# Chapter XV explained — Frankenstein

> Chapter companion for Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

## What happens

The Creature recounts his discovery of books—Paradise Lost, Plutarch's Lives, and The Sorrows of Werther—and how they shaped his understanding of himself and humanity. He also describes his failed attempt to befriend the De Laceys, which ends in violent rejection, and his discovery of Victor's journal, which reveals the horror of his own creation.

## Themes in this chapter

### Isolation and Loneliness

The Creature's reading of Paradise Lost deepens his sense of utter solitude, comparing himself to Adam and Satan, but finding no companion or creator's care.

### Nature vs. Nurture

The Creature's intellectual and moral development through reading and observation contrasts with his inherent 'monstrous' form, raising questions about whether his nature is shaped by experience or innate.

### Creation and Responsibility

Victor's journal reveals the horror of the Creature's origin, underscoring Victor's abandonment and failure to take responsibility for his creation.

## Character check-ins

### The Creature

Narrates his intellectual and emotional development through reading, his rejection by the De Laceys, and his anguish upon learning his origin from Victor's journal.

### Felix De Lacey

Violently attacks the Creature when he finds him speaking with old De Lacey, driving him away from the cottage.

### Agatha De Lacey

Faints upon seeing the Creature during the confrontation at the cottage.

### Safie

Rushes out of the cottage in horror upon beholding the Creature.

### Old De Lacey

Begins to speak with the Creature in kindness, but the conversation is interrupted by the return of the younger cottagers.

### Victor Frankenstein

Referenced through his journal, which the Creature reads; the journal details the creation and Victor's horror at his own work.

## Key lines

> I could have torn him limb from limb, as the lion rends the antelope. But my heart sunk within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained.

I had the strength to kill him, but overwhelming sadness stopped me.

_The Creature shows restraint despite being violently attacked, highlighting his internal conflict between rage and a desire for peace._

> Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in every other respect.

I was as alone as Adam, but unlike him, I had no paradise, no creator's love, and no companion.

_The Creature compares himself to Adam from Paradise Lost to emphasize his unique and tragic isolation._

> Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?

Cursed maker! Why did you make me so ugly that you yourself rejected me?

_The Creature's anguish upon reading Victor's journal reveals his deep sense of betrayal and abandonment._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/frankenstein_se/chapters/chapter-xv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/frankenstein_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/frankenstein_se/chapters