Session 26 Discussion Questions

  1. How is Victor’s reliability as a narrator tested and challenged after the death of his wife?
  2. Explore the symbolism and psychology of Victor’s northern journey in search of the Creature; in what ways does it build on the literal and emotional landscape of Wollstonecraft’s northern journey through Scandinavia in search of the silver ship?
  3. How does Shelley call attention to the mirroring of Victor and the Creature in the final stages of the narrative?  What philosophical work does this mirroring do for Shelley?
  4. How do the layers of the narrative come full circle?  Are all loose ends tied up?
  5. What do you make of the Creature’s response to the death of his Creator?  What are the theological and philosophical implications of this scene?
  6. Does the Creature die?  Does it matter?  Why or why not?
  7. Ultimately, do you read this novel as telling a story about science, religion, politics, art—or all of the above?
Citation: Botting, E. (2008, December 03). Session 26 Discussion Questions. Retrieved February 16, 2012, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/political-science/mary-wollstonecraft-and-mary-shelley/discussion-questions/session-26-discussion-questions.
2008, by the Contributing Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons License