Although this sentimental genre painting may seem quite conventional, it is surprising
to realize that this is the first actual detail about the Frankenstein household related
in the novel. That it should contain a scene of feminine sympathy is understandable,
but that it should be a record of death would seem to underscore the haunted character
of life in the novel.

The earnestness with which, for Victor's edification, Alphonse Frankenstein repeats
Benjamin Franklin's famous experiment of 1746 with a kite, a string, and a key has
a droll aspect to it. He is never to know what his demonstrations will wreak in Victor's
subsequent experiments with electricity.