Preview

Fire Symbolism In Frankenstein

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
232 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Fire Symbolism In Frankenstein
What exactly does fire symbolize in "Frankenstein"? Perhaps it is a symbol of destruction or doom. One could also argue it is symbolic of life in this novel.

The complete title of this novel by Mary Shelley is "Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus". This alternative title for the novel compares Victor to the Greek God, Prometheus. Prometheus had been punished severely after he had given to the people his knowledge of fire. In the novel, Victor ends up suffering as a result of his attempts to give the secret of life. Therefore you could say that fire is symbolic of life in "Frankenstein".

"...and the cottage was quickly enveloped by the flames, which clung to it, and licked it with their forked and destroying tongues." The creature burns

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 is a novel inanimate objects that serve important purposes that tie to the theme of the book. Fire is one of many inanimate objects in this novel. At the beginning fires purpose is destruction to destroy the outlawed books from people in this society. Then it brings the firemen pleasure when the burn stuff by seeing it turn dark brown and then black, from perfectly fine to ashes. Then at the end it brings Montog comfort and warmth when he was running from the hound.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fire is one of the many symbols represented in Fahrenheit 451. Fire can be observed as both renewal and destruction. The biggest reference to fire is at the end of the novel when Granger explains to Montag the meaning and existence of the Phoenix. Granger explains that every few hundred years, a Phoenix will appear and burn himself to ashes. The Phoenix would then spring out from the ashes to be born again. Granger compares this reference to mankind and how it destroys himself, only to be rebuilt. The Phoenix is a symbol of renewal.…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel by Dickens, there are several incidences where fire is used in a symbolic way. The fire at Miss Havisham’s home in chapter VIII, 45 was extinguished. Miss Havisham went past the fires that had been extinguished, to the stairs and past a gallery. She looked as though she was ascending into the sky. This is symbolic of the passion that she had. The fires were extinguished meaning that her passion had faded. Miss Havisham, was slowly wasting away.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Think of the word "fire". What's the first thing that comes to mind? To some it's s'mores, to others it's destruction. For Montag Fire was a tool for his profession; "It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed." This line was found in the beginning of a Fahrenheit 451. Montag was in charge of burning the books that were found, but throughout the movie his understanding of fire changed.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fire is often described as being destructive, ruinous, and catastrophic. It is a natural resource that can be used and interpreted in many ways. As for Ray Bradbury, author of the dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451; Fire can be a positive and negative symbol. Bradbury begins his novel by using fire as a symbol for destruction and demolition of a society that has been primarily cultivated through books and historical writings. As the novel progresses, fire becomes a symbol for rejuvenation for the dystopian…

    • 84 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the presence of fire has obvious significance. What is important to look at, however, is how it’s meaning evolves throughout the book. As Guy Montag’s views change on society and the world around him, so does the connotation of fire. First, the fire represents power, and the satisfaction that comes with it. Then, as Montag is exposed to more radical thinking, the meaning evolves into violence and destruction. By the end of the novel, the image of fire symbolizes hope, as he works with Faber, and the book people to restore society.…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Clearly, a single word can have a dozen different interpretations. In the dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury illustrates a futuristic civilization where life is meaningless, and technology is so depended upon that it restricts free-thinking. Within the novel, he embeds the symbol of fire, which alternates in significance via each character. Through the use of symbolism, Bradbury demonstrates the power behind fire; through imagery he reveals the destruction it can partake in, and through diction he reveals that a controlled fire can evolve into a symbol of warmth and comfort.…

    • 91 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Fahrenheit 451 emphasizes many symbols throughout the book, one of them being fire, and how it can be more than just destruction. The theme of fire is shown by representing the destruction of books, however to other characters it is seen as more than just fire. "Burning book pages are compared compared to birds flying away (Bradbury, 2)." Burning books means more than its destruction. It also means that the book's history is no longer coming back. Fire has a powerful role in Fahrenheit 451 and its destruction causing things to change for its citizens. "The fireman feels powerful when he causes things to change (Lenhoff, 1)." Not only is the destruction of books important, but it also causes a person to feel the amount of power fire can have…

    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Victor's death: Usually death is symbolic for negative things, such as loss. In this novel, Victor's death represents finality. Throughout the novel, the Creature made his creator miserable by killing those close to him. When Victor died, his misery left with him. His death also marked the end of the chase between the Creature and Victor. Victor chased the Creature around Europe until the Creature led him back to the Antarctic, where he died. Shelley used this symbol to show how death is not always a bad thing.…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    a figure from Greek mythology who stole fire from the gods and used it to create humans.…

    • 2257 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Frankenstein, a book by Mary Shelley about a scientist named Victor Frankenstein, exhibits many elements and has lots of hidden symbolism within the text. My creature really shows just how unique this book is by having each body part represent some element of the book. The head of the monster is supposed to represent how quick the monster learns and how reading affected his growth. The monster learns language very quickly “My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehended and could imitate almost every word that was spoken” (13. 12). This shows how the monster learns very fast, faster than a normal…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Victor Frankenstein was obsessed with unlocking the “mysteries of creation”. He expresses this by saying, “I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.”For Frankenstein, this is an immoral act that goes against all the laws of nature, as he is in no position to be performing this practice. He is overstepping his limits as a mortal by performing the action of an immortal; essentially, he’s “playing God”. Shelley uses this as an allusion to the Legend of Prometheus. Prometheus was affectionate of his creation, man. For them, he stole fire from the heavens and gifted it to them, much to Zeus’s dismay. Here as well, Prometheus overstepped his limits by taking from a higher deity, just as Frankenstein did in a different way. Shelley uses this allusion to show that both characters have gone farther than their morals dictate, both through the underlying theme of creation. Blinded by their ambition towards creation, they both went against the laws of nature; Frankenstein through the actual practice of creation, and Prometheus through gifting the fire. By overstepping their limits, both Frankenstein and Prometheus have set themselves up for some severe repercussions to their…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The use of symbolism also strengthens the prevailing theme by tying in additional hidden messages to the novel. The process of Frankenstein relaying his story is painful for him because it is symbolic that he never learned from his mistakes or repented. He expresses this grief to Walton “I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted upon me; I have tried to dispel them, but sorrow only increased with knowledge” (Shelley 83). Frankenstein’s story shows how his entire pursuit has brought him nothing but pain and grief. Yet despite telling this story and experiencing all his grief anew, he still does not fully reject the pursuit of excess knowledge. This is symbolic of him being in a state of denial which ties in to how he…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story ‘’The Road’’ by Cormac Mccarthy, fire is often used as a symbol, and fire is represent survival. From the beginning of human’s civilization, fire has been using by human for live and survive, and the fire in the story was not an exception. In the path of the father and son, there were many obstacles that stand against them, yet they did not give up to live and fire is become their assistance. An example for fire became a symbol of survival was when it states, ’’The night they camped in a ravine and built a fire against a small stone bluff and ate their last food’’(page 80). Fire is what comes to ignite their will, it produces flame to warm their food and keep their life going. Fire also is a symbol of the immortal will when it said, ‘’ They slept through the night in their exhaustion and in the morning the fire was dead and black on the ground’’(page 93), ‘’He got a fire going and walked out to the edge of the woodlot and stood looking over the country. (page 93-94). When the fire of hope slaked, it awoke again; it is mean that the fire of hope will be endlessly protected to father and son.…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Dialectic Journal The Road

    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages

    fire” is used in the book to demonstrate that no matter how hungry, powerless, or tired the boy…

    • 1756 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays