Tuesday, October 17, 2017

What is Victor's reaction when he awakens and sees his creature standing before him in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein?

When Victor awakens and finds his creation standing over him, he is horrified and flees his room.


In Chapter 5, Victor Frankenstein continues to relate his history to Walton. Although he assembled human parts that were once beautiful, Victor says that somehow he has created "a wretch," whose skin is yellow and drawn tightly over his skull. Somehow the lustrous black hair and pearly white teeth endowed him only serve to cause the flawed skin...

When Victor awakens and finds his creation standing over him, he is horrified and flees his room.


In Chapter 5, Victor Frankenstein continues to relate his history to Walton. Although he assembled human parts that were once beautiful, Victor says that somehow he has created "a wretch," whose skin is yellow and drawn tightly over his skull. Somehow the lustrous black hair and pearly white teeth endowed him only serve to cause the flawed skin and watery eyes to become even more pronounced. Then, too, the lips have strangely turned black. Unable to endure the sight of what he brought to life, Victor tells Walton that he fled the room: 



Oh! no mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch.



After walking the streets for hours in fear, eventually Victor is overcome with exhaustion, so he returns to his apartment. Flinging himself upon the bed, he seeks some respite from his mental torture; at last, he falls asleep only to dream of Elizabeth, whom he embraces as she comes to him. But, when he kisses her in his dream, Elizabeth lips lose their color, and it seems as though he holds his mother's dead body, instead. Victor abruptly awakens, shaking from the fright of his dream. Then, by the dim yellow light of the moon, he perceives "the miserable monster" he has created squeezing himself through the window, and coming toward him. He holds up the curtain of the bed, and stands over Victor with his eyes fixed upon him. Victor is horrified,



His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks....one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped, and rushed downstairs.



Once again, Victor attempts to flee from his creation and not take any responsibility for it.

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