Superego, Id, Ego

The superego could be represented by the creature. He is holding Victor responsible for his actions; he created the monster and therefore should have taken care of him. The creature punishes Victor for backing away from his responsibility.

The id would then (to me) be best represented by Victor. He acted upon impulse by creating the monster without thinking of the many possible outcomes. He just thought of the recognition he would receive and began working tirelessly on the monster until his completion.

The ego would be represented by Henry Clerval. He brings Victor back to reality and helps nurse Victor back to his normal state of mind. He keeps Victor in good balance and draws him away from danger (takes him away from the sciences and all that remind him of it to keep him from lapsing back into his insanity).

Feminist view

The is an idea we had in class for our group. While creating the female monster companion for the creature, Victor has a realization of what this creation could lead to. Many of the possible threats she presents have to do with her being a woman. The story takes place in the 1700s which was a time where women were still very subservient to men and were only women of the house and mothers. Victor worries that the female monster may not want to be with the creature when she comes to life and might become "a thinking a reasoning animal" and "might refuse to comply with a compact made before her creation". He worried that she might "become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate". The thoughts of the possibilities of the female creation being more powerful than the male scare him  more than anything leading to his brutal and violent destruction of the female creation.

Everyman

Similar to the religious reference and defying God, I thought that the theme of life an death was similar to the story Everyman. I remember the story from last year and one particular theme it had. It was something like "Death waits for no one" and I feel that there is a similarity between the two stories. In Everyman, the man is about to die and is approach by Death who gives him a few more hours to collect himself and what he intends to bring to the after-life with him. In the time before the man dies, he reflects upon his life and look to see what he can take with him that will help him get into heaven. He realizes that he cannot bring his knowledge with him, his material possessions, or his beauty. Eventually he repents his sins and is able to bring his good deeds with him to heaven. I see the similarities in that Victor creates the monster (Death) and he vows eternal vengeance on Victor (especially after Victor destroys the female monster). Since Victor has now been targeted for death, he must collect what he can take with him to the after life. The murder of Henry, William, Elizabeth, his father, and others represents the things he cannot take with him (Elizabeth = beauty, Henry = knowledge). Victor tries to repent his sins by vowing to destroy the monster. However, the stories end differently in that the Everyman makes it to heaven while Victor's fate is unknown.

Religious POV

I was thinking that for the whole story of the creature punishing/tormenting Victor by murdering his loved ones, this could be a religious reference. Victor created a man in a unnatural way and brought him to life by unnatural means. One could say that he was defying God by cheating death. I would say that the creature, or rather the purpose he has, is to punish Victor for trying to rival the power of God by creating his own man, one that he intended to be perfect and better than any other man. And if not God, then Satan could be the one punishing him for bringing life back to a dead man (stealing a soul back from hell or something to that effect).

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 seems to be a whole foreshadowing of Victor's soon-to-come life experiment. Many people know the basics of the story of Frankenstein and how he came to be. When he begins to tell about his discovery of the Cornelius Agrippa book and his fascination with his philosophy and theories, he talks about his search for the "philosopher's stone" and the "elixir of life". He also retells an account where he saw a bolt of lightning strike a tree in his yard and obliterate it. For those who know the story of Frankenstein, he was created to prove that you could bring the dead back to life and he was by using the electricity generated from a lightning storm.
These two key events are what begin Victor's fascination and slight obsession with creating his Frankenstein monster.

I am thinking that there are possible oedipal feelings that Robert Walton has for his sister. The way his refers to her at the ends of his letters, especially the 2nd letter, is quite affectionate.

"Continue for the present to write to me by every opportunity: I may receive your letters on some occasions when I need them most to support my spirits. I love you very tenderly. Remember me with affection, should you never hear from me again.

Your affectionate brother,
Robert Walton"

Maybe it's just the times, but I'm not so sure people refer to their sisters in such a manner.

After reading the letters and getting into the first few chapters, I noticed a connection between Victor and the stranger Robert Walton meets. They both talk about their tainted destinies (the stranger refers to his past as being dark and disastrous. As Victor tells about his childhood, he begins to hint at parts that led to his downfall. He describes them as an unavoidable force of evil nature that was waiting to come a get him. I believe that the stranger and Victor are the same person and where the letters leave off make this quite plausible.

First Letter

Well, after reading the first letter, I saw that Robert Walton is very enthusiastic about his upcoming journey. He continues to reiterate his excitement to his sister by comparing himself to that of a young boy who goes on imaginary adventures with his friends. He explains that he has some doubts about the journey but his ___ are "sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death". Given that his journey is towards the North Pole in search of the Northwest Passage and this is taking place during the 1700s, the circumstances in which he is dealing with are not particularly safe (wooden ships and ice, not fun stuff). The fact that he seems untroubled by these facts gives us a hint about his character. He is seemingly foolish and/or reckless for taking a trip like this so lightly and also does not seem to weigh the consequences greatly (he mentions at the end of his letter that if he should fail, she will she him again shortly, or not all at in a very nonchalant manner).