Victor’s
incorporation of written letters into his story allows both Elizabeth and
Alphonse to participate directly in the narrative, bypassing Victor to speak
directly to Walton and the reader. However, at the same time that the letters
increase the realism of the narrative, allowing the reader to hear the
characters’ distinct voices, they also make the overall narrative less
plausible. It is unlikely that Frankenstein would remember the letters
word-for-word and even more unlikely that Walton would record them as such in
his own letters to his sister. Furthermore, there is the question of filtering:
the recollections of either Victor or Walton, or both, could be biased, either
subconsciously or consciously. The presence of these letters foregrounds the
issue of whether or not the narrator is reliable.
Women
continue to play a mostly passive role in the narrative. Although Elizabeth
stands up for Justine’s innocence, she, like Justine, is completely helpless to
stop the execution. Only Victor has the power to do so, as he is in possession
of crucial knowledge that could identify the real killer. It is clear where the
power lies in the relationship between Victor and Elizabeth: he makes the
decisions; she pleads with him to make the right ones.
Appearing
in Ingolstadt at just the right moment to nurse Victor back to health, Henry
serves as the line of communication between Victor and his family, presenting
him with an avenue back to the warmth of society. In asking Victor to introduce
him to the professors at the university, however, Henry drags him back into the
realm of chemistry, science, and dangerous knowledge that he has just escaped.
By accompanying Victor on his walking tour, Henry reawakens in him a sense of
health, openness, and friendly society that he had lost during his months of
work creating the monster. Henry plays the foil to Victor; he embodies
relentless clarity, openness, concern, and good health, in sharp contrast to
Victor’s secrecy, self-absorption, and ill health.
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