Student Question
In Frankenstein, how does Elizabeth come to live with Frankenstein?
Quick answer:
In Frankenstein, Elizabeth comes to live with the Frankenstein family when Victor's mother persuades her guardians to relinquish her, seeing it as a way to provide Elizabeth with a better life. Initially, in the 1818 version, Elizabeth is Victor’s cousin, but in the 1831 revision, she is presented as an orphan adopted by the family.
In Chapter 1 of Frankenstein, Victor writes:
So, Elizabeth was adopted by Victor...When my father returned from Milan, he found playing with me in the hall of our villa a child fairer than pictured cherub--a creature who seemed to shed radiance from her looks, and whose form and motions were lighter than the chamois of the hills. The apparition was soon explained. With his permission my mother prevailed on her rustic guardians to yield their charge to her. They were fond of the sweet orphan. Her presence had seemed a blessing to them; but it would be unfair to her to keep her in poverty and want, when Providence afforded her such powerful protection. They consulted their village priest, and the result was that Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents' house--my more than sister the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures.
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
In the original 1818 version of the novel, Elizabeth Lavenza is actually the niece of Victor's father, making her Victor's first cousin. In this version, Mr. Frankenstein's sister marries an Italian man and moves far away with him, but she dies not long after she gives birth to Elizabeth. After a few years, Elizabeth's father decides to get married again, and he writes a letter to Victor's father asking him if he would rather care for his sister's daughter or have her be raised by a stepmother. Victor's father responds with alacrity, saying that he will certainly take the little girl, and she is sent to live with the Frankenstein family in Geneva, Switzerland. Victor's mother looks on Elizabeth both as an adopted daughter and as her future daughter-in-law, as she intends from their childhood to encourage their future marriage.
Through the Frankenstein family, Shelley seeks to portray an idyllic, Romantic family (she does the same through the DeLaceys later in the novel). Romanticism focuses on the natural goodness of human nature, and the reader should see the goodness of Alphonse and Caroline Frankenstein from the beginning of Victor's narrative. For example, Alphonse marries Caroline when her father dies and leaves her hopeless. Likewise, Caroline, who tirelessly cared for her sick and humiliated father, desires to help others, especially the less fortunate.
When the Frankensteins spend time in Italy, Caroline meets a poor family who have taken in Elizabeth. She is the daughter of a Milanese nobleman who was imprisoned. Caroline asks the family if she may adopt Elizabeth, and they agree. Victor's mother's desire to raise Elizabeth in a more cultured setting matches Shelley's earlier characterization of the Frankenstein family. The author also employs foreshadowing in her introduction of Elizabeth's character by hinting frequently of the later connection between Elizabeth and Victor.