Romanticism and Frankenstein Essay Example

Within Frankenstein, nature plays a key role as it serves as the focal point of both Walton's and Victor's endeavors. As it appears, nature offers the characters comfort and helps restore their peace of mind. Moreover, the "creative force" of nature seems to be the enticement for both Walton and Victor's actions. What's even more significant though, which is in some accord with Romantic ideals, is the message the story relays that nature is not something to be conquered, but rather something to embrace and harmonize with. In concurrence with the latter, Frankenstein also suggests, again using nature as the advocate, that there is a fine line between discovering a union with nature and all its grandeur and exploiting nature. Concerning this, it may be conceived that Shelley is critical of the Romantic Era and its ideals due to the potential, and perhaps even inevitable, danger it brings when taken to the extreme in conjunction with the upsurge of modern technology and science. Nature as a source of solace may be seen in relation to most of the characters, but most notably Victor and his monster. An example of Victor's found comfort with nature is depicted quite well through his journey to the valley of Chamounix. His descriptions of the scenery, exclaiming how the "sound of the river among the rocks, and the dashing of the waterfalls around…formed a scene of singular beauty," connote the tranquility he felt while surrounded by nature in it's totality, allowing nature as the remarkable entity that it is calm his soul (91). Earlier in the story, Victor explicitly portrays the power nature has on "bestowing" such sublimity: "A serene sky and verdant fields filled me with ecstasy" and in turn enabled him to remain "undisturbed by thoughts" of which emotionally burdened and consumed him prior to his reunion with Clerval (68). As noted earlier, Victor's monster also indulges himself into the splendor of nature to resolve ill feelings concerning his