Frankenstein Literary Analysis

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the character of Victor Frankenstein decides to discover the secret of life by creating a "miserable monster" who he had "miserably given life" to. From the moment his monster is brought to life, Frankenstein in reality "betrays nature" by contributing to the production of a monster who is not supposed to exist. The "hell" of tampering with nature creates catastrophe consequences on Victor's life immediately as soon as the monster was created. The aftermath, of bringing this monster into a world where it does not belong, nature decides to interfere with Frankenstein's well-being instead of acting as his personal savior. Shelley connects natural sceneries with Victor's emotions and moods as the seasons change along with significant events that happen in Victor's life.

The portrayals of natural scenes began to evolve as Frankenstein encounters with his first involvement with nature. It is seen from Frankenstein's childhood that nature has always had a dominant impact on his understanding of the natural world. As a child, Frankenstein witnesses the vicious power of nature when a powerful storm destroys an oak tree nearby his house. Witnessing the tree being destroyed "excited his extreme astonishment" (Shelley, 24). It can be concluded that his desire for creating life may have possibly commenced when he witnesses the powerful lightning storm, completely crafting him to value the powerful forces of nature from an early age. Although Frankenstein's early encounter with nature offers him a sense of security, he does not realize that the destruction of the tree he witnessed as a child was also an indication of betrayal he will face, by nature, when he creates the monster. The fact that he had "never beheld anything so utterly destroyed" (Shelley, 24), Frankenstein fails to realize that this event he witnessed was a warning from nature about the fundamental dangers he will encounter in the future.

Nature is supposed to act as an invigorating agent for Frankenstein, but he feels nothing but "bitterness of disappointment" (Shelley, 38) when his monster comes to life. Victor use to find nature to be consoling but his former connection with nature begins to deteriorate when he becomes obsessed with chasing the monster, becoming determined to capture him. "He had escaped me; and I must commence a destructive and almost endless journey across the mountainous ices of the ocean, - amidst cold that few of inhabitants could long endure, and which I, the native of a genial and sunny climate, could not hope to survive (Shelley, 163). Frankenstein realizes that nature is not providing him any protection from the horrors of the monster's endeavors. Instead, the natural world's powers are making him repay for tampering with it. It is seen that nature is no longer becomes an uplifting sensation for Frankenstein but instead it becomes an immense disappointment.

Although Frankenstein utterly no longer finds nature fulfilling to his needs, he sometimes turns to nature to uplift his spirits. Frankenstein becomes enlightened by nature's healing powers when he became observant