Post #27: Oh, Yeah. He Died.

Clerval's death didn't seem like a big deal. It was one paragraph and then Frankenstein passed out again. In any other book, I would be a little irritated, but in Frankenstein, I see why Shelley would downplay it.

By downplaying Clerval's death when we first find out about it, she is able to focus more on the effects it has on Frankenstein and those around him. All of the deaths are downplayed, except one. And I think that it's really effective. 

As the bodies begin to pile up, Frankenstein feels more and more guilty. He becomes sick from his guilt and starts to concern his family. 

Victor played with fire, and it burned his house to the ground. And, The Creature literally burns a different house to the ground. There is a lot of fire, both literally and figuratively. The Romantic ideals and science mix and explode with extreme force.
 And, quite frankly, who in their right mind would say "You know what sounds really fun? Screwing around with crap we don't understand, like reanimation! What could possibly go wrong?" Now, don't get me wrong, I think that screwing around with something you don't understand is a great way to learn and gain understanding, but reanimating flesh? Not such a great idea. 

But, it also raises ethical and existential questions. How far is too far in science? Why do we as humans struggle to make connections with other humans? Do you see the same red that I see? Will we ever know the answers? 

-D.