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What happens in Chapters 1 of Frankenstein?
The stranger, whose name is Victor Frankenstein, starts his narrative by telling Walton of his background and childhood. He talks about his father, Alphonse, his mother, Caroline, and how Elizabeth came to live with them when she was four.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Chapters 1 & 2. (3-minute read)
Who is the most important character introduced in Chapter 1 of Frankenstein?
The stranger that Walton rescued from the ice in Letter 4 is revealed to be the novel’s title character, Victor Frankenstein, as he begins to tell Walton his story. Victor is, to put it mildly, a complicated character. For example, while he is usually considered to be the protagonist of Frankenstein, a strong argument can also be made that he is, in fact, the novel’s antagonist. Victor’s judgement will increasingly come into question as the novel goes on, but in these initial chapters all that we know about him is that he is an intense and ambitious son of a wealthy and caring family in Geneva.
Read our in-depth character analysis of Victor Frankenstein. (2-mintue read)
From whose point of view is Frankenstein told?
The point of view of Frankenstein shifts throughout the novel. Letters 1–4 were told from Walton’s perspective, but in Chapter 1 it shifts to the point of view of Victor Frankenstein. Later, the novel shifts to the monster’s point of view, and then finally back to Walton again. However, most of the novel will be told from the perspective of Victor.
Read about the shifting perspective of Frankenstein. (1-mintue read)
What other important characters are introduced in Chapter 1 of Frankenstein?
Victor’s parents and his cousin are introduced in Chapter 1. Clicking on the character’s name below will take you to their in-depth Character Analysis.
Alphonse Frankenstein, the head of one of the leading families of Geneva, is highly respected by all, including Victor. He married relatively late in life to Caroline, the daughter of a longtime friend who had fallen on hard times and then died.
Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein is a devoted wife to Alphonse and mother to their sons Victor, Ernest, William, as well as to Elizabeth Lavenza, who Caroline and Victor adopted as a young girl.
Elizabeth Lavenza has been raised by Caroline and Alphonse, and she and Victor refer to each other as “cousin.” Starting at an early age, she has little to no agency, as Caroline decided when she is adopted that Elizabeth will eventually marry Victor.
Read our brief Character List descriptions of these characters and others. (2-minute read)
Are Victor and Elizabeth actual cousins in Frankenstein?
The answer depends on which version of Frankenstein you are reading. In the original 1818 edition, Elizabeth was, in fact, Victor’s first cousin since she was the daughter of Alphonse’s sister. However, Shelley changed this in the 1831 revision (which is the basis for most volumes of the book today), making Elizabeth the orphaned daughter of an Italian nobleman and a German woman, presumably due at least in some part to many believing that first cousins marrying would be improper.
What is the most important theme in Chapter 1 of Frankenstein?
The groundwork for the importance of Parental Responsibility as a theme is firmly laid by the sterling example set by Alphonse and Caroline Frankenstein in Chapter 1. We will later see just how far short of his parents’ standards for this Victor falls, and it’s a bit ironic that we know this due of Victor’s own words: (“My mother’s tender caresses and my father’s smile of benevolent pleasure while regarding me are my first recollections”).
Read about Parental Responsibility as a Theme (#3) in Frankenstein. (2-minute read)
Read about a quote from Chapter 1 on Parental Responsibility. (1-minute read)
What is the general role of women in Frankenstein?
The women characters in Frankenstein are generally weak, passive, and lacking in agency. Moreover, they are mostly depicted as self-sacrificing and doomed in a world dominated by obsessive and destructive men. In what was probably a form of social commentary by Shelley, women are often portrayed not in and of themselves but rather in terms of their roles in the lives of the leading male characters. For both Victor and the monster, woman is the ultimate companion, providing comfort and acceptance. For Victor, Elizabeth proves the happiness that can alleviate his guilty conscience; similarly, the monster seeks a female of his kind to commiserate with his awful existence. Eventually each of these men destroys the other’s love interest, transferring woman’s status from object of desire to object of revenge. Women are never given the opportunity to act on their own.
Read about the Subjugation of Women as a Motif in Frankenstein. (1-minute read)
