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The retelling of stories has been used from generation to generation as a way to share life changing lessons. Flashbacks provide a bridge to past or future events forward to the present without ruining the chronological order of a story. Exercising flashbacks in novels helps aid reader in connecting important situations. The use of flashbacks in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley recounts events, enhances the understanding of the novel, and parallels characteristics. Initially Walton, the biased raconteur, is introduced and tells the story of Frankenstein to his sister. Through Walton ,Victor Frankenstein become real and tells Walton "...I imagine that you may deduce an apt moral from my tale, one that may direct you if you succeed in your undertaking and console you in case of failure. Prepare to hear occurrences which are usually deemed marvelous"(28) beginning the story of Frankenstein. Victor's quote serves as reminder that story is taking place in the past but that lessons are eternal. Victor hopes that Walton finds a lesson when retelling his journey of knowledge that will assist him on his voyage. The retelling of Walton as the first character is crucial because as flashback go into flashbacks the environment becomes sinister. Victor's recounts his feeling of the monster as "breathless horror" as well as having "disgust" and "Unable to endure to the aspect of the being" he had created(56). We know the feeling of Victor through Walton's account of him and what Victor had underwent when his creation came alive. Victor feeling towards the monster are strong with disgust and this is what drives the monster to take revenge over him. The monster's ugly aspect truly makes him the monster that he was never meant to be. Not ... ... middle of paper ... ...improve their understanding of everything. Walton through his journey of connecting the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean, the monster in search of his reason for creation and finally Victor's hunt, that ultimately leads to the creation of the monster. Each of their reason to achieve better understanding or to discover leads to a paradoxical lost toward themselves. The use of flashbacks in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley recounts events, enhances the understanding of the novel, and parallels characteristics. Shelley recounts the novel in flashbacks to denote better understanding of characters and examines the search for knowledge. In doing so she raises many questions like, is the search for knowledge a journey worth going through? Will knowledge bring death? This mysterious thirst for knowledge feeds the monster inside of every human being.

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