What happens in Chapter 10 of Frankenstein?
Victor spends a day wandering the valley near the sources of the Arveiron, discovering that the breathtaking Alpine landscape — with its glaciers, avalanches, pine forests, and towering peaks — temporarily eases his grief and fills his dreams with vivid imagery. The next morning, rain and mist have engulfed the mountains, yet Victor decides to ride his mule alone to the summit of Montanvert, remembering the joy the glacier once brought him. The ascent is described as stark and barren, marred by avalanches and perilous snow-filled ravines. Victor stops to mourn the weight of human emotion and quotes a poem about change. Around noon, he crosses the vast ice field — nearly a league wide — and, staring at Mont Blanc in its intimidating grandeur, calls out to wandering spirits for happiness or release. At that moment, he spots a figure moving at an incredible speed across the crevasses: it is the creature he made. Shaking with fury, Victor hurls insults and lunges at the creature, who effortlessly dodges him. The creature begs to be heard, claiming that Victor has a creator's responsibility, that he was once good but despair turned him into a monster, and that he should be Victor's Adam rather than a fallen angel. Victor repeatedly tells him to leave, but the creature insists on sharing his story, promising that Victor can then judge and even destroy him. Intrigued and beginning to feel the weight of his responsibilities as a creator, Victor agrees. They traverse the ice together and enter a hut on the opposite rock, where the creature starts his tale.
Analysis
The chapter takes us on a journey from deep comfort to intense conflict, with the Alpine landscape serving as both an emotional mirror and a moral battleground. Victor's first day of wandering sets the mood: nature's beauty briefly "subdued and tranquillised" his grief, and the mountain shapes "bade me be at peace." However, the following morning reverses this feeling, as rain and mist obscure those "mighty friends," emphasizing the fragile nature of comfort in the face of internal struggle. The climb to Montanvert is narrated in the second person, with phrases like "as you ascend higher" and "enable you to surmount the perpendicularity of the mountain," temporarily expanding the experience before returning to Victor's personal suffering.
The poem included about change — eight lines reflecting how both joy and sorrow eventually fade, leaving only transformation — acts as a philosophical pivot between the landscape and the confrontation, giving the chapter a lyrical core that challenges any expectation of lasting solace.
The creature's entrance is strikingly contrasted: he leaps over chasms that Victor navigated with caution, towering above him and moving with superhuman speed. Yet his initial speech complicates the monster/victim dynamic. His words are intricately layered — legal ("the guilty are allowed … to speak in their own defence"), theological ("I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel"), and emotional ("I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend"). Victor's reactions are filled with anger and defensiveness, revealing his moral indecision. The chapter concludes with Victor's first acknowledgment of "the duties of a creator towards his creature," a concession prompted by the creature's eloquence rather than given freely.
Key quotes from Chapter 10
“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.”
The creature speaks to Victor on the glacier, pleading for compassion and explaining the origin of his violence.
“Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”
The creature addresses Victor during their confrontation on the ice, comparing himself to figures from religious tradition.
“For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness.”
Victor reflects inwardly as he follows the creature across the ice toward the hut, explaining why he consents to listen.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 10
- perpendicularity
- The quality of being nearly straight up and down, like a vertical cliff face; here describing how steep a mountain's slope is.
- presence-chamber
- A grand room where an important person formally receives visitors; here used metaphorically to describe a majestic natural setting as if it were a royal hall.