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I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic.
These are the first words of Victor Frankenstein's story, and they serve as his introduction to the reader. In this sentence from Chapter 1, he expresses pride in his nationality and emphasizes the "distinguished" social standing of his family in Geneva. His words demonstrate privilege and a sense of superiority, traits that will later be revealed as drivers behind his actions in the novel.
He strove to shelter her, as a fair exotic is sheltered by the gardener, from every rougher wind, and to surround her with all that could tend to excite pleasurable emotion in her soft and benevolent mind.
Later in Chapter 1, Victor describes the dynamic between his father, Alphonse, and his mother, Caroline. The language Victor uses to describe their relationship introduces the motif of women’s passivity that is reinforced throughout the book; though he says that Caroline possessed courage and "a mind of an uncommon mould" before meeting his father, after they're married, she seems to become much more fragile and in constant need of protection and sheltering. He goes so far as to speak about her "weakened frame" and to say that "the tranquillity of her hitherto constant spirit had been shaken by what she had gone through."
My mother’s tender caresses and my father’s smile of benevolent pleasure while regarding me are my first recollections. I was their plaything and their idol and something better – their child, the innocent and helpless monster bestowed on them by Heaven.
In this quote from Chapter 1, Victor describes his fond memories of growing up in a sheltered environment with loving parents. The explanation of this quote in Quotes by Theme: Parental Responsibility describes its ironic foreshadowing of Victor falling far short of the standards set by his devoted parents.
Her hair was the brightest living gold, and despite the poverty of her clothing, seemed to set a crown of distinction on her head. Her brow was clear and ample, her blue eyes cloudless, and her lips and the moulding of her face so expressive of sensibility and sweetness that none could behold her without looking on her as of a distinct species, a being heaven-sent, and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features.
Victor uses these words in Chapter 1 to describe Elizabeth Lavenza, an impoverished girl whom his mother adopts when Victor is a child. He paints a picture of Elizabeth as a beautiful, perfect angel—"a child fairer than pictured cherub—a creature who seemed to shed radiance from her looks"—and it's clear that he adores and obsesses over her. However, he doesn't seem to view her as a person in her own right but instead as a prized belonging, going so far as to say, "I looked upon Elizabeth as mine—mine to protect, love, and cherish. All praises bestowed on her I received as made to a possession of my own." (See the next Chapter 1 quote below.)
I looked upon Elizabeth as mine—mine to protect, love, and cherish. All praises bestowed on her, I received as made to a possession of my own.
As the explanation for this quote in Quotes by Character: Elizabeth Lavenza explains in further detail, Victor’s professed “love” for Elizabeth throughout the novel is problematic from the start in Chapter 1. He seems to think of her more as a cherished possession than as a sentient individual.
