SeoJae Story
Frankenstein: The Blind Old Man by Mary Shelley (1797–1851)
Novel excerptB2

Frankenstein: The Blind Old Man

프랑켄슈타인: 눈먼 노인

Mary Shelley (1797–1851)

Part 12 of 21 · Frankenstein
4 min read

The Story

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One night in August, in the woods, I found a leather bag holding some clothes and three books.One of them was Paradise Lost, the story of Adam, the first man, and I read it as if it were true history.Like Adam, I was not connected to any other being in the world; but Adam had been made perfect, happy and loved by his Creator, and I was ugly, helpless and alone.

In the pocket of the coat I had taken from your laboratory, I also found your journal, which described every step of my creation.I felt sick as I read it. “Cursed creator!” I cried. “Why did you make a monster so hideous that even you turned away from me in disgust?”Yet when I thought of the cottagers’ kindness, I hoped that they might look past my ugly body and pity me.

I decided to enter the cottage when the blind old man was alone, for my voice, though harsh, had nothing terrible in it.If I could win his friendship first, perhaps he would help his children accept me.One sunny winter day, Safie, Agatha and Felix went out for a long walk, and the old man stayed at home, playing sad, sweet music on his guitar.

My heart beat fast; I removed the boards from my hiding place and knocked at the door.“Come in,” said the old man, and I told him I was a tired traveller who only wanted to rest by the fire for a few minutes.“I have no friends or family in the world,” I said, “but I am going to some good people whom I love, though they have never seen me.”

“I am afraid that when they see me, they will see only a monster, not a friend.”“Do not despair,” said the old man kindly. “I am blind and cannot see your face, but something in your words tells me you are honest.”It was the first time anyone had spoken to me with kindness, and I sank into a chair and wept aloud.

Just then I heard footsteps outside, so I seized the old man’s hand and cried, “You and your family are the friends I am looking for — do not leave me now!”The door opened, and Felix, Safie and Agatha came in; Agatha fainted, and Safie ran out of the cottage.Felix tore me away from his father and struck me again and again with a stick; I could have torn him apart, but my heart sank, and I fled back to my shed.

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

8월의 어느 밤, 숲에서 나는 옷 몇 벌과 책 세 권이 든 가죽 가방을 발견했어요. 그중 한 권은 최초의 인간 아담의 이야기인 실낙원이었어요. 나는 그 책을 실제 역사처럼 읽었어요. 아담처럼 나도 세상의 어떤 존재와도 이어져 있지 않았어요. 하지만 아담은 완벽하고 행복하게 창조되어 창조주의 사랑을 받았고, 나는 흉하고 무력하고 외로웠어요.

당신의 실험실에서 가져온 외투 주머니에서 나는 당신의 일지도 발견했어요. 거기에는 나를 만든 과정이 하나하나 적혀 있었어요. 나는 그것을 읽으며 속이 메스꺼웠어요. "저주받을 창조주여!" 나는 외쳤어요. "어째서 당신조차 역겨워 고개를 돌릴 만큼 끔찍한 괴물을 만들었단 말이오?" 그래도 오두막 가족의 다정함을 떠올리면, 가족이 흉한 내 몸 너머를 보고 나를 가엾게 여겨 줄지도 모른다는 희망이 생겼어요.

나는 앞을 보지 못하는 노인이 혼자 있을 때 오두막에 들어가기로 했어요. 내 목소리는 거칠긴 해도 무서운 데는 없었으니까요. 먼저 노인의 우정을 얻을 수 있다면, 노인이 자녀들도 나를 받아들이도록 도와줄지도 몰랐어요. 어느 화창한 겨울날, 사피와 아가사, 펠릭스는 멀리 산책을 나갔고 노인은 집에 남아 기타로 슬프고 아름다운 음악을 연주했어요.

심장이 빠르게 뛰었어요. 나는 은신처를 가린 판자를 치우고 문을 두드렸어요. "들어오시오." 노인이 말했어요. 나는 지친 나그네인데 몇 분만 불가에서 쉬어 가고 싶다고 말했어요. "저는 세상에 친구도 가족도 없습니다." 내가 말했어요. "하지만 제가 사랑하는 착한 분들을 찾아가는 길입니다. 그분들은 저를 한 번도 본 적이 없지만요."

"그분들이 저를 보면 친구가 아니라 괴물만 보게 될까 봐 두렵습니다." "절망하지 마시오." 노인이 다정하게 말했어요. "나는 앞을 보지 못해 당신 얼굴을 볼 수 없지만, 당신 말을 들으니 정직한 사람이라는 걸 알겠소." 누군가 나에게 다정하게 말을 건넨 것은 그때가 처음이었어요. 나는 의자에 주저앉아 소리 내어 울었어요.

바로 그때 밖에서 발소리가 들렸어요. 나는 노인의 손을 붙잡고 외쳤어요. "어르신과 가족분들이 바로 제가 찾던 친구들입니다. 지금 저를 버리지 마세요!" 문이 열리고 펠릭스와 사피, 아가사가 들어왔어요. 아가사는 기절했고, 사피는 오두막 밖으로 뛰쳐나갔어요. 펠릭스는 나를 아버지에게서 떼어 내고 막대기로 거듭 내리쳤어요. 나는 펠릭스를 갈기갈기 찢어 버릴 수도 있었지만, 가슴이 내려앉아 그저 헛간으로 달아났어요.

Original text

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Chapter 15 · 3,011 words · 7 short readings

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Comprehension Check

1. What did the creature find in the pocket of the coat from Victor's laboratory?

2. Why did the creature choose to visit when the old man was alone?

3. What did the creature do when Felix struck him?

Vocabulary

1 / 5Tap to flip

noun

journal

일지, 일기

She writes in her journal every night.

그녀는 매일 밤 일기를 써요.

Your Summary

In 1–2 sentences, describe the creature's plan for meeting the family, and what went wrong.

Source: Adapted from Chapter 15 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.

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Frankenstein · 0 of 21 read

Up next · Part 13 of 21

Revenge

복수 · 4 min read

Read the next part
  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 readPart 12
  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 read

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