The Theme of Nature in Frankenstein

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In 1818 Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley. In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein brings a creature to life. The creature kills William, Henry Clerval, and Elizabeth. Victor had promised to make a female creature for the creature, but he did not fulfill his promise. This makes the creature enraged. The creature runs away and Victor follows him. Victor gets on a boat with Walton. Victor dies and the creature comes and is very sad that his creator has died. The creature says that he must end his suffering and he jumps into the ocean. In the novel Frankenstein, Shelley uses the theme of nature to show how it is like the characters of the story and how it affects the characters.

The theme of nature is shown throughout Frankenstein to represent the creature. For example the lighting and storm are like the creature. This is illustrated when Victor says,

During this short voyage I saw the lightnings playing on the summit of Mount Blanc in the most beautiful figures. The storm appeared to approach rapidly; and, on landing, I ascended a low hill, that I might observe its progress. It advanced; the heavens were clouded, and I soon felt the rain coming slowly in large drops, but its violence quickly increased. (49)

The lightning and storm are like the creature. The creature might be beautiful in Victor’s eyes, but the creature is also violent and dangerous. The creature is very destructive like the storm; he kills William. It takes Victor a long time to create the creature, but once the creature is created he quickly became violent. In the essay, The Sublime Setting, David Ketterer states, “It is the sublime settings- the region around Mont Blanc and the Arctic wastelands- which predominate among the books scenic effects” ( Ketterer...

... middle of paper ...

...he way he thinks. The creature is affected by the different seasons. Nature is a symbol for the creature and both Victor and the creature are affected by nature.

Works Cited

Brennan, Matthew C. “The Psychology of Landscape in Frankenstein. Bloom’s Guides: Frankenstein. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007. 119.

Ketterer, David. “The Sublime Setting.” Bloom’s Guides: Frankenstein. Ed. Harold Boom. NewYork: Infobase Publishing, 2007. 86-89.

Phillips, Bill. “Frankenstein and Mary Shelley's 'wet ungenial summer'.” Atlantis, revista del Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos. 28.2 (2006): 59+. Literature Resources from Gale. Gale. Alabama Virtual Library Remote Access. Web. 12 Mar.2011. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA165578074&v=2.1&u=avlr&it=r&p-LitRG&sw=w.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Dover, Inc, 1994.

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