Question

during-reading activities
directions: read chapter 18 of frankenstein. as you read, answer these questions. when you are
finished, save your work and complete the rest of the lesson.

1. what does victor’s father believe to be the source of victor’s unhappiness?
2. what does alphonse, victor’s father, ask if victor would object to?
3. why does the idea of an immediate marriage to elizabeth cause victor to feel horror and dismay?
4. what other necessity does victor have to attend to before marrying elizabeth?
5. which option of communicating with the philosophers in england does victor prefer? why?
6. with whom will victor travel to england?
7. toward the end of the chapter, victor interrupts his story and says, “no, it is not thus; your form

so divinely wrought, and beaming with beauty, has decayed, but your spirit still visits and consoles
your unhappy friend.” what can you infer about clerval from this sentence?

Explanation:

To answer these questions, you need to read Chapter 18 of Frankenstein carefully. Here are brief explanations and answers for each question (based on the content of the chapter):

Question 1

Alphonse (Victor’s father) believes Victor’s unhappiness stems from unrequited love or romantic troubles, thinking Victor is pining for Elizabeth but hesitant to act.

Alphonse asks if Victor would object to marrying Elizabeth, as he wants to secure Victor’s happiness through this union.

Victor feels horror/dismay because he made a promise to the Creature to create a female companion for it, and he fears the Creature will kill Elizabeth on their wedding night (or that he must first fulfill his debt to the Creature before marrying).

Answer:

Victor’s father (Alphonse) believes the source of Victor’s unhappiness is his romantic feelings for Elizabeth and a reluctance to pursue marriage, or “unrequited love”/troubles in his romantic life.

Question 2