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Themes of frankenstein by mary shelley
Themes of frankenstein by mary shelley
Analysis of mary shelley's
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• Throughout Frankenstein, nature is considered to be a healing remedy in the process of Victor Frankenstein’s recovery. o In chapter five, Victor comes face to face with his creation. He becomes horrified and disgusted with the creature, and therefore he abandons him.
“I beheld the wretch -- the miserable monster whom I had created…I escaped, and rushed down stairs” (43).
“I remained during the rest of the night…fearing each sound as if it were…the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life” (43). o In addition, Victor becomes very ill, and it is nature which helps Victor to recover, even though he thinks his loyal friend, Henry, has healed him. Although he credits Henry for healing him, Victor also mentions how nature
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• Mary Shelley juxtaposes the pureness of Mother Nature with a horrifying image of a monster-demon. o The night Victor created the creature, he dreams of Elizabeth and his mother, Caroline. Elizabeth and Caroline, as women, are both naturally capable of creation through birth. Whereas, Victor creates the creature through unnatural methods.
“I slept… but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. I thought I saw Elizabeth…. as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death…and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms…and I saw the grave-worms crawling in the folds of the flannel” (43).
• In chapter seven, Victor witnesses a flash of lighting over the mountain Mont Blanc. Lightning is a reminder of Victor’s childhood that mankind will never understand nature. o In the flash of lightning, he sees the creature watching him.
“A flash of lightning illuminated the object…its gigantic stature…instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy daemon, to whom I had given life…He was the murderer!”
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Also, he realizes the monster is revenging itself on him, by murdering William.
• After the death of William and Justine, Victor falls into a depression because he is disturbed with the guilt of the death of William and Justine. o Although he is filled with misery, he feels a moment of peace and tranquility when he becomes surrounded by the beauty of nature.
“I was now free…A tingling long-lost sense of pleasure often came across me…associated with the light-hearted gaiety of boyhood” (76). o Mary Shelley personifies Nature as a caring mother who helps Victor recover, momentarily.
“The very winds whispered in soothing accents, and maternal nature bade me weep no more” (77). o Victor mentions, periodically, that he finds peace in nature (this is a continuation of the idea that nature can heal, mentioned above).
His relationship with nature goes beyond the relationship he has with his family.
• “These sublime and magnificent scenes…congregated round me…they all gathered round me, and bade me be at peace” (78).
• Shelley uses weather as a signal to foreshadow the events to come. o Mentioned above, Victor saw the monster through a flash of lightning and, here again, a change in the weather signals that Victor will meet with the
The reason why the creature had no name is because Victor saw him as an abomination, and without a name the creature had a sense of belonging which was probably one of the factors that caused his wrath. Lastly, both Victor and his creature have many things in common, such as revenge. After killing his younger brother, Elizabeth, and his best friend, Victor, after having no family left, wanted to put an end to it all, so he ended up chasing his creation and dying before catching it. After bringing the creature into this world and leaving it behind to fend for itself, the creature endured lots of agony and pain from society which drove its rage to Victor and his family and he ended up killing this younger brother and soon to be wife. Both were isolated from society, Victor brought isolation upon himself through locking himself up to create the creature and ignoring everything around him as stated in the article, “The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit.
I beheld the wretch---the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaw opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs (Shelley, p. 43).
but Victor thought to himself and says “I thought with a sensation of madness on my promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, torn to pieces the thing on which I was engaged.” (Shelley 124 )Victor making the decision to not make another made the creature furious but Victor had his reasons like what if the creatures create more what if he doesn’t leave him alone just what ifs. He worries about making another creature because he wonders if the female would be as bad as the creature he first created. Victor does not make the second creature and tore it apart. Abandoning the creature caused him to learn for himself.
Victor finds solace in nature, and enjoys the beauty of it. He states that the cold takes away his sorrows and fills his heart with joy. The creature finds warmth in the spring time. The creature describes to Victor how he felt when the spring came. He says, “Spring advanced rapidly; the weather became fine and the skies cloudless. It surprised me that what before was desert and gloomy should now bloom with the most beautiful flowers and verdure. My senses were gratified and refreshed by a thousand scents of delight and a thousand sights of beauty.” Both, the creature and Victor should not be blamed for what happened.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she exercises this movement by painting artistic and literary illustrations of how Victor, as well as the Monster lives through seasonal and surrounding areas. Shelley shows the complex emotional state found in Victor and the Monster.
...e is familiar with. Prendick ends up searching for nature when he feels he is in trouble. People tend to resort to what they are familiar with when they are dealing with troubles however, if choosing what they are familiar with is not an option, they may resort to nature because it has the illusion of being safe and peaceful. Not only does the theme of nature appear in both of these stories, but just like in real life people are also drawn to nature as a release, as a way to find balance and inner strength. Just look at the documented numbers of visitors each year to our many state parks and it substantiates this. I assert the symbolism surrounding my thesis, and the quotes I sited to support my thesis are some of the impactful events that contribute most to making Victor and Prendick palpable, and gives the reader something to identify with in both characters.
He not only turned away the being he had brought into the world; he also denied the creature companionship, friendship, and happiness while continuing to seek his own. Victor gained new purpose and even on his deathbed holds to the principle that he is justified in desiring the death of his enemy. Moment before his death he turns to Captain Robert Walton and says, “I feel justified in desiring the death of my adversary. During these last days I have been occupied in examining my past conduct; nor do I find it blamable” (156). He even begins to lose the small amount of compassion he had for the creature’s struggle.
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she addresses the challenges that arise in both the creation and life of a dead creature that has been brought back to life in hideous forms. The
In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, one could believe that Shelley purposely made Victor and the creature very similar to show that just because of how a person looks does not mean they are different than a beautiful human being. Victor and the creature are not alike in their physical appearance but their personalities are nearly parallel. They both have an appreciation for nature, as well as a desire to be part of a loving family.
The creature gives Victor clues in tree bark and stone leading him to the creature. “Again do I vow vengeance: again do I devote thee, miserable fiend, to torture and death.
An idea becomes a vision, the vision develops a plan, and this plan becomes an ambition. Unfortunately for Victor Frankenstein, his ambitions and accomplishments drowned him in sorrow from the result of many unfortunate events. These events caused Victors family and his creation to suffer. Rejection and isolation are two of the most vital themes in which many dreadful consequences derive from. Victor isolates himself from his family, friends, and meant-to-be wife. His ambitions are what isolate him and brought to life a creature whose suffering was unfairly conveyed into his life. The creature is isolated by everyone including his creator. He had no choice, unlike Victor. Finally, as the story starts to change, the creature begins to take control of the situation. It is now Victor being isolated by the creature as a form of revenge. All the events and misfortunes encountered in Frankenstein have been linked to one another as a chain of actions and reactions. Of course the first action and link in the chain is started by Victor Frankenstein.
Victor said when he saw the monster before it was alive. Afterwards it was the
With the different trips that Victor endures individually, it hints a sense of individuality as he seeks isolation from the world. He is also a very emotional man, who loves his family. As death of his family members occurs, he becomes emotionally unstable and seeks revenge against his creation. Ultimately trying to end the life he so vigorously wanted to create. This reflects both the passion and individualism theme from the Romantic
“A stronger light pressed upon my nerves, so that I was obliged to shut my eyes. Darkness then came over me,
In conclusion, Victor’s reason for revenge on the creature is for destroying all of his happiness, killing his family, and all things good in his life. Although Victor blames the creature for his life falling apart, it is Victor’s fault ultimately because he created the problem. Without the creation of this being, there would be no death in Victor’s life other than his own happiness that he created for himself in solitude. Both Victor and the creature create an isolated world for each other. The story begins with Victor in his isolated room, progressing to the abandonment and alienation of the creature, and finally ending with the creature now creating a world of isolation for Victor in return.