Comparing Individualism And Views In Frankenstein By Mary Shelley

Within each book, authors express their own opinions and views. In Frankenstein, being written during the period of Romanticism, the author, Mary Shelley, expresses her own thoughts of the plot, through nature. Nature, in Romanticism, is seen as not only beautiful, but extremely truthful, also nature connects humans to a spiritual, God-like figure.
Victor’s universe of obligation had his image to society for the center circle and mankind and society in the second circle. After spending months confined to a prison cell, finally free and talking with his father, Victor says “‘A thousand times would I have shed my own blood, drop by drop, to have saved their lives; but I could not, my father, indeed I could not sacrifice the whole human race’” (156). Here, Victor is still in and out of states of delirium, and Victor’s father is still unknowing of what, or who, the “whole human race” could be “sacrificed” to, the Creature. The word “sacrifice” meaning an act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to God, clearly illustrates who has the power in relationship. This supposed creator-creation relationship, or should be father-son relationship has now, roles reversed, become a slave-master exchange.

Although a key value in Romanticism is individualism, one soul difiring from the norm or personal motivation and goals.

Shelley believes Victor’s obligation to mankind and society should be his center circle. After Victor realizes the long term consequences of making a second creature, and the effects she may have on all of society, he decides to destroy her. After this moment of destruction, nature finally becomes at peace. On page 139, it is described as “motionless,” “hushed,” “quiet,” “gentle,” “hardly conscious.” Nature had no fight to put up, because it agreed with the decision Victor had made; Shelley had agreed with the decision Victor had made, to protect

mankind.
In the third circle, under great willingness to put yourself at risk to be punished or experience physical pain, Victor’s universe of obligation had family & friends and himself. The quote used for this obligation talks of how he will fight for his own life on his wedding night, for Elizabeth’s happiness. Shelley exemplifies the strong relationships Victor has with his friends and family, through the two times he has nervous fever. Without the use of advance medical treatments, the caring touch of both Henry and Victor’s father greatly helped Victor recover to full health. Through the use of this natural, gentle healing power, Shelley agrees with Victor’s universe of obligation.
The fourth and fifth ring of the universe of obligation are feeling some obligation, such as speaking up for someone, and no obligation, like not caring if someone died. According to Victor’s universe of obligation, Victor has no one in his fourth circle, and only the Creature in his fifth. Shelley agrees with both of these. After deciding to not to create a companion for the creature, Victor says, “‘never will I create another like yourself, equal in deformity and wickedness’” (140). Here, Victor realizes all the bad the Creature has caused and clearly states this is the reason why he will not make a second creature. One can see Shelley agrees with this, because after this, nature becomes silent and pure.