The crisis of a novel is the turning point of uncertainty and tension resulting from earlier conflict, and usually leads to or overlaps with the climax of a story. During the moment of crisis, it is unclear whether the tragic hero will rise to the challenge, or be crushed under it. The crisis in Frankenstein occurs when the monster returns as he said he would, but to Victors surprise, the monster was not there to kill him, but his wife. In the moment of crisis, Frankenstein's wife was murdered by the monster. The pain and grief he suffered was enough to make him devote his life to hunter the monster and killing it. In this story, the crisis did in fact, overlap with the climax.
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