Novel excerptB2

Frankenstein: The Creature Wakes

프랑켄슈타인: 깨어난 피조물

Mary Shelley (1797–1851)

4 min read

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It was on a dreary night in November, at one in the morning, that I finally saw the result of all my work.The rain beat against the window and my candle had nearly burned out, when by its dim light I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open.It breathed hard, and a sudden shudder ran through its arms and legs.

I had chosen his features to be beautiful. Beautiful! His yellow skin hardly covered the muscles beneath, and his watery eyes and thin black lips made his flowing black hair and white teeth look even more horrible.For nearly two years I had given up rest and health for this one goal, but now that it was finished, the beauty of the dream vanished and horror and disgust filled my heart.

Unable to bear the sight of what I had made, I rushed out of the room and at last threw myself on my bed, still in my clothes.I woke in terror from wild dreams, and by the yellow light of the moon I saw the creature standing there, holding up the curtain of my bed, his eyes fixed on me.He opened his mouth and made some sounds I could not understand, and a grin wrinkled his cheeks; one hand reached out as if to stop me, but I escaped and ran downstairs.

I spent the rest of the night walking up and down the courtyard, trembling at every sound.When a wet, gray morning came, I hurried through the streets of Ingolstadt in the rain, not daring to look behind me.At an inn, a coach from Switzerland stopped right in front of me, and out jumped my oldest friend, Henry Clerval. “My dear Frankenstein,” he cried, “how glad I am to see you!”

Seeing him brought back my father, Elizabeth and all the dear scenes of home, and for the first time in many months I felt calm and happy.But as we reached my rooms, I was suddenly afraid the creature might still be inside, so I left Henry at the bottom of the stairs and threw the door open like a child expecting a ghost.The room was empty — my terrible guest was gone — and I clapped my hands for joy.

Yet my joy was wild and strange: I jumped over chairs and laughed so loudly that Henry grew frightened. “Victor, what is the matter?” he cried.“Do not ask me!” I cried, imagining the monster was seizing me. “Save me!” Then I fell to the floor and knew nothing more.A nervous fever kept me in bed for several months, and all that time Henry was my only nurse, hiding how ill I was so my family would not worry.

Very slowly I recovered, and one day I noticed fresh green buds on the trees outside my window: spring had come.“Dearest Clerval,” I said, “you have spent the whole winter in my sick room. How shall I ever repay you?”“Get well as fast as you can,” he answered, “and write a letter to your father and cousin — they have not heard from you for so long.”

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

11월의 어느 음울한 밤, 새벽 한 시에 나는 마침내 그 모든 노력의 결과를 보게 되었어요. 빗줄기가 창문을 두드리고 촛불은 거의 다 타 버린 때였어요. 그 희미한 불빛 속에서 나는 피조물의 흐릿한 노란 눈이 떠지는 것을 보았어요. 피조물은 거칠게 숨을 쉬었고, 팔다리에 갑작스러운 떨림이 지나갔어요.

나는 피조물의 생김새를 아름답게 만들려고 골랐어요. 아름답다니! 누런 피부는 그 아래 근육을 겨우 덮고 있었고, 흐릿하게 젖은 눈과 얇고 검은 입술 때문에 흘러내리는 검은 머리카락과 하얀 이가 오히려 더 끔찍해 보였어요. 거의 2년 동안 나는 오직 이 목표 하나를 위해 휴식도 건강도 포기했어요. 하지만 일이 끝나자 꿈의 아름다움은 사라지고, 공포와 혐오감이 내 마음을 가득 채웠어요.

내가 만든 것을 차마 볼 수가 없어서 나는 방에서 뛰쳐나왔고, 결국 옷도 벗지 않은 채 침대에 몸을 던졌어요. 나는 어지러운 꿈에 시달리다 공포에 질려 깨어났어요. 그리고 노란 달빛 속에서, 피조물이 내 침대 커튼을 들어 올린 채 나를 뚫어지게 바라보며 서 있는 것을 보았어요. 피조물은 입을 벌려 알아들을 수 없는 소리를 냈고, 씩 웃는 바람에 뺨에 주름이 잡혔어요. 한 손이 나를 붙잡으려는 듯 뻗어 왔지만, 나는 빠져나와 아래층으로 달아났어요.

나는 남은 밤 내내 안뜰을 이리저리 걸으며 작은 소리 하나에도 벌벌 떨었어요. 축축하고 잿빛인 아침이 오자, 나는 뒤돌아볼 엄두도 내지 못한 채 빗속에서 잉골슈타트의 거리를 서둘러 걸었어요. 한 여관 앞에서 스위스에서 온 마차가 바로 내 앞에 멈춰 섰고, 가장 오랜 친구인 헨리 클레르발이 뛰어내렸어요. "프랑켄슈타인!" 클레르발이 외쳤어요. "자네를 보니 정말 반갑네!"

클레르발을 보자 아버지와 엘리자베스, 그리고 그리운 고향의 모든 풍경이 떠올랐고, 나는 몇 달 만에 처음으로 마음이 차분하고 행복해졌어요. 하지만 내 방에 다다르자, 피조물이 아직 안에 있을지도 모른다는 생각에 갑자기 겁이 났어요. 그래서 헨리를 계단 아래에 남겨 두고, 유령이 있을 거라 믿는 아이처럼 문을 확 열어젖혔어요. 방은 비어 있었어요. 그 끔찍한 손님은 사라지고 없었고, 나는 기뻐서 손뼉을 쳤어요.

그런데 그 기쁨은 거칠고 이상했어요. 나는 의자를 뛰어넘고 너무 크게 웃어서 헨리가 겁을 먹을 정도였어요. "빅터, 대체 무슨 일인가?" 헨리가 외쳤어요. "묻지 말게!" 나는 괴물이 나를 붙잡는다고 상상하며 소리쳤어요. "날 구해 주게!" 그러고는 바닥에 쓰러져 정신을 잃었어요. 신경성 열병으로 나는 몇 달 동안 앓아누웠고, 그동안 헨리가 유일하게 나를 간호해 주었어요. 가족이 걱정하지 않도록 내가 얼마나 아픈지는 숨겨 주었어요.

나는 아주 천천히 회복했고, 어느 날 창밖 나무에 돋아난 싱그러운 초록 새순을 알아보았어요. 봄이 온 거예요. "다정한 클레르발." 내가 말했어요. "자네는 겨울 내내 내 병실에서 보냈어. 이 은혜를 어떻게 다 갚겠나?" "최대한 빨리 낫기만 하게." 클레르발이 대답했어요. "그리고 아버지와 사촌에게 편지를 쓰게. 자네 소식을 너무 오랫동안 못 들었으니까."

Original text

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Chapter 5 · 2,355 words · 5 short readings

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Comprehension Check

1. How did Victor feel the moment his creature came to life?

2. What did Victor find when he threw open the door of his rooms?

3. What did Henry Clerval do while Victor was ill?

Vocabulary

1 / 5Tap to flip

adjective

dreary

음울한, 쓸쓸한

It was a dreary, rainy afternoon.

음울하고 비가 오는 오후였어요.

Your Summary

In 1–2 sentences, describe how Victor felt the moment his creature came to life, and who helped him afterwards.

Source: Adapted from Chapter 5 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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