Science is simply a practice, a method for asking questions and finding answers; it is a way to approach the world. But the ability to harness that practice to create powerful change has always carried its own dangers. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley who was born in 1797 and lived during a period of scientific advancements and the movement of gothic literature. Her most well-known novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a monster brought to life through science and technology. When the Monster realizes how he was created and is rejected by mankind, he seeks revenge on his creator's family to avenge his own sorrow. Although this novel explores several …show more content…
Mary Shelly reinforces the theme that science and technology are dangerous if unchecked by showing how nature is the only thing that will heal Victor. When Victor is overcome with grief by the murders of his friends and family, he repeatedly shuns humanity and seeks nature for health, relaxation and to strengthen his spirits. As Frankenstein progresses, Victor takes sustenance from nature, and it becomes his personal therapy when he undergoes torment or stress. By chapter five of the first volume, Shelley creates a connection between Victor and nature. Instead of describing his moods with metaphor she describes his recovery from the brink of death through his connection with nature. Although nursed by Henry Clerval, his closest friend, it is the breathing of the air that finally gives him strength,” We passed a fortnight in these perambulations: my health and spirits had long been restored, and they gained additional strength from the salubrious air I breathed, the natural incidents of our progress” (). Victor can no longer be healed through science, and with that the presence of nature becomes a salvation as well as shattering in its brutality. When men like Victor Frankenstein presume to violate the laws of nature and seize its power for themselves, nature becomes an instrument of swift and ruthless
Victor’s actions demonstrate the romantic of science and reason over nature and emotion. The contrast between where victor and his family live, and where the monster lives adds constant conflict with both man and nature. It plays an impact role of the story and the progression of the plot and characters. There are times when Frankenstein mind fails his comfort about
Frankenstein is about a doctor named Victor Frankenstein, who works to create life. When he finally brings a body to life, his creation brings havoc to Victor’s life. After the monster kills many characters, Victor tracks down the unnatural daemon. Eventually, Victor dies in the chase, and the sorrowful creature is found with his body. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley utilizes the theme of nature to show the meaning of peace within Victor, and to show how peace is interrupted by the unnatural monster. In the first place, Victor is at peace with nature. He says, “Nature bade me weep no more,”(Shelley 65). Victor has been disturbed by his brother’s death and has decided to take a walk to calm down. The cool breeze and light sounds soothe him, which
Shelley uses nature as a therapeutic agent for Victor Frankenstein. While he appears to be overwhelmed with sorrow by the murders of his friends and family, he frequently avoids mankind and inquiries nature for health, recreation and to recover his spirits. Moreover in the beginning chapters of the novel, Shelley utilizes natural similes to explain Frankenstein's youth.
While Mary Shelley proves nature’s perpetual forces against mankind she also brings to light its restorative and therapeutic components. Passages describing an intense connection between Victor Frankenstein and nature show the character seeking contentment in the sublime natural world after living in seclusion and disdain. “Even I, depressed in mind, and my spirits continually agitated by gloomy feelings, even I was pleased. I lay at the bottom of the boat, and as I gazed on the cloudless blue sky, I seemed to drink in a tranquility to which I had long been a stranger.” Submersion in a natural environment helped Victor to understand his mistakes and why he should have never tampered with it.
Firstly, Victor is stressed from his studies, he then chooses to follow the monster voyaging to see the beautiful landscape of The Chamonix Valley, “the sound of the river raging among the rocks, and the dashing of the waterfalls around spoke of a power mighty as omnipotence” (Frankenstein 76). This text shows how Victor becomes relaxed and content while visiting the beautiful landscape; the Chamonix Valley was vacant and had soothing, but meaningful sounds, allowing him to get off by himself for a while and reflect on his life. He is beginning to realize that nature is his sanctuary and that he wants to grow close to nature as well. Secondly, Victor portrays a morbid event at the age of fifteen years old while he was at the family house near Belrive, “As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump… I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed" (Frankenstein 26). This is describing a violent theme through the thunderstorm that had frightened Victor and briefly changed the theme to be gloom and portray his emotions at the time. Victor is stunned by the sensitivity of life and how short and gifted it may be; he then knows nature is not
Frankenstein is a novel written by Mary Shelley, that is usually referred to as a modern Prometheus.Mary Shelley, was the first author of her time period to introduce science-fiction by addressing the creation of artificial life beyond God’s will and human suffering, therefore making Frankenstein a classic and an important reason why we still study it today.
Victor Frankenstein's curiosity to explore the secrets of nature marks the beginning of his end. He underestimates the power of nature and makes a huge mistake by placing excessive confidence on his own scientific knowledge. Nature is punishing Victor as a result of trying to expose the secrets of the divine. This is noticed when he abhors his creature and wishes he had never created him. The theme of sublime nature and dangers of forbidden knowledge are shown in the novel.
The atmosphere of Frankenstein is almost in its entirety eerie, disturbing, and depressing. The atmosphere of this novel also includes its characters, their back stories, the environment they are subjected to, and the actions those characters perform. Victor’s isolation period prior to the gift of life to the creature is a prime example of Shelley’s use of atmosphere to create an eerie and disturbing picture within the reader’s mind. Prior to the creation of the creature Victor goes into complete seclusion to study the recreation of life. He forms the creature from parts of dead criminals. The actions Victor takes paints a dark picture of him that lifts an uneasy feeling inside of the reader’s stomach. The darkness and depressing mood of the piece does not
on society? Technology has a huge impact on society. In fact, we all somehow have
The creature and Victor are both so fascinated with the sublime landscapes that their fascination forces them to explore the boundaries of their experiences, leaving behind reality. Nature plays a very powerful role that negatively and positively impacts Victor and the creature. Mary Shelley creates a relationship between Victor and nature in that nature is used as a restorative representative in the book. “We (Victor and Henry) passed
The ability to create and destroy through the use of science is one of many driving forces that lead people to choose this field of study. Mary Shelley creates a thought-provoking storyline through the eyes of scientist Victor Frankenstein in her novel Frankenstein, who experiences these driving forces. In her world-known novel the scientist fulfills his goals of giving life to a spirit-less body, playing God. Shortly after, he becomes frightened of the creature he created, making him flee his home. In doing so, the monster leaves the home and kick-starts a bloody journey of attacking his family as revenge for the lack of compassion and love he received from his creator. After the death of his youngest brother, William, and the wrongful conviction of a family friend, Victor Frankenstein is forced to protect his family and friends by trying to end the life of his creation. The purpose of Shelley’s writing is to reveal the dark workings inside the human mind. She uses this story to display a new writing style, describe the influence science can have on the mindset of scientists, and the disturbing outcomes that can occur with its use.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a product of the era of its conception. Originally published in 1818, the novel found itself released at the height of the Industrial Revolution. During this tumultuous time period, many nations and peoples found themselves witnesses the dawn of a new era and a new way of life. Industrialization brought with it the possibility and promise of a simplified and more efficient way of living.
Nature influences us everyday, whether it is noticed by us or not. However, nature rarely has a supernatural effect on us in comparison to Victor Frankenstein and his monster. Nature controls the plot of Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein. The events that happen in the book are seasonally based making it easily predictable. Victor creates the monster in the fall when everything is dying and coming to an end. Victor awakens in the spring when the monster is gone and nature begins a new year of life. Victor’s biggest mistake is his ambition. By playing God and controlling nature, trying to preventing death, Victor starts a series of misfortunes for himself and the people he loves. Victor and the monster struggle to find their places in the world and look toward nature for comfort and guidance.
However, Victor, does not refrain from listening to his professor’s teachings by creating life. Victor has broken that barrier that separated him from God when he created Frankenstein. In return for his actions, Mother Nature still played her role in life and he soon realized what he has created, killed all his loved ones. Her novel imitates majority of what she was going through in her time during 1816. Around this period
Throughout the novel, Shelley chooses to utilise more ‘romantic’ images of nature, from soaring mountains to flowing streams, to relate character emotions rather than through dialogue or simple description. Early in the novel, Victor’s idyllic childhood is compared to a swelling mountain stream, and he is later drawn to nature as a source of inspiration and education. Victor continuously falls ill, and his path to health also shows a connection with the world around him. He discovers both bodily health and spiritual renewal from travelling to Mont Blanc following his younger brother’s death. At this point, it becomes clear the Frankenstein’s health and sanity and tied closely to his interactions with nature, and this is apparent in other central characters as well.