Science and nature is a very vital theme in volume I of Frankenstein.

Science and nature is a very vital theme in volume I of Frankenstein.

Mary Shelly incessantly portrays science and nature.

Science and nature is a very vital theme in volume I of Frankenstein.

Mary Shelly incessantly portrays science and nature. At first Mary

shelly illustrate the nature of life as distressing, sorrowful and

frail. She does this by demonstrating illnesses, deaths and sorrow of

the loved ones leaving and diseases. By doing this Mary shelly is

representing life as a pathetic game, which has no other meanings than

depression and grief, and how easily it could be vanished. Examples in

volume I could be the death of Elizabeth’s parents, the sickness of

Elizabeth, the sickness and death of Victor’s mother, murder of

William and the beheading of Justine. But Mary shelly also represents

nature and life as very pleasant and euphoric. This is done by the

illustration of love, kindness and compassion. For example Victor’s

mother who was a very kind, generous and a ‘benevolent’ woman, the

love of Victor and Elizabeth and most of all the passion for

knowledge. All these bases of nature and life contradict with science,

since science merely bring about these features.

Scientific development is usually from nature, even from destroying

nature. On the other hand, nature in some way is protected and

developed by science. Nature and science have a life and a death

relationship. And so at one point Mary shelly actually depicts the

contrast between science and nature. She does this by combining both

life and death into a situation where death comes before life, when

the monster is produced by parts of fresh dead bodies and brought to

life. This totally changes the natural regulation of life. By doing

this Mary shelly shows the power of science, but also combines it with

nature using Lightning, and so proves that without nature science has

no power. Mary Shelley also gives us an idea or a warning towards

science and scientific knowledge (the belief of science being

superior). As we know that Victor makes an extensive use of science

and of his scientific experiments to create his monster, which then

haunt him and leads to the killing of Victor’s younger brother

William, Science can thus be regarded as the main motor to Victor’s

self-destruction. This clearly presents science as evil and an awful

thing.

Looking at all these aspects of science and nature, I have also become

aware of the character (nature) of Victor and his thirst for

knowledge. His nature represents possession, anxiety, greed and the

desire for supremacy. When Mary shelly represents him in this form,