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No Fear Translations of Shakespeare’s plays (along with audio!) and other classic works
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I remembered the effect that the view of the tremendous and ever-moving glacier had produced upon my mind when I first saw it. It had then filled me with a sublime ecstasy that gave wings to the soul, and allowed it to soar from the obscure world to light and joy.
Hiking alone in the Alps in Chapter 10, Victor speaks about how seeing a magnificent glacier lifts his soul to “light and joy.” The explanation of this quote in Quotes by Symbol: Light and Fire explains how the idea of nature having restorative powers for the soul was a popular notion with writers in the Romantic movement of the 18th century.
VICTOR: Devil, do you dare approach me? And do not you fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your miserable head? Begone, vile insect! Or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust! And, oh! That I could, with the extinction of your miserable existence, restore those victims whom you have so diabolically murdered!
THE MONSTER: I expected this reception. All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you and the rest of mankind. If you will comply with my conditions, I will leave them and you at peace; but if you refuse, I will glut the maw of death, until it be satiated with the blood of your remaining friends.
VICTOR: Abhorred monster! Fiend that thou art! The tortures of hell are too mild a vengeance for thy crimes. Wretched devil! You reproach me with your creation, come on, then, that I may extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed.
In Chapter 10, perhaps the most important exchange between Victor and his creation take place when they meet at the summit of Montanvert. Victor begins by expressing astonishment that the monster would seek him out after killing his brother, and disperses insults (“Begone, vile insect!”). The monster responds with an expression of his acute misery and accuses Victor of essentially playing God ("sport[ing] thus with life"). Victor fires back that if the monster is so unhappy, then Victor will be glad to take the life he "so negligently bestowed" upon him.
In this brief exchange, the conversation manages to touch on many of the book's most important themes, including the themes of Parental Responsibility, The Effects of Isolation, and the Consequences of Ambition. You can read more about aspects of these lines in Quotes by Characters: The Monster, Quotes by Theme: Parental Responsibility, and Quotes by Symbol: Light and Fire (the second quote from Chapter 10).
Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.
This quote from the monster to Victor at the summit of Montanvert after they exchange insults and accusations and after Victor tries unsuccessfully to attack the monster represents a turning point in the novel. As the explanation of this quote in Famous Quotes Explained discusses, it is where it is first revealed that the monster isn’t just a hulking, murdering menace, but a thoughtful and intelligent being.
Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.
The monster speaks these words to Victor at the end of Chapter 10, before imploring his creator to listen to his tale and then decide what fate the monster deserves. Up to this point, the monster has only been described in horrifying terms: as a demon, a fiend from hell, a wretched devil, an abhorred and grotesque creation. This is the first time the monster is described in a positive way (albeit by himself): we learn that he was once benevolent, good, and even virtuous. This comes as a shock to the reader, who Victor has led to believe that the monster is an irredeemable, vile wretch. The monster's description of himself sets the stage for his own story in Chapter 11 and, for the first time, gives the reader a reason to consider sympathizing with him. This quote is also discussed in Quotes by Theme: The Nature of Goodness.
There can be no community between you and me; we are enemies.
Victor uses these words to again reject his creation during their encounter in Chapter 10. The explanation of this quote in Quotes by Character: Victor Frankenstein discusses possible implications in Victor’s choice of the word “community.”
