Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Charlotte Gordon (Introduction). Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. The monster is rejected by his 'father', his maker and now orphaned left to roam the land. His feeling of abandonment compels him to seek revenge against his creator. The monster lives next to a family secretly helping them but when he reveals himself to them they are horrified. He gives up hope of ever being accepted by humans. After killing Victor's brother, he sees a likeness of Caroline Victor's mother. The Creature demands that Victor create a female companion like himself. He argues that as a living being, he has a right to happiness. The Creature promises that he and his mate will vanish into the South American wilderness, never to reappear, if Victor grants his request. Should Victor refuse, the Creature threatens to kill Victor's remaining friends and loved ones and not stop until he completely ruins him. Elizabeth Lavenza, an orphan, four to five years younger than Victor, whom the Frankensteins adopted and Victor marries is killed by the monster on her wedding night. Victor dies shortly thereafter, telling Walton (the storyteller), in his last words, to seek "happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition." Walton discovers the Creature on his ship, mourning over Victor's body. The Creature tells Walton that Victor's death has not brought him peace; rather, his crimes have made him even more miserable than Victor ever was. The Creature vows to kill himself so that no one else will ever know of his existence and Walton watches as the Creature drifts away on an ice raft, never to be seen again.