What happens in Chapter 20 of Frankenstein?
Sitting in his lab as twilight descends on a remote Scottish island, Victor Frankenstein grapples with the potential dangers of finishing the female creature. He worries she could be more dangerous than her counterpart, refuse to adhere to the agreement made before her creation, or, together with him, spawn a race of monsters that could endanger humanity. When the creature appears at the window with a horrifying grin, Victor is overcome with disgust and tears the unfinished female apart. The creature howls in anguish and retreats. Victor locks the lab, swears never to continue his work, and spends the night by the window, staring out at the calm sea. Hours later, the creature arrives by boat, enters the house, and confronts Victor. They exchange intense words: the creature insists on the fulfillment of the promise, claims to be Victor's master, and when Victor firmly refuses, threatens, "I shall be with you on your wedding-night." Victor interprets this as a death threat against himself and laments for Elizabeth's impending sorrow. The next morning, Victor strolls along the shore, naps on the grass, and receives a letter from Henry Clerval urging him to meet in Perth. Victor decides to leave in two days. He returns to the lab, collects the remains of the destroyed creature along with his tools, loads them into a basket weighed down with stones, rows four miles out to sea under the cover of night, and sinks the basket. He then falls asleep in the drifting boat, only to awaken far out at sea in a northeast gale with no compass, fearing death by starvation or drowning. Eventually, the wind dies down, he spots land to the south, makes a makeshift sail, and reaches a small harbor town in Ireland. The locals are unwelcoming; an official brings him before the magistrate, Mr. Kirwin, to explain the murder of a man found dead the previous night. The chapter concludes with Victor steeling himself to recount what happened next.
Analysis
The chapter unfolds through a series of reversals that deepen Victor's sense of isolation. It begins with a moment of pause — the sun has set, the moon is rising, and Victor stands at a crossroads, unsure whether to move forward or stop. This pivotal moment marks a turning point for his entire promise. The moonlight illuminating the scene also reveals the creature at the window, linking the natural world to the confrontation that follows: the moon reappears when Victor rows out to sea and again when he sinks the basket.
The chapter is rich in parallelism. Victor's destructive act mirrors his earlier act of creation ("Three years before, I was engaged in the same manner"), while the creature's journey through the Rhine, England, and Scotland echoes Victor's own travels, hinting at a bond between them despite their separation. The dialogue between them serves as the dramatic core of the chapter, with Shelley giving each character a distinct rhetorical style: the creature moves from grievance to command ("You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!") to a plea for companionship — questioning why he alone should be denied a mate when every man and beast has one — and finally to a chilling threat; Victor shifts from disgust to defiance, ultimately adopting a form of stoic resolve.
The sea acts as a recurring motif: it serves as a barrier between Victor and humanity, becomes the grave he nearly enters, and ultimately leads to an unexpected harbor. The chapter concludes on an ironic note — Victor reaches the neighborhood of civilized man only to be accused of murder — transforming his relief into a new horror and setting yet another trap just as he escapes the previous one.
Key quotes from Chapter 20
“You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!”
The creature confronts Victor in his apartment and issues this command after calling him a slave unworthy of condescension.
“I will watch with the wiliness of a snake, that I may sting with its venom.”
The creature delivers this threat during his final speech before departing, vowing revenge on Victor.
““It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night.””
The creature's parting words to Victor before slipping out of the house and rowing away across the water.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 20
- precipitation
- Sudden, reckless haste; acting so quickly and abruptly that there is no time for caution or deliberation.