CrisisA crisis is an when the conflict reaches the highest turning point in which the opposing forces in the story or production of the most high intensity at a point in the climax. In most circumstances it is at this point that the antagonist and protagonist are the opposing forces and they meet to confront issues or make the whole story become worse. In Frankenstein, many instances where this happens yet the major ones are just incomparable. The first crisis is one that occurs when Victor goes back home to find out more about his younger brothers death and sees his creation crossing the mountains, they cross paths. This seems to be one of the most intense moments because Victor already felt some guilt and now his assumptions of his creation murdering his brother came about true. This made the climax rise due to this, since we then found out more about the monster, but when these two characters meet it seems so obscure in the way they act making them seem such rivals although by reading prior we, as the reader, understand the relationship and abandonment issues between the creator and his creation. A quote that really ties this scene together is found in chapter 10.
" I was troubled; a mist came over my eyes, and I felt a faintness seize me; but I was quickly restored by the cold gale of the mountains. I perceived, as the shape came nearer (sight tremendous and abhorred!) that it was the wretch whom I had created" (pg. 85-86). Another relevant crisis that occurs in Frankenstein, is when Victor begins to create the new being for his first creation he encounters the monster again which creates more tension in the relationship between them and leads to distrust and later mistakes. From this encounter of the characters the crisis creates another high point of climax when Victor then sees that his own best friend was murdered by his creation. In which this only happened after Victor gets news from this friend, Clerval, to come to England and on that journey he gets stuck in Ireland where the body washes ashore and Victor is blamed.
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" The image of Clerval was forever before me, ghastly and murdered. More than once the agitation into which these reflections threw me made my friends dread a dangerous relapse. Alas! Why did they preserve so miserable and detested a life?" (pg. 171-172). These quotes relate to the stated point of crisis because during this time again the monster is shown and made the climax more tense. Another quote that really ties this together is as well found in chapter 21, it says " that I was deceived by no vision and that Clerval, my friend and dearest companion, had fallen a victim to me and the monster of my creation. I repassed, in my memory, my whole life - my quiet happiness while residing with my family in Geneva, the death of my mother, and my departure for Ingolstadt." Making this put victor even more on edge making the climax seem to be moving even faster due to this leeway of information given to the reader from Victors view.
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"Hideous Monster!" (pg. 131). |
ComplicationsA complication is referred to as difficult times in which a character is able to get through finding their own solution to the problem without help. For the scenarios usually faced with this type of literature, complications are found to be internally more than external issues for the character. In Frankenstein, Victor is typically faced with many instances of self defeat with the creation of his monster and how he basically gave up afterwards. He had an illness more of shock and didn't want to face the task at hand until it came to the sudden tragedy of his younger which he knew was his fault because he abandoned his creation so it could fend for itself. Besides the internal and external complication for just Victor, the creation also has similar problems. For him looks are more of an issue. Everyone has to be a certain way with how they style hair or how they dress, yet in this case the complication his both internally and externally, the monster was put together from other bodies and is seen to be ugly because he has stitches all over his body and you can see some his flesh and muscles because he wasn't put together correctly and that is somewhat of an issue for most with characterizations of looks and conforming to social style.
Another complication that is thoroughly brought in Frankenstein is the idea of characters wanting to know a lot more than they do and not having the ability to handle tasks on their own. For Victor he always is inventing something either good or bad but in some cases he is craving things of knowledge, especially in the world of science to be changing to what he manipulates it to with creating new life with an external struggle. And for the monster being able to do things he can't is hard internally and externally because he seems to not have much guidance due to being abandoned making his complication very difficult to fix. But being able to fix it, the monster gets revenge to make himself feel better with the urges of wanting to be wanted and understood with doing things on his own like when he made his first food.
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