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Teacher’s  Guide  Mister  Creecher  by  Chris  Priestley    

**These  notes  may  be  reproduced  free  of  charge  for  use  and  study  within  schools,  but  they  may  

not  be  reproduced  (either  in  whole  or  in  part)  and  offered  for  commercial  sale**  

SYNOPSIS:  IN  BRIEF    

 It’s   1818.   Billy   is   fifteen,   scrawny,   a   criminal   child   on   London’s  savage  streets.  He  is  saved  from  a  gang  of  bigger,  harder  villains  by  Creecher,  a  mysterious  giant  who  half  cajoles;  half  forces  him  into  spying  on  a  Swiss  traveler  called  Victor  Frankenstein.    Slowly,  Billy  and  Creecher  form  a  friendship,  which  is  threatened  when   Creecher   explains   he  was   not   born   of  man,   but   built   by  this  Frankenstein,  who  also  promised  to  make  him  a  mate.  The  unlikely  pair  trail  Frankenstein  to  the  Lake  District,  where  Billy–  free  of  the  city  and  enchanted  by  a  young  woman  called  Jane  –  starts  to  find  a  form  of  happiness.  

 The  idyll  is  shattered  when  Frankenstein  reveals  the  awful  truth  of  what  his  creature  did  back  in  Switzerland,  and  an  unforeseen  event  brings  Billy’s  dreams  of  happiness  to  an  abrupt  end.  Billy  is  about  to  learn  that  there  are  many  ways  to  make  a  monster.  

 SYNOPSIS:  IN  DETAIL  

 New  Year’s  Day,  1818.   London   is  blanketed   in   cold,  wet   fog.  Billy   is   fifteen;  he   looks  younger,  he’s  sick  and  he’s  a  thief.  He  finds  the  corpse  of  a  giant  man  in  a  doorway.  Before  he  can  rob  it,  he’s  grabbed  by  Fletcher,  to  whom  he  owes  money,  and  two  of  Fletcher’s  cronies.  One  of  them  goes   to   rob   the   body   but   the   ‘corpse’   awakes   and   Fletcher   flees  with   his   gang.   Billy,   already  weak,  collapses.    When  he  wakes  from  his  fever,  he  finds  that  the  giant  has  nursed  him  to  health.  Billy  is  terrified  of  his  hideous  saviour,  who  gives  his  name  as  ‘Creecher’,  but  is  persuaded  to  spy  on  two  foreign  gentlemen  for  him,  Victor  Frankenstein  and  Henry  Clerval.    

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Billy  remains  frightened  of  Creecher,  especially  when  the  latter  kills  Fletcher  to  protect  him,  and  is   frustrated  by   the  giant’s   refusal   to  explain  why  he   is   spying  on  Frankenstein.  But  a  bond  of  trust  begins  to  form  between  these  two  misfits,  with  Billy  helping  the  giant  dress  and  blend  in,  and  the  giant  helping  Billy  to  rob  rich  dandies  about  town.    Billy  learns  that  Frankenstein  is  leaving  London  to  travel  north.  Creecher  asks  Billy  to  follow  the  mysterious  foreigner.  Billy  doesn’t  want  to  leave  London,  and  only  agrees  on  the  condition  that  Creecher   tells   him   who   he   is.   Creecher   explains   that   he   is   not   a   natural   human,   but  Frankenstein’s   creation.   He   is   following   Frankenstein   to   ensure   the   latter   makes   good   on   a  promise  to  build  Creecher  a  mate.    Initially  horrified,  Billy  eventually  agrees  -­‐  he  has  never  been  as  well  off  as  he  is  with  Creecher.  After  a  bout  of  highway  robbery  and  a  period  travelling  with  a  freak  show,  they  catch  up  with  Frankenstein  in  the  Lake  District.    Here,  in  the  fresh  beauty  of  the  wild  countryside,  Billy  starts  to  feel  his  life  has  changed.  The  fog  has  lifted;  he  is  healthier.  He  meets  Jane,  a  young  woman  with  whom  he  forms  an  attachment.    But  then  disaster  strikes.  Frankenstein  catches  him  spying,  and  reveals  that  Creecher  murdered  Frankenstein’s   young  brother   back   in   Switzerland,   and   framed   the  boy’s   nanny   for   the   crime,  who  was  hanged  for  murder.  He  says  he  is  one  final  step  from  completing  Creecher’s  mate,  and  then  he  will  be  free  of  his  creation.  Creecher  and  Billy  fight  and  part.    Billy  tries  to  find  Jane.  But  she  had  a  weak  heart  and  has  died  suddenly.  Visiting  her  grave,  he  finds  her  coffin  has  been  opened  and  her  heart  has  been  removed.    Billy  hated  the  world  before,  but  that  was  a  child’s  hatred.  Adopting  a  new  first  name,  Bill  Sikes  heads  back  to  London  filled  with  a  man’s  hate,  full  grown.  

 AUTHOR  MOTIVATION  

 How  Frankenstein  changed  my  life  

I  can’t  remember  exactly  how  old  I  was  when  I  first  saw  James  Whale’s  famous  1931  adaptation  of   Frankenstein,   but   I   would   have   been   in   my   mid   teens,   living   on   a   council   estate   on   the  western  edges  of  Newcastle-­‐upon-­‐Tyne.  I  do  remember  the  thrill  of  it  though.    There  is  something  about  Boris  Karloff’s  creature  that  sears  itself  into  your  soul.  I  already  knew  that  cadaverous  face,  of  course.  It  is  one  of  the  most  famous  faces  in  the  world,  as  well  known  as  Marilyn  Monroe  or  the  Mona  Lisa.  

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It  was  only  later  that  I  read  the  novel  and  discovered  a  very  different  creature:  one  who  could  express  his  feelings  and  talk  about  his  desires.  I  loved  the  Arctic  scenes  that  frame  the  novel  and  was  amazed  to  discover  that  Frankenstein  and  his  creature  come  to  England  and  go  to  London,  Oxford  and  the  Lake  District,  places  I  knew  well.    I  learned  of  the  story  behind  the  novel  –  that  the  teenage  Mary  Shelley  came  up  with  the  story  in  a  Swiss  villa  rented  by  Lord  Byron.  Mary  Godwin,  as  she  was  then,  was  there  with  her  lover,  Percy  Bysshe   Shelley   and  her  half-­‐sister  Claire  Clairmont,   and  Byron’s  doctor,   John  Polidori.  A  ghost  story  competition  was  initiated  and  Mary’s  resulting  nightmare  spawned  Frankenstein.      My  fascination  grew  and  grew.  When  I  went  to  art  college  in  1976,  I  submitted  a  proposal  to  do  a  graphic  novel  of  Frankenstein,  but  my  tutor  saw  how  much  work  was  involved  and  talked  me  out  of  it,  saying  I  should  return  to  it  later  in  my  studies.  I  never  did.      When  I  left  college,  I  tried  making  my  way  as  an  illustrator  and  a  chance  meeting  in  a  pub  on  one  of  my  visits  home  led  to  me  doing  some  work  for  a  theatre  company  called  The  Dog  Company.  The  man  at  the  centre  of  this  theatre  company  was  Clive  Barker  and  he  had  written  a  play  called  Frankenstein  in  Love  for  which  he  needed  a  poster.    Unbeknown  to  me,  Clive  was  writing  a  collection  of  horror  short  stories  –  a  collection  that  would  be  published  as  The  Books  of  Blood  and,  thanks  in  part  to  a  famous  Stephen  King  quote,  would  make  his  name  and  propel  him  from  Crouch  End  to  LA.    I  nervously  showed  Clive  a  story   I  had  written  about  my  grandfather  and   I  was  thrilled  to   find  that   he   immediately   spoke   to  me   as   one  writer   to   another.   He  made   some   suggestions,   and  even  said  that  he  knew  of  places  who  might  publish  it.  Maybe  I  was  a  writer  after  all.      But   I  was  also  an   illustrator  and  a  painter  and   I  was  struggling   to  build  my  career  as  an  artist.  Wanting   to   be   a   writer   as   well   seemed   greedy.   And   frankly,   it   seemed   more   difficult,   more  unattainable.      I  moved  out  of   London   to  Norfolk  and  commuted   in   to  work   for  The  Economist   and   later  The  Independent,  working  as  a  cartoonist.  On  the  long  journeys  home,  I  found  myself  writing  again,  filling   notebooks   with   ideas   and   the   occasional   short   story.   And   I   kept   reading   about   Mary  Shelley   and   the   Romantic   poets,   fascinated   by   their   tragic,   interweaving   lives.    It  was  Chris  Riddell,  with  whom  I  worked  at  The  Economist  who  first  suggested  that  I  write  for  children,  and  he  who  took  the  resulting  story  to  his  editor  at  Random  House.  Luckily  they  liked  it,  and  though  they  didn’t  publish  that  one,  they  published  the  next,  and  I  have  been  a  full-­‐time  writer   ever   since.   That   first   book  was   for   younger   children,   but  my   books   have   been   getting  darker   ever   since;  my   latest   book   follows   on   from   a   series   of   books   exploring  my   fascination  with  Gothic  horror  and  uncanny  fiction.    

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Mister   Creecher   imagines   a   meeting   between   Frankenstein’s   creature   and   a   teenage   boy   on  New  Year’s  Day,  1818,  the  date  of  Frankenstein’s  publication.  It  is  the  fruit  of  a  forty-­‐year-­‐long  obsession,  and  I   fervently  hope  that  readers  of  Mister  Creecher  will  be  drawn  to  reading  Mary  Shelley’s  strange  and  thought-­‐provoking  novel.  And  maybe  they  will  begin  a  life-­‐long  obsession  of  their  own.  

AUTHOR  BACKGROUND  

 Originally  an  illustrator,  Chris  Priestley  started  writing  his  own  books  in  2000.  He  has  found  great  success  with   his   beautifully   judged   and  macabre   stories   for   younger   readers   –  Death   and   the  Arrow   (2004)   was   nominated   for   an   Edgar   Award,   and   The   Dead   of   Winter   was   recently  nominated  for  the  2011  Carnegie  Medal.  He  has  published  thirteen  books  to  date.    AUSTRALIAN  HIGH  SCHOOL  CURRICULUM    USE  

• Year  7  English  –  Thematic  Unit:  ‘Things  that  go  Bump:  Supernatural  and  Suspense’  

• Year  9  English  -­‐  Heroes  and  the  ‘Quest’  Narrative  

• Year  10  English  –  Thematic  Unit  ‘Heart  of  Darkness:  What  is  Evil?’  

 THEMES  

 Nature  and  nurture  Is  Bill  Sikes  bad  by  nature?  Is  the  first  Billy  we  meet  a  criminal  because  he  has  no  other  option,  because  he  has  no  family,  no  positive   influences?   Is  the  Bill  Sikes  of  the  book’s  end  a  monster  because   of   the   terrible   things   that   have   happened   to   him   during   the   story?   Is   Creecher  murderous  and  violent  because  he  was  made  that  way  or  because  Frankenstein  abandoned  him  and  the  world  looks  at  him  in  horror?    Town  and  country,  and  modernity  London  is  unnatural,  foggy,  suffocating.  Billy  has  no  option  but  to  steal.  Out   in  the  country,  he  finds   labour.   He   grows   strong.   He   feels   refreshed.   What   is   the   impact   of   town?   Is   modern  civilisation  unhealthy?  Is  modern  science  part  of  that?    Crime  and  punishment,  and  responsibility  Billy  and  Creecher  steal  to  live.  Creecher  murders  when  it  suits  his  purpose.  They  do  it  with  very  little   regret.  Are  any  crimes   justified?  How   important   is   it   that   they  pay   for   their   crimes?  Billy  and  Creecher   feel   responsibility   towards  each  other   at   various  points.  Does   this   redeem   their  characters  at  all?    

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WRITING  STYLE  

 By   using   characters   the   reader   will   recognise   –   all   readers   will   know   who   Creecher   and  Frankenstein  are,  and  the  quicker  will  see  Fagin,  Bill  Sikes,  Shelley  and  others  –  Priestley  draws  the  reader  into  a  world  which  is  half-­‐new  and  half-­‐familiar.      This  is  echoed  by  his  language  –  he  does  not  shy  away  from  the  horror  of  his  subject,  and  he  has  chosen   to   use   a   rich   vocabulary   and   frequently   colourful   metaphors   to   evoke   his   Victorian  setting.  There  is  nothing  parodic  about  it,  and  nothing  unclear  to  the  modern  reader,  but  it  nods  to  his  story’s  Dickensian  and  Gothic  roots.    The  slow  emergence  of  the  truth  and  the  frequent  cliffhangers    have  twin  roots  –  they  are  what  one  might  expect   from  Young  Adult   fiction,  but   they  also  draw  on   the  Dickensian   tradition  of  stories  serialised  in  separate  thrilling  episodes.    STUDY  NOTES  

 Crime  ‘Amber  light  seeped  like  honey  from  upstairs  windows,  glowing  between  the  heavy  curtains  and  solid  shutters  that  formed  a  barrier  to  the  cold  and  to  the  fear-­‐filled  world  beyond.’  (p.4)    ‘He  looked  at  it  with  the  cynical  detachment  that  years  on  the  street  had  gifted  him.  He  did  not  know  this  man  and  did  not  care  how  he  had   lived  or  how  he  came  to  die.  Only  the  rich  could  afford  to  be  sentimental.  He  cared  for  no  one  but  himself.  He  was  alone.  Everyone  was.’  (p.5)  

 • Do   you   sympathise   at   all  with   Billy’s   attitude?  How  does   it  make   you   think   about  

present-­‐day  crime?      Murder  ‘All   those  thousands  of  people  and  yet   it  was  his  mother  who  had  to  die.  Billy  wondered  how  many  of  the  people  milling  around  the  cathedral  were  there  that  day.  Why  did  they  live  and  not  her?  He  could  have  killed  any  one  of  them  with  his  bare  hands  if  it  would  have  brought  her  back  to  life.      The   image  of   Creecher’s  mighty   hands   around   Fletcher’s   head   came   fleetingly   into  his  mind’s  eye  again,  but  he  was  able  to  waft  it  away.  He  would  not  feel  remorse  for  that  animal.  Creecher  had  done  the  world  a  favour.’  (p.101)  

 

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• Is   it   Ok   to   think   like   this   about   your  mother?  Would   killing   someone   random   be  justified   to   save   her?   Or   is   it   understandable   but   not   justified?   What   is   the  difference  between  thinking  such  a  thing  and  acting  on  the  thought?  

• Did  Creecher  really  do  the  world  a  favour  by  killing  Fletcher?  • What  about  the  other  murders?  The  grave-­‐robbers?  Frankenstein’s  brother?  • How  does  the  talk  of  murder  during  the  book  change  how  you  feel  and  sympathise  

with  the  protagonists?  Heaven  and  Hell  ‘Maybe  I’ve  died,  he  thought.  Maybe  this  is  what  the  world  looks  like  when  you  die.  But  if  he  was  dead,   then  where  was   this?   He  was   fairly   sure   that   he  wouldn’t   gain   entry   through   heaven’s  pearly  gates,  but  it  didn’t  look  much  like  hell  either.      Maybe  he  was   in   that  other  place:   the  place  where  you  waited   to  have  your   fate  decided.  He  tried  to  remember  its  name  but  could  not  recall  it.  Perhaps  this  was  all  there  was.’  (pp.  15/16)  

 • Billy  has  this  thought  early  in  the  book,  and  soon  after  dreams  of  being  a  sweep,  stuck  

between   letting   go   and   dropping   into   the   fire   and   climbing   up   into   the   light.   How  important  is  this  image?  Where  does  language  of  heaven,  hell,  devils  and  angels  recur?  

• What  other   images   recur?  How  about   city   versus   country?   In   fog   and  out   of   the   fog?  When  is  the  last  time  Billy  goes  into  the  fog?  What  does  it  mean?  

 Novels  ‘“Shut   up,”   said   Billy,   smiling.   “You’re   reading   too   many   of   those   novels   of   yours.   You’re  beginning  to  sound  like  a  woman.”  ’  (pp.  32/33)    

• Billy  says  several  times  that  reading,  especially  novels,   is  womanish.  Is   it?  Was  it  then?  What  has  changed?  Think  of  the  female  characters  in  the  book:  what  is  their  role?  

 Pretence  ‘“We  were  never  friends!”  yelled  Billy.  “We  were  just  two  freaks  walking  in  the  same  direction!”  (p.360)  

 ‘Billy  had  wanted  to  visit  Jane,  but  the  giant’s  words  still  rankled  with  him.  She  doesn’t  love  you.  She  loves  the  boy  you  pretend  to  be.’  (p.  361)  

 • Is  Billy  right?  Were  they  ever  truly  friends?  Could  either  of  them  ever  fit  in,  be  normal?  

Victor  Frankenstein  said  they  could  never  be  friends.  What  more   is  there  to  friendship  beyond  walking  in  the  same  direction?  

• Is  Creecher  right?  Do  you  blame  Billy  for  pretending  to  be  a  poet?  

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• What   is   the   difference  between  being   something   and  pretending   to   be   something?   Is  Creecher   pretending   to   be   a   person   or   is   he   a   person?   Is   Billy   always   thief,   but   he  pretends  for  a  short  moment  that  he  might  be  something  else?  

 Nature  or  Nurture?    ‘“And  whose  fault  is  all  that?”  said  Billy.  “Who  built  him?  It’s  your  blood  in  his  veins!”        “Can  a  father  be  responsible  for  every  action  of  his  son?  How  could  I  know  that  I  would  make  a  monster?”  ’  (p.352)  

 ‘But  Billy  was  incapable  of  being  a  bad  thief.   It  was  like  asking  a  falcon  to  slow  its  flight.   It   just  wasn’t  in  his  nature.  You  are  what  you  are,  thought  Billy.  That’s  all  there  is.  That’s  all  there  ever  is.’  (p.45)    ‘That  weaker,  whining  Billy  was  dead.  The  new  Billy  was  never  going  to  be  beaten  or  bullied  or  bossed  about  by  anyone  ever  again.’  (p.384)  

 • What  made  Creecher  a  monster?  Was  it  his  father’s  blood?  Or  was  it  his  father’s  lack  of  

love?  • What  made  Billy  a  monster?  Was  he  really  born  to  be  a   thief,  and  nothing  could  have  

changed  his  nature?  Or  was   it  because  he  was  beaten  and  bullied?  Or  was   it  bad   luck  and  the  death  of  Jane?  

• What  do  you  think  made  Fletcher  a  monster?  Think  of  some  monsters  from  the  news.  What  made  them?  

 Structure  and  Storytelling  

• How   do   you   feel   about   the   characters   at   different   points   in   the   story?  When   do   you  sympathise  with   them  and  why?  Why  do  you   lose   sympathy?  When  does  he  give  you  clues  and  when  does  he  do  things  you  don’t  expect?