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Juxtaposition In Frankenstein

743 Words3 Pages

Akhil Krishnamurthy
Professor Steele
ENGL 1325 Section 009
February 10th, 2023

Frankenstein: A Descriptive Analysis Of Nature’s Connection with Humans The excerpt, gathered from “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, occurs in the introduction to Victor Frankenstein’s life as an adolescent. During this point in the piece, Victor discusses the fruit he admires in natural phenomena and how the work of nature astonishes him. The excerpt taken is the one main reference for Victor on the climax of his interest and excitement in the mechanisms of nature. More importantly however, this excerpt contributes to the novel’s general discussion of the immensity of nature’s destruction as well as its connection to humans’ specific curiosities of nature through the use of word choice and figurative language. First, the specific word choice and figurative languages used by the author in the excerpt directly sets a tone that emphasizes the destructive …show more content…

To stress further, Shelley describes the lightning as destructive by pointing out that the lightning will not stop at any cause and does not feel pity for any such object such as an old tree, drawing attention to the claim that nature is all-powerful as a whole and has no remorse for its actions. Victor later describes the aftermath of oak tree’s contact with the lightning as its “dazzling light vanished” but the lightning left the “oak [which] disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump”. Shelley utilizes imagery to describe the quickness of the lightning, causing a sudden old stump to be shredded into oblivion. As a result, Shelley utilizes the excerpt to exclaim upon the fact that nature in general is powerful and something that is not controllable by the mechanisms of a

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Victor Frankenstein had spent years studying in Ingolstadt without family or even friends and the test of time proved it to be hugely unhealthy from him. To start off, this isolation took a toll on Victor’s mind as he could no longer see beauty outside of his pursuit of knowledge. This is seen when he says, “Never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest or the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage, but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature” (55). Before studying in Ingolstadt and before exploring his curiosity, Victor enjoyed nature. Apparently, it is because of this interest in the human body that made him see the outside world of no importance and now, he is “insensible to the charms of nature”.

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In the following passage from Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses an abundance of stylistic elements, simple tone, and major themes to portray Victor Frankenstein’s emotional state. Throughout the novel, Shelley uses detailed metaphors to assist the reader into connecting with the characters and their troubling situations. One specific example of these detailed metaphors are, “trees lie broken and strewed on the ground; some entirely destroyed, others bent, leaning upon the jutting rocks of the mountain or transversely upon other trees”. This metaphor illustrates and compares Victor’s family tree to broken trees. Victor watched as his family tree became damaged, just like the ones on the mountain.

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