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What happens in Chapter 6 of Frankenstein?
We learn about Elizabeth’s letter to Victor urging him to contact his family and telling him about Justine Moritz, a girl who had lived with the Frankenstein family and who has returned, after her mother’s death. When a visit to the school triggers a worsening of his health, Victor decides to return to Geneva.
What happens in Chapter 7 of Frankenstein?
As Victor prepares to return home, he receives a letter from his father telling him that his brother William has been murdered. Returning to Geneva, Victor sees his monster lurking and realizes that he killed William. Justine is accused of the murder based on the circumstantial evidence of a picture of William’s mother being found on her. Victor knows she’s innocent, but refuses to explain why, fearing he will be labeled insane.
What happens in Chapter 8 of Frankenstein?
Under intense pressure while she is bewildered and confused, Justine falsely confesses to William’s murder and is soon executed. Victor is consumed with guilt, knowing that the monster he created caused the deaths of William and Justine.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Chapters 6–8. (3-minute read)
Are there any important characters introduced in Chapters 6–8 of Frankenstein?
Two characters—both young and wholly innocent—are introduced in these chapters under highly disturbing circumstances: one is a murder victim and the other is unjustly accused and executed for that murder. We will learn more about the circumstances of the murder in later chapter, but suffice to say here that the victim, William Frankenstein, is the pinnacle of childish innocence and that his murder at the hands of Victor’s monster represents the termination of any claim that Victor might still have to his own innocence.
Read an in-depth character analysis of William Frankenstein. (1-minute read)
Justine Mortiz, the character falsely accused and executed for William’s murder, has much in common with Elizabeth: both are poor girls who taken in by Victor’s benevolent parents and both are essentially powerless (in the way that women in the story usually are) and doomed to die because of Victor’s failure to own up to his responsibilities. Due to circumstantial evidence, Justine is mercilessly grilled over William’s death until she falsely confesses to it. She tries to recant, but like so many other women in Frankenstein, her voice is not heard. Then Victor quite literally fails to speak up and reveal that he has created the monster, which costs Justine her life.
Read an in-depth character analysis of Justine Mortiz. (2-minute read)
