Mary Shelley uses Frankenstein and his trials to show how detrimental defying nature can be. First, she uses the weather to describe Frankenstein\u2019s appearances and actions. When Victor Frankenstein is growing up, he appreciates and admires nature and its beauty; however, when he resides in his tower, he ignores nature completely. Because of this, he becomes ill and seemingly dead to the world. Frankenstein states that during the process of finding success, \u201cno one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane\u2026the summer months passed while I was thus engaged…in one pursuit. It was a most beautiful season; never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest\u2026but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature\u201d (Shelley 81). Frankenstein compares his drive for success to that of a hurricane. Hurricanes ultimately end in destruction, however, and therefore Shelley uses nature to symbolize destruction. Also, Frankenstein states that his eyes have become \u201cinsensible\u201d to the \u201ccharms of nature.\u201d Nature is passing by him in his surroundings, yet, though eyes are biologically supposed to adjust to their surroundings, his eyes no longer function well enough for him to notice or cherish nature. After working like this for years, he inevitably becomes ill and withdraws from society. Thus, nature is necessary for survival, and ignoring nature also leads to destruction.<\/p>\n
Frankenstein\u2019s going against nature also ends in disaster. He is going against disaster by giving life back to the dead and thus breaking the circle of life. Frankenstein begins to describe his creation as \u201cbeautiful,\u201d but quickly realizes that \u201cthese luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with\u2026his shriveled complexion, and straight black lips\u2026now that I finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror\u2026filled my heart\u201d (84). Now that Frankenstein has created life from death, he himself is \u201cbreathless\u201d and haunted by the \u201chorror\u201d that \u201cfills his heart.\u201d Shelley is pointing out the error of his ways to her reader. As Frankenstein is at the brink of psychological and physical destruction by the time his friend Clerval comes to take care of him, it is showing that anyone\u2019s going against nature and its boundaries has severe consequences. Also, Frankenstein now has a huge burden, that, though at first he thinks is gone, actually still exists when he sees him for a brief moment towards the end of Volume I. He will have to live with these consequences that linger in society. Overall, through Frankenstein\u2019s defying the laws of nature and its allowances, Shelley is making a statement that nature is extremely powerful and one should not go against it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mary Shelley uses Frankenstein and his trials to show how detrimental defying nature can be. First, she uses the weather to describe Frankenstein\u2019s appearances and actions. When Victor Frankenstein is growing up, he appreciates and admires nature and its beauty; however, when he resides in his tower, he ignores nature completely. Because of this, he<\/p>\n