Storytime for Grownups with Faith Moore

Episode: Frankenstein, Chapters 19–20
Date: October 16, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Faith Moore reads and annotates Chapters 19 and 20 of Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein." She sets the stage by recapping Victor’s moral dilemma: should he grant the creature’s request to create a mate? Through listener letters and her own commentary, Faith unpacks the complex ethical, philosophical, and personal questions raised by this pivotal section of the novel, then guides listeners through Victor’s fateful journey and decision in these chapters.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Recap and Community Reflections

• Victor’s Dilemma: Victor is torn over whether to create a female companion for the creature, who promises to vanish from humanity if his request is granted.
• Listener Letters:
  • Kate Copeland writes: “I’m torn between the two choices Frankenstein had to make... both will most likely end in tragedy.” [08:45]
  • Ellen notes the creature’s language has shifted, referring to Victor as his creator/God, intensifying the religious parallels in the book. [09:30]
• Faith’s Analysis:
  • There’s general agreement that creating life in a lab is wrong, but now that the creature exists, people feel differently about offering him companionship.
  • Two core questions:
    1. Should we play God and create sentient beings artificially?
    2. What responsibility do we have to those beings once created?

Thematic Deep Dive

• Playing God & Consequences:

  • Faith draws analogies to modern technology (AI, genetic modification): “Just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should. Because once you do, all kinds of other thorny issues present themselves. It’s kind of like Pandora’s box, right?” [14:00]
  • The minute the creature is created, the moral focus shifts: “Once it is clear that this creature is what it is, it becomes wrong to end it, even though it was also wrong to create it.” [16:10]

• Humanity and Isolation:

  • The creature’s plea: “What I ask of you is reasonable and moderate. I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself... The gratification is small, but it is all that I can receive, and it shall content me.” [19:00]
  • Faith empathizes: “Could you live hated by the entire human race? ...if the creature is a being who is essentially like you and me, then he needs the same kind of human connection that we need.” [20:10]

• Victor’s Remorse and Self-awareness:

  • Victor recognizes (partly) his duty: “Did I not, as his maker, owe him all the portion of happiness that it was in my power to bestow?” [22:15]

• Religious Parallels:

  • The creature calls Victor his God and refers to his request as a ‘prayer’. This emphasizes the unnaturalness of the relationship and the consequences for crossing natural boundaries. [23:10]

• Dual Weddings and Motives:

  • Faith observes the mirrored journey: both Victor and the creature are seeking mates, although for very different reasons and with very different implications.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On moral complexity:
  • Faith: “The answer to ‘should we create beings in a lab’ is no. But the answer to ‘do we have a responsibility to the beings we have created’ is yes. And how do we connect those two ideas?” [18:20]
• On isolation:
  • Creature (quoted): “I am malicious because I am miserable.” [20:45]
• On Victor's self-reflection:
  • Victor (quoted): “I was formed for peaceful happiness... but I am a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul.” [Chapter 19, 27:45]
• On the danger of creating another creature:
  • Victor (quoted): “She might become 10,000 times more malignant than her mate... Even if they were to leave Europe, yet one of the first results…would be children. And a race of devils would be propagated upon the earth…” [Chapter 20, ~49:30]
• On Victor's final break with the creature:
  • Victor: “I do break my promise... Never will I create another like yourself, equal in deformity and wickedness.” [Chapter 20, ~51:00]
  • Creature: “I shall be with you on your wedding night.” [Chapter 20, ~53:45]

Chapter 19 Summary (29:30–44:35)

• Victor and Clerval in England and Scotland: They travel through England for Victor’s “research,” though he’s morbid and detached. Clerval, by contrast, is charmed and excited by their surroundings.
• Victor’s Isolation and Despair: He is consumed by dread and guilt for the deaths he feels responsible for.
• Journey North: They accept an invitation to Scotland, where Victor plans to work in secrecy.
• Establishment on the Orkneys: Victor finds a remote hut and immerses himself in the grisly task of creating the female creature, oscillating between work, misery, and horror at what he’s doing.

Chapter 20 Summary (44:35–end)

• Victor’s Crisis of Conscience:
  • As Victor nears completion, he is seized by anxiety. He imagines scenarios where the new creature could be even more dangerous—a potential new race of monsters. [46:40]
• Destruction of the Female Creature:
  • Upon seeing the original creature watching him, Victor tears his work to pieces. The creature is anguished and vows revenge: “I shall be with you on your wedding night.” [53:45]
• Aftermath:
  • Victor is wracked with fear for his loved ones, especially Elizabeth.
  • He disposes of the remains at sea, risking his life in a harrowing escape back to land.
• Victor’s Arrest:
  • Upon landing, the locals are suspicious; he’s led to a magistrate and accused of murder, foreshadowing new horrors to come.

Important Timestamps

• Community Responses & Faith’s Thematic Analysis: 07:30–24:00
• Parallels between Victor and the creature: 24:30–25:45
• Start of Chapter 19 Reading: 29:30
• Victor’s Life in the Orkneys: 41:20
• Start of Chapter 20 Reading: 44:35
• Victor’s Decision to Destroy His Work: 50:10
• The Creature’s Threat: 53:45
• Victor Disposes of the Remains: 58:00
• Landing & Arrest in Ireland: 1:00:10

Tone & Language

• Faith maintains a warm, thoughtful, and engaging tone, mixing literary analysis with empathetic commentary. Listener letters are handled with care and enthusiasm, making frequent connections between the novel’s ethical questions and modern issues. The chapter readings are dramatic and annotated with clarifications and contextual notes for accessibility.

Conclusion

This episode showcases the emotional and moral climax of "Frankenstein," blending attentive readings with stimulating commentary and community participation. Through close analysis, memorable listener questions, and incisive reflection, Faith Moore illuminates the heart of Shelley’s novel—the tragedy of creators, creations, and the consequences of crossing natural boundaries.

Memorable Quote to End:

• Faith: “It all does come back around to whether or not we should play God... nothing Victor touches goes right. Because he isn’t God. He’s a man, and men should not play God.” [24:15]