Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic novel that tells the story of scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his obsession with creating human life. This leads him to creating a gruesome monster made of body-parts stolen from grave yards, whom upon discovering his hideousness, the monster seeks revenge against his creator, causing Victor to regret the creation of his monster for the rest of his life. Shelley uses the literary elements of personification, imagery, and similes to give a vivid sense and visualization of Victor Frankenstein’s thoughts and feelings as well as to allow us to delve deeper into the monster’s actions and emotions.
Childhood is a time in a person’s life where the most growing occurs, not only physically but also mentally. The human brain is nourished and maintained by the love and affection children receive from both parents and it continues to do so for the rest of their lives. The creature’s inability to build up courage and try to interact with society as well as his constant questioning of his existence is a direct result of an inexistent childhood as well as the absence of a loving family. Frankenstein’s mother and Elizabeth were both orphans so he was well aware of the importance of love and nurturing for people of all ages, yet he denied the creature the opportunity to receive affection of any sort. “No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, is filled with motifs of Nature and companionship. During the Romantic period or movement, when the novel Frankenstein was written, nature was a huge part of romanticism. Nature was perceived as pure, peaceful, and almost motherly. As we read the novel through Victor Frankenstein 's perspective, we the readers can see how romanticized-nature is perceived as by those who find comfort in nature. This novel also contains, in addition to romantic elements, heavy-filled gothic scenes and descriptions. As the creature wanders aimlessly through nature, he comes to find that his version of nature is dark and depressing. The overall feelings and views of Victor Frankenstein and his
a scientist devoured by ambition, seeks to revive life to the deceased. Thus, a horrific monster is created. Terrified of its unsightly stature, Dr Frankenstein flees his creation, neglecting it severely a result, the monster. Lonely and depressed, seeks revenge on his creator, killing several members of his family and his closest friend. Throughout shelley uses imagery and toner to amplify the horror
Throughout Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the reader is torn between the forces of good and evil, as well as which characters represent which force. Perhaps the most masterful element of this novel is conveying how an individual can not be judged as wholly good or evil, and how having elements of both traits greatly forms the human experience. By using the motifs of light and dark to represent the positives and negatives of humanity, Mary Shelley is able to effectively convey character traits, depict transitions of good and evil within characters, and employ haunting symbolism and imagery into the novel and transform it into a literary masterpiece.
Throughout the book Frankenstein, Mary Shelly uses nature imagery to show the character’s emotions and mood. Mary Shelley often uses nature and the character’s surroundings to reflect the character’s mood. In chapter 11, the monster is alone during the winter, having to survive in this unfamiliar world he is cold and frightened especially during the cold winter nights. “It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as it were, instinctively, finding myself so desolate.” (Shelly, 105) In this chapter the author uses the harsh winter conditions to reflect the monster’s loneliness and sadness. Another important role of nature is that nature offers spiritual renewal to the characters. In chapter 12, the arrival of spring is able
Frankenstein and his monster begin with opposite lives: Frankenstein has everything and the monster has nothing. However, in creating the monster, Frankenstein’s life and feelings begin to parallel that of the monster’s life. Frankenstein is incredibly intelligent with a fascination for science, but ultimately his thirst for knowledge leads to his undoing. Similarly the monster is determined to understand the society around him. But once he does, he understands that he will never be able to find companionship, which leads him to pain and anger. Following this both characters feel sorrow and regret in their own ways, the monster through guilt for the people he hurt and Frankenstein because his family were hurt by the being he created. By the
he natural imagery in "Frankenstein" is comparable to the best in the Romantic literature. Mary Shelley paints Nature and its divine grandeur with some rare strokes of a masterful hand. She deliberately juxtaposes the exalted vision of Mother Nature with the horrendous spectacle of a man-made monster and his ghastly deeds.
Bringing life to objects is something only God can do. However, what if someone decides to play god using the secret of life. Is the result a scientific miracle, or a dreadful miscalculation? A curious scientist, Victor Frankenstein, gives life to a monster after years of studying about science and alchemy. Scared of his newfound creation, Victor abandons the wild beast into the real world. The monster learns to survive, speak, and adapt. Vowing vengeance towards Victor, the monster continues to eliminate Victor 's family to heal the loss of happiness inside his heart. In the story Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the Id is represented by the monster while the superego is represented by Victor Frankenstein.
I believe that Shelley uses he sublime setting to mirror the nature of the story, this is Frankenstein is a romantic story about the sublime and the power of nature. An example of this is the power of nature and victor fascination with it from a young age. Therefore it is key that Mary Shelley emphasizes the power of nature with the vast and sublime natural landscapes as a constant reminder to the reader of nature's power and the dangers victor has brought upon himself by opposing the power of nature.
In Mary Shelley’s iconic gothic novel, Frankenstein, Romantic themes are strongly represented in order to propagandize Romanticism over the elements of knowledge and the Enlightenment. In her novel, Shelley uses gothic nature settings to foreshadow dark events that are about to happen in the novel. She also uses nature to intensify the effect that is brought during significant scenes, a strong example being, when Victor Frankenstein’s monster approaches him after a long period of time. Nature and its use to influence mood is one of the most paramount themes of both Frankenstein and Romanticism.
Frankenstein is a characteristic Romantic and Gothic novel because it utilizes nature, mystery, and setting to convey tone and mood.
When Victor grows up and learns about his passion, he describes science’s effect on him, “...like a mountain river, from ignoble and almost forgotten sources; but, swelling as it proceeded, it became the torrent which, in its course, has swept away all my hopes and joys” (Shelley 20). Imagery describes a river, which is “swelling”, and able to “sweep” things away. These words provoke feelings of disruption and that nature is a great power able to control how life progresses. Here Frankenstein starts to develop ideas of what science can be used for and nature warns him that when he continues with his new found passion, all other positive things in his life will be compromised. The setting is described just moments prior to Frankenstein’s monster coming to life; “It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes…” (Shelley 35). The gloomy rain is portrayed through words such as “pattered” which creates a heavy, and depressing mood. The degrading weather provides insight for what will happen after the monster is created and the natural world is artificially changed. The monster pleas Frankenstein for a companion which he complies with at first, but later changes his mind. When Victor decides against the unnatural act he disposes of the unused body parts in
This passage taken from Mary Shelley’s horror novel, Frankenstein, on page 66-67 describes the atmosphere and ponderings of Victor Frankenstein as he solitarily ascends to the summit of Montanvert. After feeling grievance and despair as he blames himself for the death of both his brother, William and his servant, Justine, Victor attempts to find solace in the majesty of nature to repair his emotional state. However, his descriptions of the environment are somewhat grim and bleak, contrasting the pleasant and peaceful mood that being in the natural world typically evokes. This scene causes him to question man’s desire for superiority against nature as it reflects upon himself. In this passage,
The classic novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley in 1818, displays the use of literary devices, foreshadowing, allusions and figurative language, which aid the reader in understanding the authors opinion on scientific exploration. These techniques are used to arouse anticipation within the reader, therefore engaging them throughout the text. Along with providing a greater understanding of the novel, by referring to other books, and using the novel to portray the authors own perspective on scientific exploration. All these devices are effectively used within the novel to provide a deeper understandings of Mary Shelley’s work.