchanged when I was about five years old.
My parents passed a week at Lake Comoin Italy. My mother was always interestedin helping the poor. One day, they visited apoor farmer who had five hungry children.
One of the children, a little girl namedElizabeth, attracted my mother more thanthe others. She wasn’t like the other childrenin looks or in personality. The farmer’s wifetold my mother about the girl. She was nottheir child, but the daughter of a nobleman.The girl’s mother had died, and her fatherhad put her in the farmer’s care. The fatherthen went off to war and had not been heard
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Frankenstein Begins His Story • 1
from since. Since then, hard times had cometo the farmer. He had very little money andfour children of his own.
My mother had always wanted a littlegirl. She asked the farmer if she and myfather could adopt the girl. Although thefarmer and his wife loved the child, theyknew she would have a much happier lifewith my family. So they let my parents takeElizabeth.
Soon Elizabeth Lavenza became morethan my sister. She became the beautiful andadored companion of my childhood. Wecalled each other “cousin” and shared a deeplove until the day she died.
When I was seven years old, my brotherErnest was born. At that time my parentsgave up their travels and stayed home. Wehad a house in Geneva. We also had a placein the country, on the shore of a lake, wherewe stayed most of the time. It was here thatmy brother William was born.
Our family did not know a lot of people.I had one close friend, Henry Clerval, theson of a Geneva merchant. Henry, Elizabeth,
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and I were like three parts of one person.Elizabeth was the soul, Henry was the heart,and I was the mind. Henry told stories ofheroes and great adventurers. Elizabeth hadher art. And I began to study science.
When I was 13, my father found mereading one of the books in his library. “Ah,you’re reading this?” he said. “My dearVictor, do not waste your time. This is sadtrash.” If only my father had explained thatno one believed in these books anymore,everything might have been different .Science had already proved that these ideaswere silly, but I didn’t know this. I wasangry. My father thought the books I likedwere trash! Instead of taking his advice,I found more books like them.
Looking back on it, I know that I wasfoolish. I tried using spells to change leadinto gold. I tried to raise ghosts. Of course,none of these spells worked. I might havegone on this way for years, but then anaccident happened that changed my life.
When I was about 15 years old, we wereat our country house. A violent and terrible
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storm came up. As I stood at the door, I sawlightning hit an old and beautiful oak. Assoon as the light vanished, the oak haddisappeared. Nothing remained but a blastedstump. The next morning, I saw that the treewas reduced to thin ribbons of wood. I neversaw anything so completely destroyed.
A friend of my father’s was visiting usthat day. He was a scientist. He explained atheory of his on the subject of electricity.This was new and astonishing to me. Whathe said made my earl ier studies seemfoolish. It seemed to me as if nothing wouldor could ever be known. So I gave up thestudy of science and immediately began tostudy mathematics.
When I look back, it seems to me thatthis change of attitude was caused by aguardian angel. It was perhaps the last effortof that angel to save my life.
It was a strong effort of the spirit of good,but it did no good. Destiny was too strong.Her laws had already sealed my terrible fate.
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FrankensteinLearns the
Secret of Life
When I was 17, my parents said thatI should begin my studies at a university inGermany. But before I could leave, the firstsorrow of my life came. It was an omen ofmy future misery.
My mother became ill with scarlet fever.On her deathbed, she called Elizabethand me to her side. “My children,” she said,“I have always wanted you to be marriedone day. This hope will now be a comfortto your father. I regret that I am beingtaken from you. I pray that we will meet inanother world.”
She died calmly. We were all grief-stricken. I stayed home for a few moreweeks. Finally, it was time for me to leave.My friend Henry spent the last evening withElizabeth and me. The three of us had never
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Frankenstein Learns the Secret of Life • 2
felt closer. None of us knew that we wouldnever be as happy again. I left the next day.
After a long, hard trip, I arrived inGermany. The next day I went to theuniversity and met one of my professors,Dr. Krempe. He was a rude man, but heknew a lot about science. He asked me whatscience books I had read. I mentioned thebooks about magic spells. “Have you reallyspent your time studying such nonsense?”he said. “You’ll have to start your studiesall over again.”
About a week later, I stopped by thelecture hall to meet Dr. Waldman, thechemistry professor. He was about 50, akindly man. He was everything Krempe wasnot. His voice was the sweetest I had everheard. And he was a good teacher. He startedoff with a history of chemistry:
“The old masters promised things theycould not do: turn lead into gold, stay youngforever. These were all empty dreams.Scientists today are different. They don’tpromise much, but look at what they havedone! We know how the blood moves
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through our bodies. We know what makesup the air we breathe. Who knows whatwonders may come next?”
The professor’s words filled my mindwith one thought. So much has been done,but I shall achieve even more. I will showthe world the deepest mysteries of creation.
From that day, chemistry became themost important thing in my life. I readbooks, attended lectures, and got to knowthe science professors. I often studied sohard that the stars disappeared in the lightof morning while I was still in my lab.
Two years passed in this manner. I paidno visit to Geneva, for I was too busy withmy studies. None but those who haveexperienced it can understand how excitingscience can be. There is constant food fordiscovery and wonder.
I decided to study human biology. Tostudy life is also to study death. I wanted tosee how death changes the human body. Icut into dead animals and people. I saw howdeath gives way to life. A human or animaldies, and its body gives food and life to
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Frankenstein Learns the Secret of Life • 2
worms. Then, like a flash of light, theanswer to the secret of life came to me.
I am not a madman. As sure as the sunshines, all that I am telling you is true.I became able to make lifeless matter cometo life!
Ah! I can see by the look on your face,my friend, that you expect me to tell youthe secret. That cannot be. Listen to mystory, and you will know why I will remainsilent on that subject . Learn from myexample how dangerous knowledge can be.
When I found I really could create life, Ihad to stop and think. How could I preparea frame for it? I knew it would be too hardto work on very small parts. So I decided tomake a being of gigantic size—that is, abouteight feet tall. After collecting my materials,I was ready to begin.
Who can imagine the horrors of my secretwork? I found my supplies in graveyards,dissecting rooms, and slaughterhouses. I canstill see all those staring, dead eyes. I oftenturned with loathing from my work. But,eager to succeed, I kept on.
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My work became everything to me.I didn’t write to my family, and I never wentout with friends. A year went by. I missedall the changes of the seasons. I was workingso hard that I began to feel ill. My purposealone kept me going. I knew that my laborswould soon end. I promised myself exerciseand amusement as soon as my creationwas complete.
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The Creature Comes to Life • 3
The CreatureComes to Life
It was on a dreary night in November thatmy work came to an end. I arranged myinstruments around me, so I could bring tolife the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.It was already one in the morning. The rainpattered against the window. My candle wasnearly burned out. Then, by the low light,I saw the dull yellow eyes of the creatureopen. It breathed hard. Its arms and legs shook.
How can I describe this creature I hadworked so hard to make? He was very tall.I had chosen his face as beautiful. Beautiful!How wrong could I have been? His skinbarely covered the muscles beneath. His hairwas shiny, black, and flowing. His teethwere white and perfect. But these thingsonly made the rest of him seem more horrid.His watery eyes were almost the same color
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as their white sockets. His skin was dry, andhis lips were straight and black.
I had worked hard for nearly two years.For this I had lost rest and health. Now thatI had finished, the dream vanished. Horrorand disgust filled my heart. I rushed out ofthe lab and ran to my bedroom. I could notsleep, so I paced the floor.
Still dressed, I threw myself on the bed.My sleep was disturbed by wild dreamsabout Elizabeth. She was young, healthy,and beautiful. But when I took her in myarms to kiss her—she changed. Her facelooked dead. I thought I held the body ofmy dead mother in my arms. I could seeworms crawling in the folds of her dress.
I woke up with a start. The dim, yellowlight of the moon came through my bedroomwindow. Then I saw the creature—themiserable monster I had created. He held upthe curtain of the bed. His eyes were fixedon me. From his mouth came an awfulsound, while a grin formed on his face. Hemight have spoken, but I did not hear. Onehand reached out, but I escaped and rushed
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The Creature Comes to Life • 3
downstairs. For the rest of the night I walkedback and forth in the yard.
When morning came, I began roamingthrough town. I had no idea where I was orwhat I was doing. I did not dare return tomy apartment. Finally, I came to an innwhere stagecoaches stopped. One wascoming in from Geneva. As I watched, thedoor opened and I saw Henry Clerval. Uponseeing me, my friend exclaimed, “My dearFrankenstein! How glad I am to see you! Howlucky that you should be here to meet me!”
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Suddenly, for the first time in months,I felt calm joy. It was almost as good asbeing back home. I welcomed my friendwarmly, and we started walking toward myapartment. Clerval told me that his fatherhad finally agreed to let him go to college.
“I am so glad to see you,” I said. “Buttell me, how is my family?”
“Very well, and very happy. They justwonder why you never write. But, my dearFrankenstein,” he said, as he stopped andlooked into my face. “I did not notice beforehow ill you look. You are so thin and pale.You look as if you haven’t been sleeping.”
“You have guessed right. I have been toobusy to sleep. But I hope that my work isnow at an end and that I am finally free.”
I didn’t dare say more about my work.I didn’t want anyone to know about it. Wearrived at my apartment building. I thenrealized that the creature might still beupstairs, alive and walking about. I dreadedto see the monster, but I feared still morethat Henry should see him. I asked Henryto wait a few minutes at the bottom of the
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stairs. I ran up, threw the door open, andchecked inside. Nothing was there. I couldhardly believe it. When I was sure that theapartment was empty, I clapped my handsfor joy and ran down to Clerval.
We went up to my room, and the servantbrought us breakfast. As we ate, my pulsebegan to beat fast. I could not stay still. Ijumped over the chairs, clapped my hands,and laughed aloud. When Clerval saw thewild look in my eyes, he was astonished.
“Victor,” he said. “What’s the matter?”“Do not ask me,” I cried. I threw my
hands in front of my eyes, for I thoughtI saw the creature come into the room.“He can tell you. Oh, save me! Save me!”I fell to the floor in a fit. It was the beginningof a nervous fever that lasted for months.
Henry took care of me during the time. Ilater learned that he did not tell my familyabout it, to spare them the grief. Little bylittle, I started to get better. I began to seethings around me and to talk with Henry.
When I was finally well, Henry told methat classes were about to begin at the
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university. I knew that I didn’t want to studyscience again. Every time I thought aboutscience, I remembered where it had led me.So, for the next six months, I went toHenry’s classes with him. We studiedliterature, languages, and history.
Finally the school year ended. I lookedforward to returning to Geneva. But badweather damaged the roads and preventedme from leaving right away. It was anothersix months before I could go home. BeforeI left, Henry suggested a walking tour.Wanting to bid a personal farewell toGermany, I was happy to agree. I was fondof exercise, and Clerval had always been myfavorite walking companion.
We passed two weeks walking throughthe countryside. It restored my health andspirits. I became the same happy man who,a few years ago, had no sorrow or care. Thebeauty of nature again filled me with joy.
We returned to the college on a Sundayafternoon. The peasants were dancing, andeveryone we met seemed happy. I, too, wasfull of happiness that day.
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The Creature’s First Victims • 4
The Creature’sFirst Victims
On my return, I found the following letterfrom my father:
My dear Victor,I hardly know how to tell you this, son.William is dead! That sweet child, who
was so gentle! Victor, he is murdered!We had all been walking near Lake
Geneva when we discovered that Williamwas lost. He had been playing hide-and-seek with Ernest, but Ernest could notfind him.
About five in the morning I found mylovely boy. The print of the murderer’s fingerwas on his neck. He had been wearing a pinwith a portrait of your mother on it. Thepin is gone! Doubtless it was the temptationthat made the murderer commit this deed.
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Come home, dearest Victor. You alone canconsole Elizabeth.
Your loving and grieving father,Alphonse Frankenstein
Within hours, I had said farewell toClerval and was on my way to Geneva. Myjourney was very sad. As I drew closer tohome, grief and fear overcame me. It wascompletely dark when I arrived in Geneva.The gates of the city were already shut. Ihad to pass the night at a village outside thecity. I was unable to rest, so I decided tovisit the spot where my poor William hadbeen murdered. I could not go through thetown, so I crossed the lake in a boat.
As I rowed, I saw lightning flash on anearby mountain. The storm came in fast.On landing, I climbed a low hill so I couldwatch its progress. While I watched thestorm, I walked on. I clasped my hands andcried out loud, “William, dear angel!” As Isaid these words, a flash of lightning showedme a figure in the woods. Its huge size
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The Creature’s First Victims • 4
instantly told me that it was the wretch towhom I had given life.
What was he doing here? Could he be themurderer of my brother? No sooner did thatidea cross my mind than I knew it was true.The figure passed me quickly, and I lost itin the gloom. I tried to follow, but he wastoo fast. A minute later, lightning flashedagain. I saw the creature climbing. The cliffwas almost straight up and down, but he roseup the steep slope with ease.
Two years had passed since he firstreceived life. Was this his first crime? I hadno way of knowing. I spent that night, coldand wet, in the open air. I thought about thebeing I had let loose upon mankind. Whathorrors would he commit?
Day dawned, and I hurried to my father’shouse. My first thought was to tell what Iknew of the murderer. But then I thoughtabout the awful story I had to tell. A beingwhom I myself had created had met me atmidnight on a steep mountain! I knew thatif anyone else said such a thing to me,I would have thought it the ravings of a
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madman. Besides, he would be impossibleto catch. Who could arrest such a strong,gigantic creature? I decided to remain silent.
Six years had passed since I last saw myfamily. Ernest met me at the door.
“Welcome, my dearest Victor!” he said.“Your presence will, I hope, console ourfather and poor Elizabeth. Poor William! Hewas our darling and our pride!”
Tears fe l l f rom my brother’s eyes .“Elizabeth needs you most of all. She feelsresponsible for the death of William. Butsince the murderer has been discovered—”
“The murderer discovered? How can thatbe? Who could catch him? One might aswell try to catch the winds.”
“I do not know what you mean,” saidErnest. “To us, the discovery we have madecompletes our misery. Who could believethat Justine Moritz could have done it? Shewas always so fond of all the family. Allthese years that she has lived with us, shewas more than a servant. She was a friend.”
“Justine Moritz! Poor, poor girl . Isshe the accused? But it must be wrong.
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Everyone must know that . Who couldbelieve it, Ernest?”
“No one did at first. But the evidence isstrong. The trial is today.”
He told me that Justine became ill on themorning William’s body had been found.She had been in bed for several days. Duringthis time, one of the servants was tendingthe clothes she had worn that night. The pinWilliam had been wearing was in Justine’spocket. On being accused, the poor girlcouldn’t explain how she got it.
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This was a strange tale, but it did notshake my faith. I said, “You are all wrong. Iknow the murderer. Justine is innocent.”
Just then, my father entered. I saw hisunhappiness, but still he tried to welcomeme cheerfully. We were soon joined byElizabeth. She welcomed me with greataffection. “Your arrival, dear cousin, fillsme with hope. Maybe you can find someway to prove Justine’s innocence.”
“She is innocent, my Elizabeth. That willbe proved. Fear nothing,” I said.
“Dearest niece,” said my father, “dryyour tears. If Justine is innocent, I am surethe truth will come out.”
But the trial did not prove Justine’sinnocence. She told the court that she hadspent that evening at an aunt’s house, aboutthree miles from Geneva. While she waswalking back home at about 9:00, she met aman. He asked her if she had seen the childwho was lost. When she found out the childwas Wil l iam, she spent several hourssearching for him. But by then, the gates ofGeneva had been shut. So she spent the rest
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The Creature’s First Victims • 4
of the night in a barn. She barely slept. Then,a few minutes before morning, some heavyfootsteps disturbed her, and she awoke. Shewent back to the Frankenstein home, whereshe l ived. As for the pin, she had noexplanation for it.
Elizabeth even took the stand to tell thecourt about Justine’s fine character. But thatdid not help. Justine was found guilty. Twodays later she was hanged.
I saw the deep grief of my Elizabeth. Thissadness was also my doing! My father’swoe, the sorrow of my home—all was thework of my hands! I was torn by remorse,horror, and despair. My family’s sorrow wasall my fault. Later that day, I wept upon thegraves of William and Justine. They werethe first victims of my unholy arts.
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FrankensteinMeets theCreature
No words can describe how I felt afterthe deaths of William and Justine. I thoughtback on my life and felt nothing but guiltand remorse. I had started out with goodintentions. I only wanted to be useful to myfellow beings. Now all was ruined!
This state of mind changed me. I avoidedall company. The sounds of joy were tortureto me. I started spending more and moretime alone.
My father saw how I had changed. Hetried to help me. “Do you think, Victor,” hesaid, “that I do not suffer also? No one couldlove a child more than I loved your brother.”Tears came to his eyes. I could answer myfather with only a look of despair.
About this time we moved to our otherhouse at Belrive. I was glad about this. The
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Frankenstein Meets the Creature • 5
shutting of the Geneva gates at 10:00 P.M.had kept me from staying on the lake afterthat hour. I was now free. Often, after therest of the family had gone to bed, I tookthe boat out on the water. Sometimes I wastempted to plunge into the silent lake anddrown. But I thought about how my familywas suffering. Should I desert them, and leavethem exposed to the fiend I had created?
At these moments I wept bitterly andwished for peace. But that could not be.I was the cause of terrible evils. I lived indaily fear that the monster might commitsome new crime. And I had a feeling thatall was not over. There was always reasonfor fear so long as anyone I loved remainedbehind. My hatred of this fiend cannotpossibly be imagined. I would have climbedto the highest mountain peak, if I could havethrown him to the base.
Our house was the house of mourning.My father was ill from sorrow, and Elizabethwas not herself. She no longer enjoyed thebeauty of nature. “My dear Victor,” she said,“when I think about Justine, I no longer see
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the world as a good place. William andJustine were murdered, and the murdererescapes. He walks about the world free. Buteven if I were condemned to hang for thesame crimes, I would not change places withsuch a wretch.”
I listened to Elizabeth with great agony.Not in deed, but in effect, I was the truemurderer. I drew near to her, as if in terror.I was afraid that at any minute the destroyerwould rob me of her.
Nothing could save me from my despair.Even love had no effect. I was surroundedby a dark cloud. Sometimes I felt driven toseek exercise and a change of place. Oneday, I suddenly left my home and headedtoward the Alpine valley of Chamounix.
It was August, nearly two months afterthe death of Justine. As I listened to thesound of the river raging among the rocks,I began to feel better. The dashing of thewaterfalls, the ruined castles, the charminglittle cottages here and there among thetrees—all were beautiful to me. Mostbeautiful of all were the mighty Alps.
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A tingling, long-lost sense of pleasuresparked within me during this journey. Atlast I arrived at the village of Chamounix.I got a room and stood at the window.Watching the lightning in the mountains,I again listened to the rushing river. Thissound acted as a lullaby. When I placed myhead upon my pillow, I slept soundly.
I spent the following morning roamingthrough the valley and climbing a nearbymountain. It was raining, but I didn’t care.I wanted a long, hard walk. It was nearlynoon when I got to the top. I looked downon all the beauty below me. I felt good.
Suddenly I saw the figure of a man in thedistance. He was running toward me withsuperhuman speed. As he came closer, I sawthat i t was the wretch I had created!I trembled with rage and horror.
“Devil!” I exclaimed. “Aren’t you afraidthat I will kill you? If only your death wouldbring back to life the innocent victims youhave murdered!”
The monster did not try to harm me. Heonly said, “I thought you’d act like this.
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People always hate the wretched. AndI am the most wretched of all living things!Even the lowest man on earth is loved byhis creator. Yet you—my creator—hate me!I want only one thing. If you will do whatI ask, I promise to leave you at peace. Butif you refuse my request, I will kill all ofyour remaining friends.”
“Hated monster! Come closer, so that Imay end your wretched life.” I jumped athim, but he easily got away from me.
“Will nothing move you to help me? Hearme out, Frankenstein. Even the guilty, byhuman laws, are allowed to speak in theirown defense. I have no one who loves me.Everyone’s hand is raised against me. Andit is not my fault. You must hear my tale.”
I thought about what the creature wassaying. I was his creator. Maybe I did owehim some happiness. Perhaps I should listento what he had to say. The creature told meto follow him. He led me to a hut a fewhundred feet below the mountaintop. There,he told me his story.
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The Creature Tells of His Early Life • 6
The CreatureTells of HisEarly Life
“It is hard for me to remember the earlydays of my life. I saw, felt, heard, andsmelled at the same time. I could hardly tellone sensation from another. I know nowwhat I was experiencing. I was born fullygrown—but I was like a newborn baby!
“When you ran from me, I didn’t knowwhy. How could I know how ugly I was?Without knowing why, I took a coat fromyour house, and I left. I went deep into thewoods. I slept on the wet ground. I ate whatI could find—mostly berries at first.
“I was cold, hungry, and thirsty. Severaldays passed, and all I knew was light,hunger, thirst, and darkness. All this time Iwas sad, but I didn’t know why.
“My sensat ions began to be moredistinct. Every day my mind received new
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ideas. My eyes became used to the light. Icould tell the difference between insects andplants, and, later, one plant from another.
“One day I found what was left of acampfire. I was delighted with the warmthI felt. In my joy, I touched it, but quicklyfound out that it could burn me. I looked atthe material of the fire and found that it waswood. I collected some branches and soonlearned how to make a fire and keep it going.
“Food was hard to find. Often, afterspending a whole day searching, I wouldfind only acorns to eat. I decided to gosomewhere else, where there might be morefood. I started walking through the woodsto the open country. A great fall of snow hadtaken place the night before. The fields wereall white. I found my feet chilled by the snow.
“I traveled across the fields for hours.At sunset, I arrived at a small village. Howmiraculous did this appear! There werevegetables in gardens and milk and cheeseplaced in some windows. I tried to entera cottage, but when the villagers saw me,they attacked me. Finally, bruised by stones,
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I ran back to the open countryside.“That night I hid in a shed, which was
joined to a neat cottage. But after my lastexperience, I dared not enter it. The shedwas dry. I found it a good shelter from thesnow, rain, and the cruelty of man.
“In the morning, I found a small crack inthe cottage wall. That night, hiding in theshed again, I looked through the crack at thepeople inside. There I saw an old man, ayoung man, and a young woman.
“These people had a way to make a roombright at night! The candles were wonderful.And the old man did something that waseven more wonderful. He played a guitarand sang. At first, I didn’t know what theinstrument was. But, oh, the music! It wasbeautiful!
“The young man and woman sang along.I’d never heard the sweet sound of singingbefore. These three people seemed to haveeverything. It was sad to think of what Ihad—bare ground to sleep on and no one tolove or care for me.
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“Later I learned that the family was verypoor. The two young people often gave theirfood to the old man because there wasn’tenough for all of them.
“I spent most of the winter in the shed.I didn’t know what language was until Iheard these people make sounds to eachother. I wanted to learn how to talk.
“Slowly, I began to learn words. My firstwords were fire, milk, bread, and wood. AsI learned to speak and understand, I found
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out more about the people in the cottage.They all had names. The girl was calledsister or Agatha. The boy was called brotheror Felix. They called the old man Father.
“The more I watched these people, themore I cared about them. When they wereunhappy, I felt sad. When they were happy,I also felt happy. I admired their beautifulfaces. Their bodies were graceful anddelicate. But how terrified I was when I sawmyself in a pool of water! At first I did notbelieve it was I who was reflected there.When I realized it was, I was filled withsorrow and shame.
“I tried to help the people by clearingsnow from their path and collecting wood.Then I began to think about showing myselfto them. I knew I would have to learn howto speak first. In the forest, I began topractice the few words I understood. Asspring approached, I was beginning to hopefor a happy future.”
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The CreatureContinuesHis Tale
“The weather in the spring became fineand the skies cloudless. My senses wererefreshed by a thousand sights of beauty.Then, on one of these lovely spring days,someone tapped at the door of the cottage.
“It was a lady on horseback, escortedby a guide. The lady was dressed in a darksuit. Her head was covered with a thickblack veil. Felix seemed very happy to seeher. Every sign of sorrow left his face, andhis eyes sparkled. When she held out herhand to him, he bent to kiss it and calledher sweetheart.
“Her name was Safie. Somehow, Felixwas different with her than he was withAgatha. It took me some time to figure outwhy. It was the first time I had seen a manand woman in love.
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“I soon saw that the stranger did notspeak the same words the family did. I couldsee that she was trying to learn theirlanguage. The idea came to me that I, too,should make use of the instructions. WhenSafie got her lessons in French, I watchedand listened. That is how I learned to speak,read, and write.
“From listening to Safie talk with Felixand Agatha, I learned a lot about the family.Their last name was De Lacey. They werefrom France. At one time, they had beenrich. Safie’s father was a good friend of thefamily. But Safie’s father had gotten intobad trouble with the government. The DeLaceys tried to help him, but that got theminto trouble, too. They lost everything theyhad. They had to run away to Germany andlive in this small cottage.
“Safie and Felix were very much in love.They had been planning to marry. So it washard on Felix when they were separated.That is why Felix had always seemed sounhappy. Then, Safie’s father died, and Safiehad come to live with the De Laceys.
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“The lessons that Felix gave to Safie werevery interesting to me. While I improved inlanguage, I also learned about history—forFelix based his lessons on a history book. Ilearned about the systems of human society,such as division of property. I learned thatsome people have great wealth and otherslive in deepest poverty. I learned that themost valued qualit ies are good familybackground and money. A man might berespected with only one of these things. Butwithout both, he was doomed to waste hispowers for the profits of the chosen few.
“And what was I? I had no money, nofriends, no family, no property. Besides that,I was hideous and ugly. I was not even ofthe same nature as man. I was stronger andless affected by the extremes of heat andcold.When I looked around, I saw none likeme. Was I, then, truly a monster—from whichall men would run?
“I cannot tell you the agony that thesethoughts brought to me. I tried to put theideas out of my head, but I could not. Otherideas were impressed upon me even more
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The Creature Continues His Tale • 7
deeply. I heard about the difference betweenmen and women, and the birth and growthof children. I learned how family membersloved one another. I learned about all therelationships that bind people together.
“But where were my f r iends andrelations? No father had watched over myinfant days. No mother had blessed me withsmiles and caresses. As long as I couldremember, I had been the same height andsize. I had never yet seen a being that lookedlike me. What was I? The question came tome again and again, to be answered onlywith groans.”
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The Creature’sRequest
“Not long after I learned to read, I founda box in the woods. There were three booksin it. Luckily, the books were written inFrench—the language I had learned.
“Until that time, all I knew of the worldwas what I had seen in the cottage. Now Ilearned what life was like outside the DeLacey family. I learned about humanfeelings. I also learned some history.
“One book told about an all-powerfulGod at war with His heavenly creatures.Then I read about the creation of Adam. Iwondered about my own creator. Had heturned from me, as God had from Satan?
“Then I read another book. It was in thepocket of the coat I had taken from your lab,Frankenstein. Now that I could read, Iopened it. It was your journal of the four
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months before my creation.“I now know what an evil person you are.
Why did you form a monster so hideous thateven you turned away in disgust? How I hatethe day that I received life! Even Satan hadcompanions. But I am alone and hated.
“But wait—there is more to my story.One beautiful autumn day, Agatha, Felix,and Safie went for a walk. The old man wasalone. I had learned why the young peoplehelped him so much—he was blind. I knewthat he could not see how ugly I was.Perhaps I could talk to him. I don’t knowhow long I stood at the cottage door, afraidto knock. I almost ran away a few times.Finally, I tapped on the door.
“ ‘Come in,’ said the old man.“I stepped inside. ‘Pardon me,’ I said to
De Lacey. ‘I am a tired traveler in need ofrest. May I sit a few minutes by your fire?’
“ ‘Of course,’ the old man said.“I sat down. The old man said, ‘You
speak my language. Are you French?’“ ‘No,’ I said. ‘But I was taught by a
French family. I have come here to see them.
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They are wonderful people, but they havenever seen me. I am afraid they will rejectme. Then I will have no friends at all.’
“ ‘Do not despair. If these people are asgood as you say, they will welcome you.’
“I told De Lacey that I was not verypleasant to look at. I was afraid the familywould only see how ugly I was on theoutside. They might not be able to see meas a loving and kind friend.
“ ‘Where do these friends live?’“ ‘Near this spot,’ I said.“The old man said, ‘I cannot judge your
looks, but you sound sincere. Perhaps I canbe of use. Who are these friends?’
“Just as I was about to answer, the youngpeople returned. My heart was filled withfear. I cried, ‘Save and protect me! You andyour family are the friends whom I seek!’
“ ‘Great God!’ exclaimed the old man.‘Who are you?’ Just then, the cottage dooropened, and the young people came in.Agatha fainted, and Safie ran screamingfrom the cottage. Felix tore me away fromthe old man, to whose knees I clung. He
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picked up a stick and began to hit me. Icould have torn him to pieces, but I did not.With tears in my eyes, I ran from the cottage.
“I spent the night hiding in the woods.Once the sun came up, I began to think moreclearly. I was a fool to have let the youngpeople see me. I should have made severalshort visits to old De Lacey, so he could haveprepared his family to meet me. Perhaps itwas not too late to undo the damage.
“That night, I went back to the cottageand hid in the shed. I waited for the hour
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when the family arose. That hour passed,and the family did not appear. Later thatmorning, I saw Felix approach the cottagewith another man. The stranger seemedangry. ‘You will lose three months’ rent andall the produce from your garden. Are yousure you want to leave now?’ the man said.
“ ‘I am sure,’ Felix said. ‘My father’s lifeis in danger. My wife and my sister maynever recover from their horror. We mustleave this place immediately.’ I never sawany of the De Lacey family again.
“This broke the only link that held me tothe world. At first I felt sad, but then I beganto feel angry. I did not try to control myfeelings of revenge and hatred. One night,I burned the cottage down. Then I began tothink about you, Frankenstein. It was yourfault that my life was so unhappy. I decidedto punish you.
“Your journal said that you were fromGeneva. I had learned from Safie’s lessonswhere Geneva was, so I began to walk toSwitzerland. My travels were long and hard.I began in the autumn and traveled through
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the winter, over frozen mountains. Thenearer I got to Geneva, the more deeply didI feel the spirit of revenge in my heart.
“By early spring, I was in Switzerland.One day, I was out in the woods when Iheard voices. I hid behind a tree, near a fastmountain stream. A young girl ran out of thetrees, laughing, as if running in play.Suddenly her foot slipped, and she fell intothe rapid stream. I jumped in after her andpulled her out of the strong current.
“I got her safely to the shore. She wasunconscious, and I was trying to revive herwhen a man approached. He must have beenthe young girl’s father. Grabbing the girlfrom my arms, he ran toward the woods, andI followed. But when he saw me following,he aimed a gun and fired. He hit me in theshoulder.
“I was in terrible pain. For some weeks,I led a miserable life in the woods. Finally,the wound healed, and I continued walking.
“Two months later, I reached Geneva. Itwas evening when I arrived. I found a hidingplace among the fields and sat down to plot
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my revenge against you. Just then, a littlechild burst upon my hiding place.
“As I looked at him, I thought, ‘Maybe Ican talk to this boy. He hasn’t lived longenough to think I’m ugly. Maybe I caneducate him as my companion and friend.Then I would not be so lonely.’
“Thinking this, I grabbed the boy’s hand.As soon as he saw me, he put his hands infront of his eyes and screamed. ‘Child, whyare you screaming?’ I asked. ‘I won’t hurtyou. Be quiet and listen to me!’
“ ‘You monster!’ he cried. ‘Let me go, orI’ll tell my papa!’
“ ‘Boy, you will never see your fatheragain. You must come with me.’
“ ‘Let me go. My papa is AlphonseFrankenstein. He will punish you.’
“ ‘Frankenstein? Then you belong to myenemy. You shall be my first victim.’ Thechild struggled and called me names. Igrasped his throat to silence him. In amoment he lay dead at my feet.
“When I gazed on my victim, I was filledwith excitement. This child belonged to your
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family. I would show you! I would bring asmuch misery to you as you had to me!
“As I looked down on the child, I sawsomething on his clothing. It was a pin witha portrait of a beautiful woman on it. Thatmade me angry again. Such a woman wouldnever be kind to me.
“I walked on. Soon I came to a barn. Apretty young woman was sleeping inside. Ibent over her and whispered sweet wordsof love to her. She moved in her sleep. Iknew that if she woke up, she would see meand scream.
“Thanks to the lessons of Felix, I knewsomething about the law. If the portrait pinwere found on her, the police would blameher for the boy’s death. I slipped it into herpocket. Then I ran away.
“I knew that one day we would meet,Frankenstein. We may not part until youhave made a promise to me. I am alone andmiserable. No one will associate with me.Only someone who looks like me would bemy companion. Frankenstein, you mustmake a wife for me!”
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FrankensteinBreaks HisPromise
When the creature finished speaking, Ididn’t know what to say. At first I told himthat I would not make a wife for him. I wasnot going to make another monster whosewickedness might harm others.
“Please listen to reason,” the creatureanswered. “I am evil only because I’m sounhappy. If I have company, I won’t be sosad. We will not stay near people. Theywould hate us and want to hurt us. I willtake my wife to the vast wilds of SouthAmerica, far away from anyone.”
After he made this promise, I agreed tomake a wife for him. I felt that I owed himwhatever small happiness I could supply. Hesaid, “Begin your work soon. When you areready, I shall be there.”
I returned home, but I spoke to no one
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about my meeting with the creature. Howcould I? I knew now that I had to keep mypromise. If I didn’t, the creature woulddestroy everyone who was close to me.
I found that I couldn’t make a femalecreature without many months of study.Then I read about some new discoveries inEngland. They could take months off mywork. I had to speak to the scientists there.I told my father that I had to go to Englandfor a while. Of course, I didn’t say why.
To my surprise, my father thought the tripwas a good idea. He had been worried aboutmy sad moods. He felt that travel would dome good and thought that Clerval shouldmeet me on the way. I knew that I couldn’tlet Henry know what I was planning to do.But how could I say that I didn’t want mybest friend to travel with me?
Once in England, I went to OxfordUniversity. I spoke with the best scientistsand took notes. This information would saveme months, maybe years, of work.
Henry and I decided to take a longvacation. We traveled all over for months.
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We saw many wonderful places, but thoughtsof the monster never left me. I knew thatsoon I would have to begin making a womanfor the monster. The idea made me feel sick.
I also had the feeling that we were beingfollowed. It had been six months since Imade my promise to the monster. Would hepunish me for this delay? Would he murdermy friend? I tried to shake off the thought.
Finally, I found a place to work. It wasan island near Scotland. Only five peoplelived there. On the whole island there werebut three miserable huts, and one wasvacant. I rented it and got it ready for mywork. Henry did not come to the island withme. He decided to visit Ireland. We agreedto meet in a few months.
When I made the first creature, I had highhopes to keep me going. These hopesblinded me to the horror of my work. It wasdifferent now. Instead of hope, I had fears.What if she turned out to be even more evilthan the first creature? The monster hadpromised to take his wife away from people.Maybe she would not agree to go! And there
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was no way to know how she would feelabout him. She might hate him as everyoneelse did. Then there would be two angrymonsters loose in the world!
But what if the creatures did go awaytogether? What if they had children? Whatterrible things would their children be? Iwould have created an ent i re race ofmonsters! Had I the right to do this?
I groaned and my heart failed within me.On looking up, I saw the monster by thelight of the moon at the window. Yes, he hadfollowed me in my travels! He had nowcome to claim his wife.
Suddenly, I knew that I couldn’t gothrough with my plans. Trembling withpassion, I tore to pieces the thing on thetable. The wretch saw what I was doing. Witha howl of despair, he ran off.
I left the lab and went to my room. I satthere for hours. Suddenly I heard thepaddling of oars near the shore. Someonelanded near my house. A few minutes later,my door opened and the wretch appeared.
“Go away!” I cried. “I won’t do it. I can’t
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make myself do what you want!”“You dare break your promise to me?”
the monster asked. “Shall every man have awife, and every animal have his mate, and Ibe alone? I will have my revenge. You willbe sorry for what you have done.”
“Leave me. I will not change my mind.”“Very well, Frankenstein. I will go. But
remember—I shall be with you on yourwedding night.”
Then he was gone. I saw him get in hisboat, which shot across the waters swiftly.All was again silent, but his words still rangin my ears. The night passed, and the sunrose. I spent the morning walking on thebeach. Then, exhausted, I fell asleep on thegrass and slept the rest of the day.
That night, I returned to my lab andgathered up all the dead body parts and putthem into a sack. I took my small boat outto sea. I rowed for hours. Then I threw theterrible things into the water. Feeling tired,I sat back to rest for a few minutes. Then Imust have fallen asleep.
When I awoke, it was daylight. I couldn’t
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see land. The wind was strong, and thewaves were high. I had no way of knowingwhere I was. Somehow I kept the boat fromgoing under. It was hours before the winddied away, and I finally saw land.
I made it to shore. As soon as I landed,several people crowded toward me. “Comewith me, right away,” one of them said. “Iam taking you to a judge, and then to jail.”
“Why?” I asked in amazement. “Is it thecustom of Englishmen to be so rude tostrangers?”
“I don’t know what the custom of theEnglish may be,” said the man. “But it isthe custom of the Irish to hate murderers.”
My mind was spinning. What could thisbe about? “I have done no wrong,” I said.“I was lost all night in a storm off Scotland.”
“Tell that to the judge,” the man said.
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FrankensteinLoses HisFriend
I was soon taken to the judge, an old manwith calm and mild manners. About half adozen men came forward, and the judgeselected one. The man told the judge thathe had had been out fishing the night beforewith his son and brother-in-law. When thestorm came up, they found they couldn’tmake it back to the harbor. They tied up at acreek about two miles away.
As the fisherman was walking along thesands, he said he tripped against somethingand fell. His companions came up to helphim. By the light of their lanterns, theyfound that he had fallen on the body of aman. It was a handsome man, about 25 yearsold. At first, they thought he had drowned—but his clothes weren’t wet. They took himto a nearby cottage. In the light, they saw
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that he had been murdered. The marks ofthe murderer’s fingers were still on his neck.
The first part of this story didn’t interestme. But when the mark of the fingers wasmentioned, I thought of my poor brother.
Other witnesses told of seeing a boat withone man in it push off from the beach. Theythought the boat looked very much like theone I had. Several other men talked aboutmy landing. They agreed that the strongwind of last night had probably stopped mefrom getting away. They thought that I had
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brought the body from another place.The judge listened to all of this without
saying a word. Then he ordered me to go tothe room where the body lay. He wanted tosee how I would react to the sight of it.
Entering the room where the body lay, Iwas led up to the coffin. How can I describemy feelings on seeing it? I still feel thehorror. I cannot think about that terriblemoment without agony. The lifeless form ofHenry Clerval was stretched out before me.I gasped for breath. Throwing myself on thebody, I exclaimed, “Has my terrible workcost you also, my dearest Henry, your life?Two I have already destroyed. But you,Clerval, my friend—”
The room around me went black as Ipassed out and fell to the floor.
A terrible fever followed. For two monthsI lay at the point of death. I learned laterthat I called myself the murderer of William,of Justine, and of Clerval. Luckily, I spokein Italian. Only the judge understood me.But my bitter cries and wails were enoughto frighten the other witnesses.
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When I began to get better, I saw thatI was in a jail cell. After a while, I began tocome back to the real world again. Imaginemy joy when one day my father came to visitme. I stretched out my hand to him andcried, “Father! Are you safe, then—andElizabeth—and Ernest?”
My father told me they were well, whichraised my spirits. My trial was some weekslater. It was proved that I had been on myScottish island when my friend’s body wasfound. Thankfully, I was set free.
We had to go through Paris to get toGeneva. While there, I found that I was stilltoo sick to go on. My father and I stayed inParis so I could rest. Then, a few days beforewe left Paris for Switzerland, I got a letterfrom Elizabeth.
She said that she knew our marriage hadalways been the great dream of my parents.But perhaps I didn’t feel the same way. Shesaid that she still loved me. But she wasafraid that perhaps I thought of her as asister. Perhaps, in all my travels, I had metanother. She said that if I no longer wanted
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to get married, she would understand.How could I tell her of my feelings? The
only reason we were not married was thatthe monster had said, “I shall be with youon your wedding night.” Such was mysentence, and on that night I knew he wouldtry to kill me. He would do what he couldto tear me from any happiness. Well, so beit. A deadly struggle would take place. If hewon, I would be at peace and his power overme would be at an end. If he lost, I wouldbe a free man.
But what kind of freedom would I have?It was my fault that William, Justine, andHenry were dead. I t was only in myElizabeth that I possessed a treasure. Mysweet and beloved Elizabeth! I read andreread her letter. I thought about whether mymarriage would hasten my death. Then Irealized that the creature might kill me evenif I didn’t get married. I decided, then, thatwe would get married as soon as possible.
I wrote to Elizabeth. My letter was calmand loving. I told her that I had one secret,a terrible one. “When revealed to you, it will
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chill you with horror. I will tell you this talethe day after our marriage. My sweetElizabeth, there must be perfect confidencebetween us. But until then, please do notmention this secret,” I wrote.
My father and I returned to Geneva. Webegan to get ready for the wedding. All thetime we were making our plans, I keptthinking of what the monster had said. Ibought some guns and knives. The monstermight be dead. But if he were alive, I wouldbe ready for him. I was not going to diewithout a fight on my wedding night!
We had a wonderful wedding, followedby a large party at my father’s. We took aboat ride to the city of Evian, where wewould begin our honeymoon. Those werethe last moments of my life that I was happy.
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Another Loss forFrankenstein
It was 8:00 P.M. when we landed. For ashort time, we walked on the shore, enjoyingthe fading light. Then we went to our roomat the inn. We looked out at the lovely sceneof waters, woods, and mountains.
The wind, which had fallen in the south,now rose up in the west. The moon wasbeginning to descend. The clouds sweptacross it and dimmed its rays. The lakereflected the beauty of the busy skies. Thensuddenly, heavy rain began to fall.
I had been calm during the day. But asnight fell, a thousand fears rose in my mind.I was anxious and watchful. My right handgrasped a pistol that was hidden in mypocket. Every sound terrified me. But Iresolved I would not back off of the fight untilmy own life or that of the monster was ended.
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Another Loss for Frankenstein • 11
I passed an hour in this state of mind.Then suddenly I thought how fearful thefight I expected would be to my wife.I decided to check each room in the hotel. Iwould face the monster anywhere else butin our room. I left as Elizabeth was gettingready for bed.
I was walking up and down the halls ofthe inn when I heard a shrill and dreadfulscream. As I listened, the terrible truthrushed into my mind. The monster wasn’tplanning to kill me—it was Elizabeth he wasafter! The scream was repeated, and I rushedto the room.
Great God! Why did I not then die! Whyam I here to tell this terrible story? Elizabethwas there, dead, thrown across the bed. Herhead was hanging down, and her pale facewas half covered by her hair. No matterwhich way I turned, all I could see wasElizabeth, flung by the murderer on herbridal bed. Could I see this and live? Alas!Life is strong and clings even when it ismost hated. I fell to the ground in a faint.
When I came to, I was surrounded by the
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people of the inn. Their faces showed terror,but their horrified feelings were but a dimshadow of my own.
I rushed toward Elizabeth and took herin my arms. But what I now held was nolonger the Elizabeth whom I had loved. Themark of the fiend’s hand was on her neck,and she was no longer breathing.
Just then, I happened to look up. The paleyellow light of the moon lit the room. I sawat the open window the hideous and hatedmonster. A grin was on his face as he pointedtoward the corpse of my wife. I rushedtoward the window, drawing a pistol frommy pocket. I fired, but he escaped. Runningas fast as lightning, he plunged into the lake.
Men from the hotel helped me look forthe monster. We used boats and nets, but wecouldn’t find him. After several hours, wereturned to the inn. Most of my companionsbelieved that I had only imagined the fleeingmonster. Yet some of them set off amongthe woods to continue the search. Of course,they found nothing.
I felt a sadness I had never known before.
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The death of William, the execution ofJustine, the murder of Clerval, and now thekilling of my wife—it was all so horrible. Ibegan to worry about my last remainingloved ones. Even now my father might bewrithing under the creature’s grasp! Ernestmight be dead at his feet! I decided to returnto Geneva right away.
My father and Ernest were still alive. Butwhen I told my father what had happened,it was too much for him. I think he had lovedElizabeth more than any of the Frankensteinfamily. His heart was broken. A few dayslater, he died in my arms.
What, after that, became of me? I do notknow. They called me mad. For manymonths, I heard, I was kept in a madhouse.
When I came back to my right mind, Ithought about revenge. I began to thinkabout the best way to get it. I decided to goto a judge in the town. I told him that I knewwho the destroyer of my family was. I saidthat I wanted all necessary means used tofind the murderer.
I told the judge the whole story. He
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listened to me with attention and kindness.I knew that I was taking a chance. Anyonehearing the tale would be sure I was out ofmy mind. Yet, I had to tell the truth. Ishowed the judge that I couldn’t be mad—all the parts of the story fit together too wellfor that. Thank God, he believed me.
“But what can you do about it?” askedthe judge. “I would help you if I could. Butit has been some months since the creature’scrimes. He could be anywhere. He followedyou across Europe. The weather does notseem to bother him. And he is stronger thanany man.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I told the judge. “Iwill go after him alone. He is never far fromme. He stays near me to enjoy all the sadnesshe has brought to my life. He laughs at whathe has done. I will find the evil creature,and I will kill him. Or I will spend the restof my life trying!”
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The Chase
My first decision was to leave Genevaforever. When I was happy and loved, mycountry was dear to me. Now, in my sorrow,it became hateful. I got together a sum ofmoney, together with a few jewels that hadbeen my mother’s, and left.
As night approached, I found myself atthe cemetery where William, Elizabeth, andmy father rested. Entering it, I went to theirgraves. Everything was silent except theleaves in the trees. The night became verydark. The spirits of the dead seemed to casta shadow around my head.
I knelt on the grass and kissed the earth.“By all that is holy,” I exclaimed, “I swearto find the demon who caused this misery!Then I shall fight him to the death. To this Ipledge my life. I call on you, spirits of the
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dead, to help me in my work. Let themonster drink deep of agony. Let him feelthat despair that now torments me!”
In the s t i l lness of the n ight I wasanswered by a loud and fiendish laugh. Themountains echoed the laugh until it diedaway. Then a hated voice, close to my ear,spoke in a loud whisper. “I am happy now,Frankenstein. You have decided to live, andyou will be unhappy for the rest of your life.You will be alone—just as I am.” Then itlaughed again.
Just then, the moon broke through theclouds. I could see the monster, running sofast that no man could catch him. I tried tofollow him, but he left me far behind.
Since that night, I have chased themonster all over the world. He stays awayfrom towns and cities. But sometimes thepeasants, frightened after seeing him, tellme which way he went. Sometimes he leavessome mark to guide me. I suppose he fearsthat if I lose track of him, I will give upand die. He wants me to continue to live—and suffer.
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Once I saw him get on a ship going tothe Black Sea. I took my passage on thesame ship, but he escaped. I know not how.
My life was indeed hateful to me. It wasonly during sleep that I could taste joy. Inmy dreams, I saw my friends, my wife, andmy beloved country. Again I saw the goodface of my father and heard the silver tonesof my Elizabeth’s voice. And in dreams Isaw Clerval enjoying health and youth.
I do not know what the monster felt.Sometimes he wrote messages on the barkof trees or cut them in stone. “My powerover you is still strong,” said one. Anothertime, he wrote, “Follow me. I go to the iceof the north. There you will feel the miseryof cold and frost, which do not bother me.You will find a dead rabbit near here. Eat itand be refreshed. Come closer, my enemy!We have yet to fight for our lives. But youmust suffer through many hard andmiserable hours before then.”
As I got farther north, I found one lastnote from the monster. It said: “Get ready!The worst is still ahead of you. Gather furs
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and plenty of food. We are going to a cold,icy place. I will laugh as you suffer.”
I bought a sled and some dogs to pull it.Soon I came to a small village on theseashore. When I asked the villagers aboutthe creature, they said they had seen him. Agiant had arrived just the night before. Hestole guns, the villagers’ winter food supply,a sled, and some trained dogs. Then heheaded north, much to the joy of thevillagers. He had gone in a direction thatled to no land. They thought that he wouldsoon be killed by the breaking of the ice orfrozen by the eternal snow.
After a short rest, I got ready for myjourney. I traded my land sled for one madefor the frozen ocean. I bought food formyself and the dogs. Then I went after him.
I spent three weeks chasing him. Once,after one of the dogs died, I almost gave up.Then suddenly I saw a dark spot on the whiteplain. I could just make out the shape of asled. Oh, what hope came back to my heart!
I fed the dogs and let them rest for anhour. Then I went on. I could still see the
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sled ahead of me. After two days, I couldsee my enemy no more than a mile away.My heart beat fast within me.
Just then, the wind rose and the searoared. Like a strong earthquake, the icesplit and cracked with a loud sound. In afew minutes, cold blue water separated mefrom my enemy. I was left drifting on a pieceof ice that was getting smaller. I beganpreparing for a hideous death.
I floated on this piece of ice for manyhours. All but one of my dogs died. I wasclose to death myself. Then I saw your ship.I had no idea that ships ever came so farnorth. To make oars, I quickly destroyed partof my sled. With great effort, I was able tomove my icy raft toward your ship.
You probably wondered why I asked youwhere your ship was going. As I have said,I will never give up my search for thecreature. If you had been going south, Iwould not have gone with you. Instead, Iwould have asked you to give me a smallboat. But you are headed north—where I am
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sure the creature has gone. That is why I amhappy to have come on board.
And that is my story. I have lost themonster. I would ask you to help me findhim, but that wouldn’t be fair. You want togo on to the North Pole. It is the dream ofyour life. I ask only this: If I die, and youfind the monster, show him no mercy. Hemay talk sweetly. He may tell you thateveryone has treated him badly. But he isthe king of liars.
His words may begin to change yourmind. But remember William, Justine,Henry, Elizabeth, and my father. All ofthem died because of him. Don’t stop tothink. Kill him! Only then will my soul restin peace.
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Closing Letters
To: Mrs. Saville, EnglandAugust 26, 17__Dear Sister,
You have read this strange story,Margaret. Does it make your blood run cold,as it does mine? The question is: Do I believethe story? Frankenstein showed me letterswritten by Felix and Safie, the young peoplein the cottage. And we saw the monster fromour ship. I cannot doubt his story.
Frankenstein saw that I was takingnotes while he talked. When I showed themto him, he made some changes. He wanted tomake sure I told the story correctly. Then Iasked how he gave life to the monster. Hesaid, “Are you mad? Didn’t you learn frommy tale? Never again will such a creature bemade! I will take the secret to my grave.There is only one more thing I must do in mylife,” Frankenstein went on.“I must find andkill the monster. Then I can die in peace.”
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September 2My Dear Sister,
I fear we are lost. The ice has closedaround us again. Everywhere we look we seemountains of white ice. The men want apromise from me. If we can get out of thisice, they want me to sail back for home. Imust give up my dream, for I do not wish torisk the lives of others.
Meanwhile, Frankenstein’s health isfailing. He grows weaker each day. He seemsalive only when he talks of his hunt for themonster. Then, his eyes shine, and he tries toget out of bed. But he is too weak.
The ice is all around us. I don’t know ifyou will ever get this letter.
I send my love.
September 12The ice has broken! I went down to
Frankenstein’s cabin to tell him the news.He sat up in his bed. “Then you are turningback?” he asked.
“Yes, I must. I have promised the men.”Frankenstein shook my hand. “I wish you
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well, Walton,” he said. “God keep you safeon your trip home. But I cannot go with you.I am still weak, but heaven will give mestrength. The creature must die.”
With this, Frankenstein tried to get outof bed. When he fell back and passed out, Ithought he had died. But in a few minutes,his eyes opened again.
“I’m afraid I’m dying,” he said. “And ithurts to know that the monster still lives. Ihave thought about my life. I think I did nowrong. My reason for creating the monsterwas good: I wanted to help humankind.
“And I think I was right when I wouldnot make a wife for him. He had shownwhat he was like. He had killed William andhad caused Justine’s death. I couldn’t besure that he wouldn’t kill again. And with awhole race of these creatures, who would besafe?
“I wish I could ask you to take up myhunt for the monster, but I can’t. You haveyour own life to live. But if you should evercome across the evil creature, kill it! Don’tstop for a second. And now . . .”
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His voice faded away. He lay back on thebed. He tried to speak again but could not.Then his eyes closed forever, and a gentlesmile passed away from his lips.
I must stop writing now. Something isgoing on below decks. I hear a sound like ahuman voice, but somehow different. I mustgo see what is happening.
Great God, what I have just seen! I amstill dizzy just thinking about it.
I went to the cabin where the body ofFrankenstein lay. Over him hung a form thatI cannot find words to describe. His longhair was black, shiny, and ragged, and it hidhis face. One hand was reaching out, as if totouch Frankenstein. I saw the hand. It wasyellow and wrinkled, like a mummy’s.
He heard me come in and ran toward thewindow. Never in my life have I seen such acreature. I cannot find the words to tell howugly and horrible it was. I had to turn away.
Remembering what Frankenstein hadasked me to do, I called on him to stay. Helooked at me in surprise. Then he looked back
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at the dead body of his creator.“With this victim, it is ended. Oh,
Frankenstein, I am sorry for all the misery Icaused you. Alas! You are cold. You cannotanswer me.” The creature gave a cry ofsadness.
I looked at the monster. I almost feltsorry for him. Then I remembered all the livesthis creature had taken. I was afraid, yet Ihad to speak.
“Being sorry won’t help,” I said. “It’s toolate. If you’d had any good in you,Frankenstein would still be alive.”
“Do you think I wanted to be evil?” themonster asked.“Do you think the cries ofpoor Clerval were music to my ears? I am agentle creature. My heart was made toreceive love—not to be filled with hate!When Frankenstein destroyed my wife, Iwent mad with sadness. I wanted to giveFrankenstein a taste of the unhappiness hehad given me.
“After the murder of Clerval, I went backto Switzerland. My heart was broken. I feltpity for Frankenstein, and I hated myself.
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“Then I heard of Frankenstein’s plan tomarry. How dare he be happy, when I was soalone? The madness came over me again. Icouldn’t stop myself. Do you know the painit caused me to kill Elizabeth? I can stillhear her cries. But I was like Satan cast outof heaven. Evil had become my God. Andnow it is ended. There is my last victim!”
I was at first touched by his words. Butthen I remembered that Frankenstein hadsaid he was the king of liars.“Wretch!” Isaid. “The only thing you are sorry for is thatyou can no longer torment him!”
“I know why you think that. But youhave heard only Frankenstein’s side of thestory. I always hoped that someone wouldsee beyond my outside looks. I wantedsomeone to love me, but no one did. Why doyou not hate Felix, who drove me from hisdoor? Why do you not hate the father whoshot the rescuer of his child? No, they aregood beings. I was made to be spurned,kicked, and trampled on. Even now, I cryfor Frankenstein. You see, I am not just acreature of evil. I am what Frankenstein
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and the world have made me. “Don’t worry,” he went on. “I am
finished with evil. It is over now. No oneelse will die at my hands. It is now time forme to die. And I will take care of thatquickly.
“I shall leave your ship on the ice raftthat brought me here. I will float away tothe land of ice and snow. Without food,even I shall die. I shall die as I lived: alone,without love, and hated by all.”
The creature looked down at the body ofFrankenstein. “Goodbye, my creator,” it said.“I made a hell of your life. But it wasnothing like the hell I had to live through.”
Saying this, the monster jumped throughthe open window of the cabin. He landed onthe ice raft that lay close to the ship. He wassoon carried away by the waves and lost indarkness and distance.
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