SeoJae Story
Frankenstein: Into the Ice by Mary Shelley (1797–1851)
Novel excerptB2

Frankenstein: Into the Ice

프랑켄슈타인: 얼음 속으로

Mary Shelley (1797–1851)

Part 21 of 21 · Frankenstein
3 min read

The Story

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Before I left Geneva, I went at night to the graves of William, Elizabeth and my father.I knelt on the grass and swore that I would follow the monster until he or I was destroyed.Out of the darkness came a loud, evil laugh, and a voice whispered, “I am satisfied, miserable wretch; you have decided to live.”

For months I followed him down the Rhone, across the Mediterranean Sea, and into the wild lands of Tartary and Russia.Sometimes the monster left messages carved on trees or stones: “Follow me; I am going to the everlasting ice of the north.”He even left food for me, such as a dead rabbit, so that I would stay alive and continue to suffer.

In the frozen north, I bought a sledge and dogs, and raced across the snow after him.One morning I saw his huge shape on a sledge far ahead, and my heart jumped with hope.But then the ice cracked with a sound like thunder, and I was left floating on a small piece of ice in the open sea.

Here Victor’s story ends, and the rest is told in the letters of Robert Walton, the captain whose ship found him on the ice.Walton wrote to his sister that Victor grew weaker every day, and that before he died, he asked Walton to destroy the monster if it ever appeared.Victor died quietly in his bed on the ship, and that same night Walton heard a strange voice in the cabin.

Standing over Victor’s body was the creature, huge and ugly, weeping like a child.“He is dead, the man who made me,” the creature said, “and I, too, am tired of this miserable life.”“I was the slave of my anger, not its master; but no one can hate me more than I hate myself.”

“I will go to the farthest north, build a great fire, and end my life in its flames, so that no one will ever make another creature like me.”Then he jumped from the cabin window onto a raft of ice that lay close to the ship.He was soon carried away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance.

Full translationTry the story first — open this only to check your understanding.

제네바를 떠나기 전, 나는 밤에 윌리엄과 엘리자베스와 아버지의 무덤을 찾아갔어요. 나는 풀밭에 무릎을 꿇고, 괴물이든 나든 하나가 죽을 때까지 괴물을 쫓겠다고 맹세했어요. 어둠 속에서 크고 사악한 웃음소리가 울리더니, 누군가 속삭였어요. "만족스럽소, 비참한 자여. 당신은 살기로 결심했소."

몇 달 동안 나는 론강을 따라 내려가 지중해를 건너, 타타르와 러시아의 황량한 땅까지 괴물을 쫓아갔어요. 괴물은 가끔 나무나 돌에 글을 새겨 남겼어요. "나를 따라오시오. 나는 북쪽의 영원한 얼음으로 가고 있소." 심지어 죽은 토끼 같은 먹을거리를 남겨 두기도 했어요. 내가 살아남아 계속 고통받게 하려는 것이었어요.

얼어붙은 북쪽 땅에서 나는 썰매와 개들을 사서 눈 위를 달려 괴물을 쫓았어요. 어느 날 아침, 저 멀리 앞에서 썰매를 탄 거대한 형체가 보였고, 내 가슴은 희망으로 뛰었어요. 하지만 그때 천둥 같은 소리를 내며 얼음이 갈라졌고, 나는 넓은 바다 위 작은 얼음 조각에 떠 있게 되었어요.

빅터의 이야기는 여기서 끝나고, 나머지는 얼음 위의 빅터를 발견한 배의 선장 로버트 월턴의 편지에 담겨 있어요. 월턴은 누이에게 보내는 편지에, 빅터가 날마다 약해졌고 숨을 거두기 전 괴물이 나타나면 없애 달라고 부탁했다고 썼어요. 빅터는 배 안의 침대에서 조용히 숨을 거두었고, 바로 그날 밤 월턴은 선실에서 이상한 목소리를 들었어요.

빅터의 시신 앞에 거대하고 흉측한 피조물이 서서 아이처럼 울고 있었어요. "나를 만든 사람이 죽었소." 피조물이 말했어요. "나 역시 이 비참한 삶에 지쳤소." "나는 분노의 주인이 아니라 노예였소. 하지만 그 누구도 나 자신만큼 나를 미워할 수는 없을 것이오."

"나는 가장 먼 북쪽으로 가서 커다란 불을 피우고 그 불길 속에서 삶을 끝내겠소. 그러면 다시는 아무도 나 같은 존재를 만들지 못할 것이오." 그러고는 선실 창문에서 배 가까이 떠 있던 얼음 뗏목 위로 뛰어내렸어요. 피조물은 곧 파도에 실려 멀어지더니, 어둠 속으로 아득히 사라졌어요.

Original text

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Chapter 24 · 8,237 words · 18 short readings

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Comprehension Check

1. Where did the creature lead Victor?

2. Who tells the very end of the story?

3. What did the creature say he would do at the end?

Vocabulary

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verb

kneel

무릎을 꿇다

The children knelt on the floor to pray.

아이들은 기도하려고 바닥에 무릎을 꿇었어요.

Your Summary

In 1–2 sentences, explain how Victor's chase ended, and what the creature said he would do at the very end of the story.

Source: Adapted from Chapter 24 of Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" (first published 1818; long in the public domain, Project Gutenberg #84). This simplified retelling and its Korean translation are original text written for SeoJae Story.

In this book

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Frankenstein · 0 of 21 read

That's every part we have so far. More chapters are on the way.

  1. Frankenstein프랑켄슈타인 · B2 · 3 min read
  2. The Creature Wakes깨어난 피조물 · B2 · 4 min read
  3. A Letter from Home고향에서 온 편지 · B2 · 3 min read
  4. The Storm폭풍우 치는 밤 · B2 · 3 min read
  5. Justine's Trial쥐스틴의 재판 · B2 · 3 min read
  6. The Valley of Chamounix샤모니 계곡 · B2 · 3 min read
  7. The Sea of Ice얼음 바다 · B2 · 3 min read
  8. The Creature's First Days피조물의 첫 나날 · B2 · 4 min read
  9. The Cottagers오두막의 가족 · B2 · 4 min read
  10. Safie Arrives사피의 도착 · B2 · 3 min read
  11. The De Laceys' Story드레이시 가족의 사연 · B2 · 3 min read
  12. The Blind Old Man눈먼 노인 · B2 · 4 min read
  13. Revenge복수 · B2 · 4 min read
  14. The Promise약속 · B2 · 3 min read
  15. The Journey to England영국으로 가는 길 · B2 · 3 min read
  16. The Lonely Island외딴섬 · B2 · 3 min read
  17. The Broken Promise깨진 약속 · B2 · 3 min read
  18. The Prisoner갇힌 몸 · B2 · 3 min read
  19. The Wedding결혼식 · B2 · 3 min read
  20. The Wedding Night결혼식 날 밤 · B2 · 3 min read
  21. Into the Ice얼음 속으로 · B2 · 3 min readPart 21

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