Sublime Nature in Frankenstein Mary Shelley uses nature several ways in this novel: as an omnipotent force of foreshadowing, the natural surroundings of this novel are shown to have therapeutic powers, do not harm nature for your own advantage, and as a restorative agent for Victor. In my opinion, Mary is trying to tell us that nature should not be altered. Shelley’s link between nature and the influential feelings of man is very evident throughout this book. Nature offers Victor and the monster the marvel of spiritual renewal. She purposely lay the elevated vision of Mother Nature with the frightening phenomenon of an artificial monster and his alarming exploits.
Some might even say Shelley ardently agreed with the position in which they found themselves and the securely fixed roles during the Victorian era. Caroline Frankenstein, for example, from the beginning is the embodiment of the idealised female. She is initially presented as the perfect daughter, nursing her father lovingly till his death, and progresses on to the perfect wife, though one might argue that she never ‘progresses’ at all . She remains pale, lacking the life and vigour the men in the book so often posses, and as a result the reader pushes her to the side as a minor character. But although at first Frankenstein may give the reader the impression that women have very little impact in the novel, Shelley slyly uses them to deconstruct the power and control that men had been enjoying for years .
The Gothic genre allows the purpose to reach the audience. In Chapter two, Victor meets his creation in the presence of nature, contrasting the scientifically created monster. The sublime gothic technique emphasises the power of nature to adjust Victor's mood, giving perspective of its relative importance. The novel's epistolary structure, as an example of realism, contains the personal accounts of Frankenstein and his monster. Their downfall due to technology gives credibility to the warning.
Although it seems to help this couple that they appear deeply in love. The dialogue on page 141 best describes the touching and painful nature of their relationship and the book itself, “Jacob kept rocking him in his arms. “Shhh Shhh I’ll carry you.” “Like water?” “What?” “Like a river carries water.” “Yes-Just like that.” The relationship of these two men, the deterioration and death of Joaquin, and the suffering are a powerful reminder of how fleeting life is. Lizzie, Helen’s best friend and Joaquin’s nurse plays a huge role in the spirituality and connections between all of the players in “Carry me like Water”. Her story begins while caring for an AIDS patient and discovering through visions and research he is her brother.
Is this to prognosticate peace, or to mock at my unhappiness?’" (Shelley, 87). Frankenstein is offended by the beauty and calmness of the scenery because it diverges from the way he feels inside. The effects of the sublime on human emotions are further demonstrated when Frankenstein becomes depressed after the execution of his friend, Justine. His father,
Elizabeth Lavenza states to Victor Frankenstein, “I have written myself into better spirits, dear cousin; but my anxiety returns upon me as I conclude” (Shelley 51), which is showing how Elizabeth Lavenza is writing to Victor Frankenstein in a positive manner and how she is getting anxiety while coming to the end of the letter. Additionally, Elizabeth Lavenza is proving how attached she is to Victor Frankenstein in the way that she does not want say good bye to Victor Frankenstein in her letter. Furthermore, Elizabeth states, “Be happy, my dear Victor…” and “…there is, I hope, nothing to distress you…” (Shelley 170), which is illustrating how Elizabeth Lavenza cares for Victor Frankenstein’s happiness and how she wants him to not be stressed. Overall, Elizabeth Lavenza wants Victor Frankenstein to be joyful and stress-free. All in all, Victor Frankenstein and Elizabeth Lavenza have a resilient relationship that exemplifies their love for each
Though there is the dark side of nature, the rain, it has already been discussed. The monster reflects on the strength of nature saying, “I felt sensations of a peculiar and overpowering nature; they were a mixture of pain and pleasure.” Nature’s “good side” is acting as the mother of all and carries out divine actions. Every time Victor is embracing the beauty of a mountain or lake, his anxiety is relieved. Victor points out that, “The very winds whispered in soothing accents, and maternal Nature bade me weep no more.” Shelley uses Victor to associate nature as a caring mother. The monster receives Nature’s aid when he is first out on his own, as objects sheltered him and streams provided him with drink.
The downfall of Dr. Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s novel is directly correlated with the humanization of the creature he creates. Through the development of both these characters, Shelley communicates ideas of companionship and the abuse of knowledge as well as raising the question as to what makes people human. Shelley responds to her Gothic, post-Enlightenment and Romantic context, drawing on important Gothic techniques such as the use of sublimes, Gothic polarities and isolated setting. The Age of Reason is also reflected in the novel’s scientific content. Shelley uses a set of letters written by a man called Walton to his sister Margaret as a framing device for her novel.
Alphonse Frankenstein is Victor’s father, and is very sympathetic toward his son. Alphonse consoles Victor in moments of pain and encourages him to remember the importance of family. Elizabeth Lavenza is an orphan, four to five years younger than Victor, whom the Frankenstein’s
To the reader, it seems that Shelly consistently reminds us of the lack of responsibility on the part of Frankenstein, and the monster’s inherent innocence, who is only made evil by his circumstances. But like the reader, Shelley too, is unclear about whose behaviour is most unjustifiable and unpardonable. With reference to David Punter’s essay “Gothic and Romanticism”, Victor Frankenstein can be compared to the ‘Wanderer’, the Wanderer’s essential characteristics being that he is hero and victim both, who defies God by crossing the laws of mortality and dares to touch the untouchable. The Wanderer is never satisfied with the restrictions placed on him by an ordered society, and he ultimately suffers for his disobedience. Victor clearly fits the description of the Wanderer, as his obsessive need to create life and be its sole creator has a hint of an unnatural desperation to satisfy his ego and attain gratitude.