There are a variety of ways in which the main character, Victor, is punished by God for his vandalizm of nature. Personal guilt, depression, but most importantly, revenge against his creation. To begin, after Victor creates Monster, and neglects him, Victor is plagued with mental agony for what he has created. After Monster is created, Victor runs out of his apartment in fear due to his horrible image. Monster’s mutilated face is a prime demonstration on the consequences if nature is disturbed.
At first glance, Mary Shelley displays Victor’s creature as a blood-thirsty, grotesque monster, but as the story develops, it is revealed as pure and innocent, however it was corrupted due to the abuse and suffering that society caused him. Through this character development, Mary Shelley perhaps wanted to tell the readers that everyone is born righteous but they can be changed due to the actions of the people around them. Throughout the plot of the novel, the theme of rejection and isolation is discussed many times; however, in chapter 5, we see the beginning of the monster’s life and how his own creator rejecting him affects him. At first, Victor says “I had selected his features as beautiful.
After the creature is finished explaining its story to Victor, there is a turning point in the novel. Victor realizes that he needs to take on some responsibility for his creation: “did I not as his maker, owe him all the portion of happiness that it was in my power to bestow?”(Shelley 148). Victor also thinks, “…the justice due both to him and my fellow creatures demanded of me that I should comply with his request. ”(Shelley 150). Victor is finally understanding that he needs to take on some responsibility for this creature.
Did his ‘perfect’ childhood cause Victor to have unrealistic images of what was supposed to be a ‘perfect’ human being? Does this then put the blame off of Victor for abandoning the monster? Either way, Victor has evidently influenced on the development of the monster’s violent nature and desire for revenge through complete rejection and abandonment of his own creation. Point 3: Society’s rejection + Rousseau Society’s hostility towards the monster and the resulting pain of loneliness and not belonging is another factor that motivates the monster to revenge. Rousseau also had a major influence on Shelley’s views of the nature nurture debate.
In the preceding volumes Shelley delved into the individual faults of Victor and The Creature. However, the theme of actions having consequences within this volume is reinforced through the collaborative efforts of these two characters. Consumed by the goal of enacting what they viewed as rightful vengeance, Victor and his Creation pursue each other relentlessly; To where Victor chases after The Creature and it somehow manages to elude him every time. Victor figured that it was his responsibility to end the creature’s life to atone for his wretched actions while The Creature saw his constant torment of Victor as revenge for how Victor abandoned him early on in his development. Shelley uses this intense rivalry to drive home her central theme, being how unchecked tendencies such as overambition, jealousy, and vengeance ultimately end up dictating one’s life instead of the other way around thus leaving one powerless.
Throughout the story, Victor faces a series of consequences as a result of his unethical behavior, which extend far beyond his personal pain and infect the lives of people around him. His reckless use of knowledge and abandonment of the creature resulted in the creature's loneliness and sense of rejection, causing its spiral into violence and vengeance against its creator. Frankenstein's failure to recognize the creature's rights and humanity increased its agony and fueled its need for vengeance. Additionally, his actions set off a chain reaction of disaster that affected not only himself but also his loved ones, demonstrating the ethical consequences of playing god and ignoring one's responsibilities as a creator. The devastating death of
Throughout the entirety of the novel, nature is presented in a way that allows the characters to be restored and reach a more peaceful state of mind. Using the common style of nature being presented as a maternal presence, Shelley is able to use nature as an external force throughout the novel. One of the vital ways Shelley illustrates nature as an external character is by her use of seasons affecting specific characters in certain ways. Victor
In the same way, while the creature is learning how to survive he finds a fire in the woods he “examined the materials of the fire, and to [his] joy found it to be composed of wood. [He] quickly collected some branches; but they were wet and would not burn” (Shelley 95). The creature is comprehending how to use nature and its impacts on mankind. This plot point thrills the creature to finally being able to use nature as humans do. In short, both Victor and the creature are inspired by nature appearing to change their mental state to a more positive
The novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley is a depiction of the Romantic Movement because the Romantic Movement was an era that rejected the idealistic and rationality that symbolized classicism and neoclassicism in particular. Romanticism was a response against the enlightenment era and against the eighteenth century logical way of thinking. Romanticism in brief highlighted the individuality and the subjectivity of literature (Britannica, 2017). Therefore, the Romantic Era people were freer to be themselves, they were not subject to logical thought – the people were able to think in a new way. While Mary Shelley was writing Frankenstein, she was only the age of nineteen years old.
The interaction between Victor and nature help to exemplify the Gothic traits in the novel. Shelley shows that defying nature comes with consequences, such as misery and violence. When Victor is thinking of and planning on how to build the
Nature is quintessential to the concept of romanticism. Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, during the late romantic period, used nature symbols when writing her novel. One of the major symbols in the novel is children. Children are a romantic symbol, as they display youth and innocence. During the period of romanticism, the natural purity of children stood out amongst the ever growing mechanical and scientific life of adults.
The Romantic Movement started in Germany and then it moved all around the world and became well known in England. It was a reaction to the Enlightenment and the focus on the human reason. It was a reaction towards the Industrial Revolution and Neo Classical Movement as well. Frankenstein is a novel which is written by Mary Shelley. It is an example of a Romantic novel.
By always describing every single aspect of the surrounding scenery Shelley incorporates a theme of nature into her work. She also examines how this nature affects the characters and how they interact with it. This effect ranges from the harsh unforgiving environment that the monster lives in after his conception, to the nicer gentler environment of Victor’s home. The stark contrast of these two environments shows how the monster could become what he is while also revealing how Victor’s personality developed. Shelley also likes to explore themes of science very realistically.
Many people might struggle to understand why Frankenstein is a perfect example of Romantic literature, but because they see the word romantic and think of Nicholas Sparks novels rather than recognize the literary meaning. Two qualities that distinguish Romantic literature are a focus on the individual and the use of imagination. The novel Frankenstein is a strong example of both qualities. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein demonstrates a remarkable use of imagination for her time. More than 30 years later Civil War doctors were having trouble amputating limbs and keeping someone alive, whereas Mary Shelley was writing about a scientist that creates life.
Victor was a lonely guy and all he wanted was a friend so he took science to the extreme. All throughout Mary Shelley's novel she tells a story about how Victor the creator is clearly the real monster and his creation is the victim. Victor
