Frankenstein (1) - Frame Story

"I see by your eagerness and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted; that cannot be: ..." (pg. 31)

A frame story is a story within a story and Frankenstein is an example of this.  The story begins with Walton writing about his journey and  on this journey he meets a stranger.  The stranger then begins to tell Walton his story, shifting the focus of the book.  So, the book shifts from Walton's story to Victor's and the reader kind of forgets about Walton, until Victor reminds the reader that Walton is listening to Victor.  The quote above is the excerpt where Victor reminds the reader that Walton is present.  He is telling Walton his story to try to prevent Walton from making the same mistakes he made.  The purpose of the frame story is to have Victor teach Walton a lesson about ambition and the search for knowledge now that he is an older, probably wiser scientist.

Another story is also told within Victor's story when the creature tells Victor his story.  The purpose of this is to learn about the creature and his first few years of life.  Victor did not know see the monster for almost two years, so he had no idea what he did.  Therefore, in order to get a sense of the creature, he had to explain his story to Victor.  As the creature continues telling his story, the reader will learn more about him and his actions.