← Frankenstein

Character Development

In a good story, characters change. The creature is the best example. Step 1 – Read the text. Step 2 – Build your own diagram: first match every point to its stage, then to its feeling. Step 3 – Reflect on what the diagram shows. Step 4 – Write your answer to the big question.

From innocent to dangerous

When the creature first opens its eyes, it is like a new-born child: innocent and confused. It is curious about the world and, while it watches the De Lacey family, it even becomes gentle and hopeful. But every time it shows itself, people scream and run away. The pain of being rejected again and again slowly turns its sadness into anger and then into hate. After it kills Elizabeth, the creature feels powerful but empty. In the end, next to the dead Victor, it is full of regret.

Build your own diagram

You can do this! We will build the diagram together, step by step. Right now the 8 points below sit flat, all in a row, on the timeline – there is no curve yet. As you work through the two steps, your diagram will slowly grow into the full picture, point by point.

  1. First: get the timeline in the right order. Drag the correct stage (blue) to each point – point 1 is already done for you as an example – and click Check.
  2. Then: talk about the feelings. Once every stage is correct, the feeling cards (red) appear. Every time you match one correctly, that point rises up to its true place on the curve, right in front of your eyes.
Tip: What happens at each point?

Forgotten the order? Here is a quick reminder of the story, from point 1 to point 8:

  1. The creature wakes up and opens its eyes for the very first time.
  2. Victor is horrified by his creation and runs away, leaving it completely alone.
  3. The creature secretly watches a family living in a cottage in the woods.
  4. The family finally sees the creature and reacts with fear and violence.
  5. The creature kills Victor's little brother in the woods.
  6. The creature asks Victor for one thing: a companion like itself.
  7. The creature kills Victor's new wife on their wedding night.
  8. The story ends near the North Pole, with the creature grieving beside Victor's body.
Correct: 0 / 0

Follow-up: what does the diagram show?

Look at your finished diagram above. In 4–5 sentences, describe how the creature's character develops over the story: Is the change gradual or sudden? Where is the biggest turning point? Does it change back and forth, or only in one direction?

Need help? – sentence starters and words

Not sure how to describe the pattern in words? Use these sentence starters and words to help you.

Sentence starters:

  • "At the beginning, the creature is …"
  • "The biggest turning point is when …, because …"
  • "After that, the creature becomes more and more …"
  • "The change happens gradually / suddenly, because …"
  • "By the end, the creature feels …"

Useful words: gradually, suddenly, step by step, turning point, get worse / get better, a downward spiral, never recovers, up and down, one-way change.

Your turn (writing)

Look at the curve. Is the creature born evil, or is it made evil? Write 4–6 sentences and use examples from the story.

Ideas you could use

At the beginning the creature is kind and only wants a friend. It is not born evil. People treat it badly because of its face, and this rejection changes it. So you can say the creature is made evil by the way everyone behaves towards it.

Grammar review: Keyword transformation

One last grammar recap before the big quiz. Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first, using the given keyword.

Tip: Keyword transformation

Rewrite the sentence so it keeps the same meaning and uses the given keyword unchanged. Use between two and six extra words – no more, no less.

Still unsure? Go back to Keyword Transformation in our Klasse 9 folder and practise more of these.