Frankenstein Literary Criticism 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 …show more content…
Their perspectives of nature, however, are vastly different due to their circumstances regarding companionship and affection from companions. Victor Frankenstein describes nature as calming and it brings him great happiness when he is surrounded by nature because he himself is happy and adored by friends who surround him. Frankenstein has friends whom he holds strong bonds with where “harmony was the soul of [their] companionship, and the diversity and contrast that subsided [their] characters drew [them] nearer together” (29, Chapter 2). He is surrounded by companions that give him plenty of love and affection that in turn, bring him happiness and a favoring outlook on nature. Victor takes pleasure in wandering through various scenes of nature, feeling accepted by it, therefore, he can portray it as full of life and “awful and majestic” (82, Chapter 10). Nature has the “power of bestowing on …show more content…
In contrast to Frankenstein, the creature views nature 's decaying state with a depressing disposition because the creature is alone and in need of affection from a friend. The creature describes nature with a tone of suffering. “Nature decayed around [him], and the sun became heatless; rain and snow poured around [him]; mighty rivers were frozen; the surface of the earth as hard, and chill, and bare, and [he] found no shelter” (120, Chapter 16). He is, in a sense, attacked by nature just as he is attacked by every human being he comes in contact with. He is truly alone in a cruel world. Nature seems to mock the creature, as “the cold stars shone in mockery” because “all, save [him], were at rest or enjoyment”, due to the creature’s loss of his only near-companions (117, Chapter 16). Simple cottage folk that he observed from a great distance were his only source of contact to the world. He wished for their friendship, however, he was only met with their horror and disgust. The creature only desires friends who will show him love and affection but receives only pain and suffering. Because he never gains the love of any person he meets, his depressed demeanor is revealed through his depressing descriptions of dark and decaying nature. ****( he can only travel by dark because of rejection)*** A companion soon becomes the creature’s only desire so that maybe, his misery may end and he would feel less like a monster who scares all who behold his hideousness. His lack of
The author uses a country setting to follow an acknowledgement of nature's brightest form which then acts in condolence and Frankenstein's breakdown to stand up for his behavior and the authentic capacity of the intellect of the monster. I also think this book has a good element of Romanticism in it. I can also say i had points in the story were there was a lot of mixed emotions for the
The monster shows his sorrow after being rejected by the cottagers; “I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter and stupid despair. My protectors had departed, and had broken the only link that held me to the world. For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom” (Shelley 97). The creature leaves where he was abandoned to a cottage of the Delacey’s there he learns about humanity. After learning he accidentally drives the Delacey’s apart from him, causing great depression and anger (Frasait).
In his attempt to assimilate, the Creature begins to learn language and admire the concept of a family and forms the same human desires that people possess: a family, a companion, a home, and an identity. However, as he tries to interact with people, he learns that his ugly appearance prevents him from integrating into society. The elements of the Gothic are present here, as the Creature's isolation is a principal trope of Gothic fiction. According to Ashley Craig Lancaster’s text, “From Frankenstein's Monster to Lester Ballard: The Evolving Gothic Monster,” “…the Monster drifts away from society as a creature driven first by kindness, then by hatred, and finally by desperation, only to continue to live alone” (Lancaster 139).
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. Throughout the novel, Shelley uses personification of various forces and objects to reflect the effect in Victor’s actions.
The creature's views were warped by all of this. Even when he learned to read, write, and speak, he learned to love others, but after all of this, he could not. If society learned to stop judging only appearance, the creature himself would have lived a better life. Not a life consumed by
When Frankenstein is overtaken by his passion, he does not go out to enjoy nature, he forgets to eat, and he becomes sick. He isolates himself due to the knowledge he
He is aware of his otherness and knows that he is “shut out from intercourse” (84) with the people he holds so dear. It can be argued that this is the point where the creature’s humanity is the strongest throughout the course of story. He has a basic understanding of human societies, he speaks and reads their language, shows compassion and, most importantly, seeks their company and friendship. In his knowledge that social belonging is the missing component to his own happiness, he confronts the people he secretly observed only to, once again, be met with fear and anger (94-95). He comes to realise that he
Duality is shown in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, a gothic tale of a scientist whom looks to advance the life-giving qualities of mother nature. Through this novel, Shelley proves that good and evil in human nature is not always simple to define, and that everyone has both of these qualities within them. The duality of human nature is shown through the characters of Victor Frankenstein and his monster, who are both heroes in the novel while simultaneously displaying anti-hero qualities. Shelley forces the reader to sympathize with them both but also creates gruesome ideas of the two. Frankenstein’s creature places himself in a submissive position when he begs his creator to have mercy on him and asking the creator to “create a female for [him] with whom [he] can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for [his] being.”
(Ch.8) and without the acceptance he yearned for, he became bitter and resentful, acting out ruthlessly. The monster was completely misunderstood and at no stage a welcome guest. In spite of his benevolent and kind spirit, he was beaten up and even shot at. No one was willing to attempt to understand him except for Agathe who was blind, but even that was short lived as Felix was quick to attack the creature. Although labelled as a horrifying monster, nothing but his exterior fit this description, until he was discriminated by society.
Frankenstein follows his creation to one of the most symbolic places on earth in coalition with his heart, The Arctic. He brings himself to his wit’s end on this search for the monster. However, Frankenstein describes how revenge is his driving force when he says, “many times have I stretched my failing limbs upon the sandy plain, and prayed for death. But revenge kept me alive; I dare not die, and leave my adversity in being" (219). Frankenstein’s rage filled hunt for his creation comes to an end when he realizes he will not be able to catch the monster.
Numerous research has concluded that several emotional bonds exist between humanity and nature that can impact everything from attitude to anxiety. Novels of the romanticism period, a significant literary era that encompassed most European works written in the early 1800’s, are most known for describing the impacts that nature has on people and implying that unexpected consequences can arise out of this relationship; Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a prime example of such a novel. The prime conflict of this 1818 science-fiction story occurs between the titular character, Victor Frankenstein, and a monster he creates through his own scientific innovations. Because of Victor’s abandonment of the monster, it becomes intent on destroying the scientist’s
In the novel Frankenstein, the author Mary Shelley shows the everlasting power of nature by limiting the knowledge man can learn about it. Throughout the book there are many times when Victor yearns for nature in order to heal him from the misery and violence in his life. This misery and violence are caused by his determination to learn more about the natural world. The monster Victor creates, due to his loneliness, defies the unwritten rules of nature and exemplifies the supernatural aspect of the novel. Victor’s mood completely shifts when he is around nature and he instantly feels calmer when near it.
Written during the ninteenth century, the gothic Frankensteinnovel by Marry Shelly, tells the story of a young educated student Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque but fantastic creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment, which leads to different tragic events. Shelly writes about the creation of the creature and how he is first introduce to his livelihood and this world. In this novel Shelly uses different types of literary techniques to convey the expression of the creature as a baby just learning about life and the world, and by employing innovative literary techniques such as imagery, setting, theme, and characterization, she creates a feeling of sympathy on the readers. This feeling is created through Shelly establishment of pity on the readers by reavealing the creature’s loathsome creation, habitat, or even existence.
Shelly and Ishiguro both deal with the unnatural creation of life and the repercussions of ‘playing god', However, Shelley and Ishiguro have different attitudes and approaches towards this. The novels both deal with themes such as responsibility, ensoulment and what makes things morally right and wrong. In Frankenstein the doctor's creation and the cloning. Although not in detail we can that in never let me go the cloning is unnatural as it is clear throughout the novel that the clones are unable to have children.
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.