Bring the Classics to Life

Frankenstein

LEVEL 3

Series Designer
Philip J. Solimene

Editor
Janice Cobas

Black & White Illustrations

Ken Landgraf

EDCON PUBLISHING
New York

1
 About the Author
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born in 1797 in London, England. She was the daughter
of two well-known authors, Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin. Unlike many people at
the time, her parents believed that women and the poor should be given equal rights under the
law.
Shelley’s mother died soon after giving birth to her. Young Mary had a very different child-
hood than most girls at the time. Her father taught her and let her read anything she wished
from his large library. They were poor, but their home was visited by great poets, writers, and
thinkers. After her bedtime, Mary would sometimes hide under the sofa so that she could listen
to their visitors. Mary wrote, too. She had her first poem published when she was eleven.
When she was sixteen, Mary met the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who later became her
husband. On a trip to Switzerland, Mary and Percy stopped a few months to visit the poet Lord
Byron. One night, Byron suggested they each write a ghost story. At first Mary couldn’t think
of a story, but by the end of the summer she had written Frankenstein.
Mary and Percy were together for eight years before he was killed in a boating accident.
Mary was left alone to raise their son on very little money. She wrote many novels, articles, and
history books. But she was best known as the author of Frankenstein.

Copyright © 2012
Edcon Publishing Group

Frankenstein
www.edconpublishing.com

EDEAP310
ePdf ISBN 0-8481-1154-0
ePdf ISBN 9-780848-11154-0
 CONTENTS
Words Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 5

NO. TITLE SYNOPSIS PAGE

91 The Secrets of Nature On their way to the North Pole, Robert Walton 6
and his men find a man alone on the ice. The man,
Frankenstein, tells them he is chasing a demon.

92 Frankenstein’s Family Frankenstein tells how he wanted to do magical 12

things as a boy, but then turned to science. After
his mother’s death, he left home for the university.

93 The Creature is Born Frankenstein learns the secret to giving life and 18
makes a creature. After his creature comes to life,
Frankenstein becomes afraid and runs away. When
he comes back to his apartment, the creature is gone.

94 Murder in Geneva Very sick, Frankenstein is taken care of by his 24

friend Henry Clerval. Frankenstein learns that his
brother has been killed. When he returns home,
Frankenstein sees the creature.

95 The Good Spirit Alone in the mountains, Frankenstein and the 30

creature talk. The creature tells about the family
he grew to love while he was hiding near their house.

96 Without Hope The creature tells how he learned to read 36

Frankenstein’s notebook, which was in his coat.
The creature’s family runs away after they see him.

97 The Creature Confesses The creature tells how he murdered Frankenstein’s 42

little brother. Frankenstein says he will make a
female so that the creature isn’t alone in the world.

98 The Next Victim Frankenstein tears apart the female he was making. 48
He tells the creature he will not help him. Soon after
Frankenstein is put into prison for Clerval’s murder.

99 A Life Destroyed Frankenstein is found innocent and returns home 54

for his wedding. The creature murders his wife.

100 The Long, Hard Chase Frankenstein tells Walton about his months of 60
chasing the creature. Close to death, he asks
Walton to kill the creature for him. After
Frankenstein’s death, the creature comes to Walton.

Comprehension Check Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Vocabulary Check Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

3
CTR A-91

The Secrets of Nature

Riding on the sled was a very big man.

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first two paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Robert Walton

____a. knows many people who have gone to the North Pole.
____b. hopes to learn things about nature that will help people.
____c. believes he will find many animals at the North Pole.
____d. is writing to his sister from the North Pole.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 10 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out about the strange things the men see from their ship.

8

The Secrets of Nature
Robert Walton was on
his way to explore the top of
the world. Dear Margaret,
he wrote to his sister. I have
gone as far as I can by land!
Later I will find a ship and
the men to sail her. But now
my first duty is to write to
let my dear little sister
know I’m all right!
No one has ever reached
the North Pole before.
People say it must be cold
and empty of life. I think it
will be beautiful! I will
explore where no one has
walked before! I will find a
way for ships to sail to the
other side of the world! I
will discover secrets of
nature than no one else
knows! Think of all the peo-
ple I will help with what I
learn!
In a month I will have
everything ready on the
ship. But I will still be
missing one thing. I wish I
had a friend coming with
me! I need someone to talk
with, someone who lives out
his noble ideas, someone as
excited to discover new
things as I am. I won’t find
such a friend at the top of
the world!
Months passed before
another one of Robert
Walton’s letters reached his
sister. Dear Margaret, he
wrote. Last week the ice
closed in around our ship.
We could not move ahead, or
the ice would break our ship
into pieces. Then we would
be lost under the sea, and
you would never learn what
happened to me.
While we were waiting
for the ice to break, we saw
something moving far away
from the ship. Dogs were
pulling a heavy sled over the
ice! Riding on the sled was
a very big man. He seemed
so big that we wondered if
he could really be a man at
all. We watched until we
could no longer see the sled
and the strange thing it car-
ried. Soon the ice began to
break, and we sailed on.
The next morning, we saw
another man. He was on a
sled on a block of ice next to
our ship! He would not have
been able to live much
longer if we had not found
him. But he did not thank
us. “Which way are you
going?” he asked.
“We are on our way to
discover the North Pole,” I
said.
“That is the same way I
am going,” he said. We car-
ried him onto the ship. His
arms and legs were as cold
as ice, and he could not
stand. His eyes looked so
wild that I thought that
being alone on the ice had
driven him crazy. But then,
when he saw how we were
all trying to help him, his
smile lighted up his face.
“Why were you so far out
away from land?” asked one
of my men.
“I am following some-
one,” he answered.
“We saw another sled
CTR A-91
just a day ago,” said another
of my men. “Could it belong
to the man you are follow-
ing?”
“He is not a man! He is
a demon!” The man’s eyes
grew wild again. “I must
stop him!”
My men carried him to a
bed where he could rest in
quiet. In the days that fol-
lowed I learned what a
noble man we had brought
in from the cold world out-
side. I remember that I
wrote to you, Margaret, that
I could never find a friend in
such a cold, empty place.
But I have! His name is
Victor Frankenstein.
One day I was telling
Frankenstein how I would
willingly pay with my life to
learn nature’s secrets. “I
will change the world,” I
said. “No longer will people
be held down by nature! We
will make nature do as we
please.”
“I once thought the same
way,” said Frankenstein.
“Now I know I was crazy to
try to change how nature
works. You still have hope
before you, but it is too late
for me. I have nothing left
but the duty to kill the
demon I made. Listen to my
story, my friend. Learn
from me, and you will have
a safe and happy life!”
9
 CTR A-92

Frankenstein’s Family

For another two years, I read all I could about science.

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first two paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Victor’s mother and

father believed
____a. Victor would grow up to be a doctor.
____b. they would show Victor how to grow into a good man.
____c. Victor should learn everything by himself.
____d. Victor would be a good man if he was born to be one.
Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 16 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out what happens when Victor finds a strange, old book.

14

Frankenstein’s Family
My mother and father had
a strong marriage, said Victor
Frankenstein. They believed
it was their duty to teach me
the best way to live. They
thought that if they were kind
and fair with me, I would grow
up to be a good man.
One day my mother met a
poor woman by the lake. She
had many children with her.
One of the girls seemed differ-
ent from the others. The
woman saw how my mother
watched the little girl. “That
girl was born into a good fam-
ily with a lot of money,” the
woman said. “Life can change
very suddenly! Elizabeth is
only five years old, but her
mother and father are dead.
All of their money is gone. We
are her only friends.”
My mother believed it was
her duty to help others. So we
brought Elizabeth into our
home.
My two brothers were
born within the next few
years. I loved them, but I
always loved Elizabeth the
most.
Elizabeth loved nature.
Seeing the sun come out after
a storm filled her with happi-
ness. When I saw sunlight
after a storm, I was only curi-
ous. “What makes nature
work the way it does?” I won-
dered. “How does the sunlight
move through the air? What
makes a storm move across
the sky?”
I had another close friend,
Henry Clerval. He liked to
play games where we were
great men doing great things
to help the world. Elizabeth’s
love of nature and Henry’s
noble ideas brought out the
best in me.
One summer I came across
an old book about alchemy.
The book said I could learn to
change things into gold! I
could make a drink that keeps
people getting sick! I could
say words to bring dead people
back to life!
My father saw my book.
“You should find a better use
of your time,” he said. “That is
a silly book!”
I wish he had taken the
time to tell me that alchemy
and science are not the same.
Science had long ago shown
that alchemy wasn’t true.
For two years I read all
that I could find about alche-
my. Many times I tried to do
the magical things that I read
about. When they didn’t work,
I believed I had not followed
the books the right way. I did-
n’t see that I was wrong about
alchemy.
One summer day I watch a
lightning storm move across
the lake by our house. The air
suddenly shook with sound.
Lightning hit a beautiful old
tree. Bright white light cov-
ered the tree. Just as quickly,
the light was gone. The tree
was gone, too. All that was
left were pieces of wood on the
ground.
A friend of my father’s was
visiting. He saw how curious I
was about the lightning storm.
He told me about electricity. I
slowly saw that alchemy could
not show me the secrets of
nature. But science could
show me the secrets of elec-
CTR A-92
tricity!
For another two years I
read all that I could find about
science.
My father wanted to send
me to a university far away in
Germany. I was happy, think-
ing of all the science I would
learn there. But then
Elizabeth grew sick. The doc-
tor said she had scarlet fever,
which killed almost everyone
who caught it. I was angry
and frightened. What good
was science to me if Elizabeth
were dead?
My mother watched over
Elizabeth day and night.
Slowly, Elizabeth grew better.
But then my mother came
down with scarlet fever! The
doctor couldn’t help her. “I
will not live much longer,” my
mother said to me. “My great-
est happiness has been watch-
ing you and Elizabeth grow
up. I always hoped to someday
see you two joined in mar-
riage. But no one can stop
death. So I will be brave and
will hope to see you in the next
world!”
My mother was dead!
Before I had seen the world as
a good and beautiful place.
Now I saw that death was
waiting to take everything I
loved!
The time had come for me
to leave for the university. As
I closed the door of my father’s
house, I was alone for the first
time in my life.
15
 CTR A-93

The Creature is Born

His skin was yellow and it seemed too small to fit his big body.

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first five paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Professor Waldman believes that
____a. people who studied alchemy were right to dream of new things.
____b. Frankenstein should not study so much.
____c. alchemy is better than science.
____d. science will never give people power over nature.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 22 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out about Frankenstein’s great experiment.

20

The Creature Is Born
I had one professor who
had read alchemy books, too.
“Those writers liked to prom-
ise that they could do great
things. But they did noth-
ing,” said Professor
Waldman. “People who study
science these days promise
very little. But the day will
come when they have power
over nature!”
“You don’t think I was
silly to study alchemy?” I
asked.
“No!” said Professor
Waldman. “Those writers
had great ideas. They were
right to dream of new things!”
I set up a laboratory in
my apartment. Each day I
studied at the university.
Each night I worked in my
laboratory.
Years passed. Soon my
professors didn’t have any-
thing else to teach me.
I kept studying on my
own. “What is life?” I won-
dered. I believed science held
the answer. I learned all that
I could about the human
body. But this was not
enough. To find out about
life, I needed to learn about
death.
I began going to the ceme-
tery at night. I was not
afraid of what I would find
under the ground. I needed
dead bodies to study, and the
cemetery was the best place
to find them.
Then one night, as I stood
over a pile of bones, an idea
hit me like lightning! I knew
how to give life where life had
not been before!
How would I show the
world my new power? I could
put together a small creature
and give it life. But I was too
proud. I wanted to make a
human!
I made the parts of my
human bigger so that they
would be easier to work with.
He would be eight feet tall
when I was done. This new
kind of human would be
strong and beautiful.
Someday these humans
would be all over the world
because of me!
I was too busy to read let-
ters from home. If I had been
a wise man, I would have
seen that my experiment was
pushing me away from the
people I loved.
Two years passed. I did
not sleep much. I ate very lit-
tle food. I jumped at the soft-
est sound and then wondered
if I had really heard anything
at all.
Then one night, I finished
the creature. I set up the
machine I had made to send
electricity through the body.
I was terribly proud as I
turned on the machine.
My happy dream ended
as he opened his eyes.
I had thought I was mak-
ing a beautiful human. But
there was nothing beautiful
about the creature. His skin
was yellow, and it seemed too
small to fit over his big body.
His hair was long and black.
His mouth was black, too.
I threw myself onto my
bed. I had lost two years of
my life for nothing!
After a long time, I fell
asleep. In my dream, I was
holding Elizabeth in my
arms. Suddenly her skin
CTR A-93
turned cold and white. Her
face began to change. I saw
that I was holding the dead
body of my mother.
Fighting my way out of
this terrible dream, I opened
my eyes.
The creature was stand-
ing over my bed. He was
reaching out to me. The ends
of his mouth pushed up into a
smile.
I ran away. I walked
through the rainy streets all
that night and the next day.
Late in the afternoon, I
was surprised to see Henry
Clerval coming down the
street!
“I’m on my way to your
apartment!” Henry said.
“I’ve come to study at the uni-
versity! But, Victor, what is
wrong? You do not look well
at all!”
“I have been busy with an
experiment,” I said. “But I’m
done with all that. Now that
you are here, life will go back
to the way it was before!”
I asked Henry to wait at
the bottom of the stairs while
I ran up to my apartment.
The creature was gone!
I was so happy that I
could not stop laughing.
Henry heard me and came up
the stairs.
“Your eyes look wild,”
Henry said slowly.
Suddenly Henry’s skin
began to turn yellow, and his
mouth turned black. He was
changing into the creature!
“Stay away from me!” I shout-
ed. Then I fell to the floor. I
don’t remember anymore.
21
 CTR A-94

Murder in Geneva

I wanted to speak to him but I couldn’t make a sound.

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first four paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Frankenstein is so sick that

____a. Elizabeth comes to take care of him.
____b. the university sends him home.
____c. Henry Clerval takes care of him all winter.
____d. the doctor says that he has scarlet fever.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 28 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out why Victor Frankenstein returns home.

26

Murder in Geneva
Henry had to decide the
best way to take care of me.
My father was too sick to trav-
el. My brothers needed
Elizabeth at home. So Henry
took care of me himself.
One day, I woke and saw
new leaves on the trees out-
side my window. I had been
sick all winter!
Henry read me a letter
from Elizabeth. I laughed to
hear her stories about my
family and friends. She wrote
that Justine, a servant who
had left us after my mother’s
death, had come back to work
in our house.
After many months of
rest, I was healthy enough to
travel. As I was getting ready
to go home, an early snow-
storm closed the mountain
roads. I would have to wait
until spring.
The snow was almost gone
when a letter came from my
father. He wrote that my
brother William had been
killed! William had gotten
lost in the woods outside of
Geneva just before dark. My
family did not find him until
the next morning. William’s
neck had been broken.
My father wrote that
Elizabeth believed the murder
was her fault. She owned a
miniature of my mother. She
had let William wear it that
day. When they found
William’s body, the miniature
was gone from around his
neck. “He was murdered for
the miniature!” Elizabeth
cried.
Henry saw the despair on
my face. I let him read the let-
ter. “What kind of human
would murder an innocent
boy?” asked Henry.
I found a carriage that
would take me partway to
Geneva. “I must get home
quickly,” I thought. Every few
days I needed to change car-
riages. I couldn’t tell why, but
I grew more and more afraid
the closer I got to home. I
stopped taking carriages, and
traveled by foot.
When I reached Geneva
the gates had closed for the
night. A storm was coming,
but I decided to go where
William had been murdered.
Lightning flashed above the
mountains as I came to the
place.
I saw something standing
just ahead of me. It was the
creature! Suddenly, I knew:
He had murdered William!
I wanted to speak to him,
but I couldn’t make a sound. I
watched as he climbed up the
wet rocks of the mountain. “I
made the creature two years
ago, ” I thought. “What terri-
ble things has he done in that
time?”
When morning came, I
hurried to my father’s house.
I would tell everyone about
the creature. I would tell
them that he had murdered
William.
I stopped at the door.
Would they believe the crea-
ture was real? Or would they
think I was crazy?
I decided to say nothing.
“Our servant Justine is
William’s murderer!” Ernest
cried as I walked into the
house. “Elizabeth believes
Justine in innocent.”
“Justine was sick in bed
for a week after we found
William’s body,” Elizabeth
said. “Another servant went
through Justine’s pockets.
CTR A-94
She found the miniature and
showed it to the police. Now
they think Justine murdered
William!”
My father came into the
room. He didn’t look healthy.
“Her trial is in a few hours,”
my father said. “I have told
them Justine would never
have hurt William.”
“The miniature got into
her clothes some other way,” I
said. “Justine is innocent, and
the trial will show that.”
A few hours later, we went
to the trial. The servant who
had found the miniature in
Justine’s pocket told her story.
Then a villager said he had
seen Justine near where
William’s body was found.
Justine’s turn to speak
came. “I looked for William
many hours that night. After
the gates were locked, I went
into a barn and fell asleep.
The sound of strange footsteps
woke me. I couldn’t see any-
thing in the dark. When I
woke again, it was morning. I
don’t know how the miniature
got into my pocket.”
The people watching the
trial didn’t believe her. In
despair, I sat and listened. I
knew that the creature had
killed William. I knew he had
put the miniature into
Justine’s clothes to make her
look like the murderer.
The trial ended. Justine
was to be killed the next day
for murdering my brother.
William’s death was my fault,
and Justine’s death would be
too!
27
 CTR A-95

The Good Spirit

When the people saw him, they chased him away with rocks.

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first five paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Justine confesses because she
____a. murdered William.
____b. was too sick to know what she was confessing.
____c. is trying to hide who the real murderer is.
____d. believed those who said she wouldn’t go to heaven
without confessing.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 34 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out if Frankenstein finds the creature.
32

The Good Spirit
In prison, they told
Justine she was a monster.
“Your spirit will be shut from
heaven if you don’t confess to
murdering the boy,” they
said. Only after Justine con-
fessed did they let her see us.
“I’m the one who should
confess,” I thought.
“They will take me out to
hang soon,” said Justine.
“I’m not afraid of death.”
Many people came to
watch them hang her outside
the prison. I wondered if the
creature was watching too.
After Justine’s death, I knew
I should stay and comfort
my family. But I just wanted
to be alone. I left home to
travel through the mountains
for a week. One morning I
climbed to a glacier in the
mountains. I had to make
my way over waves of ice.
When I looked up, the crea-
ture was standing over me.
I saw despair on his face,
but my eyes couldn’t rest
there long. How could I have
made such an ugly creature?
“I will kill you!” I shouted.
“You gave me life, and
now you decide to take it
away,” said the creature. “I
think you have let your great
power go to your head.”
I jumped at him. He
stepped away lightly.
“Remember, you made me
stronger and faster than any
man,” he said. “I will leave
you alone if you help me.”
“I won’t help my enemy!”
I said. “You murdered my
brother!”
“You made me what I am
now,” he said. “In the begin-
ning, I was kind and loving.
You can make me good
again.”
The creature told me
about when he first woke in
my laboratory. He couldn’t
understand the things
around him. After I ran from
the apartment, he covered his
body with some of my clothes.
He tried to follow me. The
rain, the streetlights and the
loud city noises frightened
him. When he came to the
woods, he felt safer.
In those early winter
months, he learned to find
nuts and berries. He never
ate or killed animals.
One day he came to a vil-
lage. When the people saw
him, they chased him away
with rocks.
“I did not understand
why they wanted to hurt me,”
he said. “I decided to stay
away from people until I
learned why they thought I
was their enemy.”
The creature found a
shed next to a house in the
woods. He decided to hide
there. A sister and brother
lived in the house with their
white-haired father. The
young woman and man
worked in the garden every
day. They pulled plants out
of the cold ground to eat. The
father stayed inside.
“By watching how the
father moved, I learned that
he couldn’t see. I learned
many other things from my
little family.” The creature’s
voice grew soft as he stood
with me on the glacier. “I
learned that when water falls
from heaven, it’s called ‘rain.’
I learned the idea of love,
CTR A-95
when I saw how they cared
and comforted each other.
But I couldn’t understand
why they were unhappy.
They had a house, food and
clothing. They had each
other.
“Then I began to under-
stand that they were poor
and hungry. I felt terrible,
because I had been taking
some of their food at night.
“I stopped taking their
food. When they all went
away for the day, I would
come out of the shed to cut
wood. I shoveled when it
snowed. I left nuts and
plants at their door. They
talked about the Good Spirit
who was helping them. I was
never happier than when I
heard them call me that!
“My family sometimes
read from a pile of papers
that they called a ‘book.’ This
was important to me because
I had a book, too. It had
always been in my coat pock-
et. Months later, I learned
that my book was full of your
writing! But at this time, I
could hardly speak, let alone
read.
“That spring I saw my
face for the first time when I
looked into a puddle. I saw
how ugly I was. Only then
did I understand why the vil-
lagers had chased me away. I
looked like a monster! My
family had never seen me,
but they knew me better than
that. They knew I was a
Good Spirit.”
33
 CTR A-96

Without Hope

Just then Felix and the woman walked through the door.

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first two paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that the creature believes

____a. he doesn’t need any help learning to speak.
____b. something else is living in the shed.
____c. the father will see what is good inside the creature.
____d. Agatha and Felix will believe what their father tells
them to.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 40 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out what happens when the family sees the creature.

38

Without Hope
“I wanted to show myself
to the family,” said the crea-
ture. “The father was blind.
He would judge me by my
voice. Agatha and Felix, the
sister and brother, would be
harder to win over. They
would judge me by my face.
If I could learn to speak bet-
ter, I could show them who I
was inside.
“One day a lady named
Safie came to the house. She
and Felix were in love!
Because she didn’t speak the
same language as they did,
Felix said he would to teach
her. By listening from the
shed and watching through
the window, I learned too.
“Felix used a history book
to teach Safie to read. I
learned about the great
things humans had done and
the places they had explored.
I learned about war. I to Germany to find Felix. As
learned that humans were
always trying to build a bet-
ter gun to kill more humans.
I learned that those who had
power would often betray
those who were not as strong.
After learning their history I
couldn’t decide if humans
were beings from heaven or
demons.
“They talked about how
Safie had come to know
Felix. Felix’s family was
French and had great power
and money. Safie’s family
was from Turkey. Her father
was a merchant living in
Paris. The French govern-
ment threw Safie’s father
into prison. They tried to
make him confess to betray-
ing the country. At his trial,
the government judged that
the merchant must hang.
“Most people believed
that the merchant was inno-
cent. They thought that the
government just wanted his
money. Felix wanted to help
him escape. While Felix was
visiting him in prison, he met
Safie. She could not speak
French at this time, but the
two of them fell in love.
“Felix escaped with Safie
and the merchant. The gov-
ernment locked up Agatha
and his father. Felix came
back to stand trial with
them. The government took
everything the family owned.
They were told to leave the
country.
“The merchant did not
care about them. He tried to
take Safie back to Turkey.
She escaped. Safie traveled
his wife, she made them all
happy again.
“By winter, I could read
the notebook in my pocket. It
hurt to learn that I was just
an experiment in the eyes of
my creator! Now it was even
more important that my fam-
ily love me!
“I waited until the old
man was alone. I told him I
was travelling through, and
he let me come inside to
warm myself.
“’You speak French,’ he
said.
“’I learned the language
from friends,’ I said. ‘I need
their help now. But I’m
afraid they will believe
things about me that are not
true.’
CTR A-96
“The blind man smiled.
‘If they are true friends they
will help you. What are their
names?’
“I reached out to take his
hand and ask for his help.
Just then, Felix and the
women walked through the
door. When Agatha saw me
near her father, she shouted.
Felix hit and kicked me. The
pain was nothing. I could
have killed them with one
hand if I had wanted to. But
I was afraid to see the people
I loved angry with me. I ran
into the woods.
“I returned the next
morning. The house was
empty. I never saw my fami-
ly again.
“My creator was all that I
had left,” the creature said.
“I knew from your notebook
that you were from Geneva.
It took me months to cross
over the mountains.
“One day as I was hiding
in the woods, I saw a girl fall
into the river. As I carried
her out of the water, her
father ran up. He pulled the
crying girl from me and fired
his gun. The bullet went
deep into my bone. For
weeks I was in so much pain
that I couldn’t move from my
hiding place.
“The bullet still hurt, but
I grew healthy again. I had
to find you. I knew you had
turned away from me. I did-
n’t hope you would ever love
me. A war had started
between the humans and me.
Of all humans, you were my
greatest enemy.”
39
 CTR A-97

The Creature Confesses

She must look as horrible as I do..

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first four paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that the little boy in the woods is
____a. a friend of the girl who fell into the river.
____b. too young to have learned prejudice.
____c. Frankenstein’s brother.
____d. is not afraid of the creature.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 46 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out what the creature does when he reaches Geneva.

44

The Creature Confesses
“One evening, I saw a
child playing in the woods,”
said the creature. “As I
watched him, I thought how
he was too young to have
learned prejudice. I believed
I could teach him not to
judge me on how different I
look.
“But the child began to
scream when he saw me.
‘Stay away, Monster! You
can’t hurt me! I am a
Frankenstein!’
“’You are a Frankenstein!’
I said. ‘You may be from an
important family, but your
brother is my enemy! I will
get my revenge through you!’
“In a moment the child
was dead at my feet. I pulled
off the miniature he was
wearing around his neck.
Looking down, I saw that the
painting was of a beautiful
woman.
“Later that night, I heard
voices far away, calling the
boy’s name. I went into a
barn to hide. In the moon-
light, I saw a young woman
sleeping in the hay. I horrible things I had done.
thought how she would
scream if she woke to see me
standing over her. ‘A pretty
woman like you would never
smile at me,’ I whispered. ‘I
will be glad to let you pay for
the child’s murder.’ I put the
miniature into her pocket,
and hurried out of the barn.
“But the revenge of see-
ing her hanged didn’t make
me happy. I can never be
happy again after murdering
your brother.”
I shook with cold as the sky
darkened over the glacier.
“What do you want?” I
asked.
“Make a companion for
me. She must look as horri-
ble as I do. That way, she
won’t be prejudiced against
me. She will love me. We’ll
go far away where no human
can live.”
Listening to his words, I
felt sympathy for him. But
the next moment I felt sick
looking at his strange, ugly
body. “How do I know this
isn’t a trick?”
“I’ll have no reason for
revenge if I am loved,” said
the creature.
I supposed it wasn’t fair
that he be the only one of his
kind. The world would be
safer if he were loved. “I’ll
make you a companion,” I
said.
“I will be watching,” he
said.
Months passed. Elizabeth
and my father were very
kind to me. I didn’t want
their sympathy. They would
never have been so under-
standing if they knew the
Making the female would
be different from my first
creature. I had heard about
a scientist in England who
knew things that might help
me. I was wondering how to
learn more from him when
my father came to me.
“William has been dead
for months,” he said. “You
seem no happier after all
this time! I hoped for a mar-
riage between Elizabeth and
you. Maybe you love another
woman, and this is the rea-
son you are so sad.”
“I love Elizabeth. But
CTR A-97
this is a bad time!” I said.
Then I had an idea. I
thought of a way that I could
meet the scientist and get
the creature away from my
family.
I smiled brightly. “I have
always dreamed of visiting
England.” I talked happily
about the places I wanted to
see there. Soon he believed
that I should have a fun trip
to England before my mar-
riage.
Henry joined me on the
way. After a few weeks, we
reached England. Henry
was curious and excited to be
in a new country. Sometimes
he would be gone for days. I
used my time to find parts
for the female.
By winter, I had learned
all I could from the scientist.
Henry asked me to join him
on a trip to visit a friend.
His friend lived next to the
sea far away in an empty
part of the country.
I was sure that the crea-
ture followed us.
We reached the friend’s
home. I told Henry that I
wanted to go on traveling
alone for a few months. I
promised to meet him back
at his friend’s house.
I found an island nearby
where few people lived.
Making a living on the island
was so hard that no one
came by to see me. But as I
set up my laboratory, I knew
the creature was watching
my every move.
45
 CTR A-98

The Next Victim

He is guilty the fisherman shouted.

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first three paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Frankenstein

____a. is curious about how many creatures he can make.
____b. thinks that the companion is better than the creature.
____c. believes that the companion will want to stay away from humans.
____d. worries that the companion won’t do as the creature has promised.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 52 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out what the creature promises to Frankenstein.

50

The Next Victim
The female was almost fin-
ished. Soon I would give her to
the creature. Then I would
never have to worry about him
again.
But what if the female did-
n’t love him? What if she didn’t
want to live far away from
humans? Why should she go
along with what the creature
had promised before she was
born?
A worse thought came to
me. What if they had children?
Their kind could kill off the
humans. Was I so selfish that I
would destroy the world just to
make my own life safer? The
creature had done horrible
things, but I would be guilty of
worse if I gave him the female.
I looked up. The creature
was watching me through the
window!
In that moment, I decided I
must do the right thing. I
pulled the female into pieces.
The creature roared in pain.
After a long time, he came
inside. “You are too selfish to
care how I suffer,” he said quiet-
ly. “For three years I have been
cold, hungry, and tired. Now
you destroy my one hope for
happiness!”
“I’ll never make another
one of you,” I said.
“Then I’ll be with you on
your wedding night!” the crea-
ture said.
After he left, I couldn’t stop
worrying. He had promised to
be with me on my wedding
night. That could mean only
one thing. He would murder
me on my wedding night!
I couldn’t sleep for the next
few days. One morning, a
neighbor brought me a letter
from Henry. He wrote to ask
me to come as quickly as I
could.
I was tired and weak, but I
knew I must hide the female
before I left. I placed the pieces
inside a basket, weighed it
down with rocks, and tied it
closed. That night I sailed out
to sea, pushed out the basket,
and watched the water pull it
under.
I put my head down to rest
for a few moments. But when I
woke, it was afternoon. I was-
n’t sure how far the waves had
carried me. I sailed into a little
town. I felt so weak that I could
hardly stand. My dirty clothes
made me look like a poor man.
People began to whisper as they
watched me.
“Come see the magistrate,”
a fisherman said. “You can tell
him about the dead man I found
a few nights ago.”
“What are you talking
about?” I asked. But I knew I
must act carefully or they
would think I was guilty of
something.
The magistrate watched me
carefully as the fisherman
began to speak.
A few nights before, the fisher-
man had returned to land after
dark. As he was pulling in his
boat, he tripped over some-
thing. It was a dead man with
big bruises around his neck!
My skin turned cold.
William’s body had had big
bruises around his neck too.
“I saw a boat out on the
water,” the fisherman said to
me. “It was far away, but it
looked like your boat. You mur-
dered him, then sailed away!”
“Let’s see how he acts when
he sees the victim,” said the
magistrate.
CTR A-98
I fell to the floor when I saw
the body. Henry Clerval was
the murder victim! “Henry!” I
cried. “You are dead because of
me!”
“He is guilty!” the fisher-
man shouted.
They carried me to prison.
Sometimes I cried out that I
had murdered William or
Justine or Henry. I screamed
when I thought I felt the mon-
ster’s hands around my neck.
But mostly I don’t remember
what happened over the next
two months.
Over the following weeks, I
began to understand what was
going on around me. An old
woman sat next to my bed and
took care of me. One morning
she asked, “Are you better
now?”
“I wish I were dead,” I said
weakly.
“They will hang you soon
enough,” she said. “You should
suffer for killing your best
friend!”
The magistrate came. “We
found letters from your family
in your pockets, so I wrote to
them.”
“Have they been hurt?” I
cried.
“That’s a strange thing to
ask,” the magistrate said.
“Someone is here for you.”
The monster had come for
me! “Keep him away!” I
screamed.
“Keep him away?” asked
the magistrate. He opened the
door. My father walked into the
room.
51
 CTR A-99

A Life Destroyed

We looked for the creature all night.

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first four paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that

____a. the magistrate writes a letter from an island.
____b. Frankenstein was far away on the island when Henry was murdered.
____c. Henry’s body was found on the island.
____d. the magistrate still believed Henry’s death was Frankenstein’s fault.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 58 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out what happens when Frankenstein returns to Geneva.

56

A Life Destroyed
The magistrate was a fair
man. I told him about the let-
ter Henry had sent to me on
the island. My neighbor had
brought it to me on the same
day the body was found. The
magistrate said that showed
that I was too far away at the
time to have murdered Henry.
I was found innocent.
“Don’t worry about your
past sorrow,” my father said.
“Happiness waits for you at
home.”
“I doubt I’ll have much
happiness in my life,” I
thought. “I must protect my
loved ones from the creature.”
As we traveled home, I
would not talk with anyone we
met on the road.
“You act as if you hate peo-
ple!” my father said.
“Sometimes you even avoid
Elizabeth!”
“I am a threat to every
person around me!” I said.
“William, Justine, and Henry
are all dead because of me.”
“While you were in prison,
strange ideas troubled your
mind,” my father said.
“People thought you were
crazy! You are free now. Stop
acting so strangely!”
By the time we reached
Geneva, I was tired and weak.
I began to carry a gun to pro-
tect myself from the creature.
I knew my sorrow would not
end until he was dead. At
times, my mind tricked me
into thinking the creature was
about to attack me. Only
Elizabeth could calm me.
The creature had prom-
ised to kill me on my wedding
night. But then he had gone
ahead and murdered Henry.
Holding off my marriage
would not protect anyone.
Only my death--or his death--
would stop the murders.
“I have a secret that is a
great threat to our happi-
ness,” I said to Elizabeth.
“Once I tell you, you’ll know
why I avoid people. But you
must wait until after our wed-
ding to learn it.”
The day of our wedding
came. Our friends and family
wished us well. They thought
all our troubles were over!
After the wedding, Elizabeth
and I sailed across the lake to
an inn where we would stay a
few nights.
As night fell, I wondered if
the creature was hiding in the
dark woods outside the inn. A
sudden thought frightened
me. What if he attacked me in
front of Elizabeth? She might
be hurt!
Making my voice sound
calm, I told her I would be
right back. I went outside to
find the creature. Then I
heard Elizabeth scream. Only
then did I understand. When
the creature said he would be
with me on my wedding night,
he was threatening Elizabeth,
not me!
I ran to our room.
Elizabeth was dead! The crea-
ture had broken her neck.
Standing by the window, he
gave me a hateful smile. Then
he dropped down into the
night.
I pulled out my gun and
fired. The servants ran into
our room. I shouted for them
to come outside with me.
We looked for the creature
all night. By morning the ser-
vants began to whisper. They
doubted that I had seen any-
one jump from the window. I
was the only other person in
CTR A-99
the room when they found
Elizabeth dead. Did they sus-
pect that I had killed my own
wife?
I hurried home to make
sure that the creature had not
attacked my father and broth-
er. They were safe. But the
love of life left my father’s
eyes when I told him of
Elizabeth’s death. Within a
week he was dead too.
Sorrow played tricks on
my mind. I would see my
father or Elizabeth or Henry
as if they were still living. I
talked and laughed with them
until I stopped seeing the real
world.
Months passed. One day I
woke to see that I was locked
in a prison.
As I remembered all I had
suffered, I hated the creature
more and more. Revenge was
all I had left.
After a while, the people who
ran the prison thought that
my mind was healthy again.
They freed me. I went to a
magistrate in Geneva. I told
him about the creature. I
could see that he suspected
that I was crazy.
“I can’t help you,” the
magistrate said.
“Then I will find him
myself!”
57
 CTR A-100

The Long, Hard Chase

He is my last victim.

Preview 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first three paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that

____a. Frankenstein has escaped the creature.
____b. the creature followed Frankenstein and heard his threat.
____c. Frankenstein’s family has come to live in the cemetery.
____d. the spirits answered Frankenstein’s threat with an evil laugh.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 64 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out what the creature does for Frankenstein.

62

The Long, Hard Chase
That night, I went to the
cemetery. I felt the spirits of
my loved ones all around me.
I promised that I would make
the creature suffer for all he
had done.
An evil laugh answered
my words. I saw the creature
running from the cemetery. I
followed him for almost a
mile, but then lost him in the
dark. He waited for me to find
him again, then ran.
That is how my search
began. I would see him for
just long enough to know
which way I should go. I fol-
lowed him through far-away
countries. I was always cold
and hungry. Sometimes I was
so weak that I’d fall to the
ground. When I woke I would
find that some good spirit had
left me food and water. Then I
would be strong enough to
search again.
“I killed a rabbit for your
supper,” read a note from the
creature. “Hurry before the
wolves find it!”
The snow grew deeper the
farther north we traveled.
“We are going to the North
Pole,” another note read. “I
hope you like the cold as much
as I do!”
I bought some dogs and a
sled to carry me.
I went as far north as I
could by land. Some villagers
told me about a monster. He
had taken their food, sled, and
dogs. Then he had driven onto
the ice that had frozen over
the sea. I followed him onto
the sea.
Weeks passed. Then, I
saw the creature a mile or so
ahead of me! I raced after
him. Suddenly the ice shook
under my feet! The block of
ice I was standing on broke off
into the sea. I lost sight of
him as the water carried me
away!
Days later, I saw a ship. I
couldn’t believe any ship
would sail this far north!
***
The frozen sea held Robert
Walton’s ship between moun-
tains of ice. Walton heard
whispers of mutiny. His men
wanted to go home.
Inside his cabin, he watched
over Frankenstein.
“Someday, you may meet
the creature,” Frankenstein
said. “He’ll blame me for the
evil things he has done. Don’t
listen to him! Just kill him!”
A sailor knocked on the
door. “The men asked me to
speak with you,” the sailor
said to Walton. “If the ice
doesn’t destroy our ship, we
may be able to get out safely.
If we do, we want to sail back
home.”
“Are you threatening him
with mutiny?” Frankenstein
asked the sailor. “You came on
this ship because you are
brave and curious men! Your
hearts are stronger than the
ice out there!”
Walton knew that it would
be his fault if they were all
killed. “I’ll do as you wish,”
Walton told the sailor.
Two days later the ice
broke away from the ship.
They began sailing home.
The ship doctor said
Frankenstein didn’t have long
to live. “I regret that I didn’t
try to help the creature,”
Frankenstein whispered.
“But he has shown himself to
be evil and selfish. He must
be killed.” Then he smiled.
CTR A-100
“My loved ones have come for
me.”
In a moment, he was dead.
That night, Walton heard
a voice inside his cabin. He
saw the creature standing
over his friend’s body! Walton
turned away from the ugly
face. He wondered what his
duty was to Frankenstein.
Should he kill the monster?
“He is my last victim,”
cried the creature. “I am noth-
ing without him!”
Walton couldn’t look into
the creature’s strange face.
“Your regret comes too late.”
“When he made me, he
made a heart that needed love
and sympathy,” said the crea-
ture. “But he only gave me
pain! He did not suffer as
much as I did. Frankenstein
did not have to hear Clerval’s
cries as I murdered him. He
did not have to feel Elizabeth’s
neck break in my hand!”
“If Frankenstein were still
living, you would be trying to
kill him right now,” Walton
said.
“You humans always
blamed me for being differ-
ent,” said the creature. “Your
hearts could not see past my
face. I was alone in life, and I
will be alone in death.”
The creature jumped from
the window. In a moment,
Walton lost sight of him in the
dark water.
63