In the novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley tells a fascinating story of a young man’s attempts to create life and the consequences that turn his life around. Shelley delivers the story through the three distinct voices of Walton, Victor, and the monster. By using multiple voices, Shelley allows the reader to gain a deeper understanding of all the characters and their relation to each other, but the layers of narrative points of view also causes the reader to remain questionable of the speaker’s reliability throughout the story and instill a sense of mystery. By receiving insight from multiple different perspectives, rather than just one first person or third person point of view, the readers have the ability to know the characters on a
…show more content…
The entire story falls under Walton’s primary narrative, and, according to him, he, "resolved every night, when I am not imperatively occupied by my duties, to record, as nearly as possible in [Victor’s] own words, what he has related during the day” (“Frankenstein”). Because Walton bears responsibility for writing the entire narrative, which includes Victor’s and the monster’s as well, readers easily grow inclined to question the validity of Walton’s recollection. Then, as the story progresses, the narrative transitions from Victor’s point of view and eventually the monster’s. However, Victor recalls that after he “finished speaking…[The monster] fixed his looks upon me in the expectation of a reply. But I was bewildered, perplexed, and unable to arrange my ideas sufficiently” (“Frankenstein”). As the reader goes further into the different narratives within narratives, the possibility of the true story losing genuineness increases. Shelley challenges the reader’s certainty even more when the story shifts to the monster’s recollective narrative, which lies under Victor’s recollective narrative, which furthermore lies under Walton’s recollective narrative. Because of the various voices in the novel, the readers question whether or not they can rely on the speaker and the veracity of the entire story, emphasizing the effect of
The entire story falls under Walton’s primary narrative, and, according to him, he, "resolved every night, when I am not imperatively occupied by my duties, to record, as nearly as possible in [Victor’s] own words, what he has related during the day” (“Frankenstein”). Because Walton bears responsibility for writing the entire narrative, which includes Victor’s and the monster’s as well, readers easily grow inclined to question the validity of Walton’s recollection. Then, as the story progresses, the narrative transitions from Victor’s point of view and eventually the monster’s. However, Victor recalls that after he “finished speaking…[The monster] fixed his looks upon me in the expectation of a reply. But I was bewildered, perplexed, and unable to arrange my ideas sufficiently” (“Frankenstein”). As the reader goes further into the different narratives within narratives, the possibility of the true story losing genuineness increases. Shelley challenges the reader’s certainty even more when the story shifts to the monster’s recollective narrative, which lies under Victor’s recollective narrative, which furthermore lies under Walton’s recollective narrative. Because of the various voices in the novel, the readers question whether or not they can rely on the speaker and the veracity of the entire story, emphasizing the effect of