Chapter 5

Summary

The monster is brought to life by Victor - an 8 ft. created man - and Victor experiences a mix of excitement and revulsion at “the monster”. He describes his creation thus, “His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful.  Beautiful!  Great God!  His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was a lustrous black and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriance’s only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same color as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion and straight black lips.”

Victor runs from his rooms and wanders the streets of Ingolstadt until Henry Clerval finds him. Henry had arrived to enroll at University and he takes Victor back to his rooms to convalesce.  The monster has gone. Victor is relieved at this and feels a burden lifted from him. Henry spends the rest of that winter and the following spring bringing Victor back to full health.  Henry writes home to Victor’s family in Geneva.

Interpretation

Although Shelley does not provide a detailed description of the monster’s creation, we are certainly treated to a full description of the final product. All the reader really knows is that the natural force of electricity plays a part, and those that have made films concerning this story have leapt upon this fact. 

The author is in full flow in this chapter bringing together numerous Gothic elements to the tale – the eerie environment, the description of the monster, the clever development of fear in the reader, all adding to the Gothic tone of the book. Shelley also contrasts Victor’s creation of evil with that of God’s creation of Adam. 

There is again reference to the rhyme of “The Ancient Mariner” when Shelley describes Victor’s wanderings in Ingolstadt. Victor feels desolate and alone, just as the Mariner did in Coleridge’s work.  The knowledge that Victor has gained will turn out to be a curse and a heavy burden, just as the albatross was to the Mariner.

Shelley cleverly breaks the strong Gothic tone by the introduction of Henry Clerval, Victor’s romantic friend.