The final sentence of the Frankenstein has become very famous – why could that be? The last sentence in ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley is significant in many ways, as many different conclusions can be drawn from it, which gives different readers different views about the novel and creates controversy about the fate of the monster. The sentence describes the monster, having sprung “from the cabin window” onto an “ice raft” outside the boat, being “borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance”. This ending can be seen as being particularly dramatic, as out of context it can be seen as negative that Victor is dead and the monster is leaving to die alone. However, after reading the rest of the novel and putting it into context, one can understand the positive connotations from this passage – it is emphasised to the reader that these two beings who have both “suffered miserably” have at last found peace. This is backed up by previous phrases in the text which highlight how both Victor and the creation welcome death. Victor sees his “beloved dead” and “hastens to their arms”, and the creation describes how he shall die “with sad and solemn enthusiasm” and how his “spirit shall sleep in peace”. Furthermore, the monster takes control of the narrative from Walton for the last few pages of the novel. This helps the reader to understand the thoughts of the monster, but we know that he can be persuasive and hide his true feelings. Therefore even after he has supposedly revealed himself, he is not trusted by many. The conflicting thoughts created in this section ensure that, after Victor’s death and even after his own, the struggle to understand what the monster really was – a tragic victim or an evil villain – will go on. The fact that the monster fades away into the “darkness and distance” evokes a sense of mystery in the reader as we wonder whether the