The novel depicts the romanticism that lies in nature. The romantic movement of nature is greater than any other movement in the world. Dr. Frankenstein was in a state of despair, rage, and fear as a result of his work invoking nature. The Alps help him overcome his fear of a monster. Frankenstein is an essence of romantic and Gothic elements, and this combination makes the novel unique.
Dr. Frankenstein realizes the significance of the Industrial Revolution at the time, and his sole focus was on making a creation without taking into account the consequences. His obsession prompted him to gain knowledge of natural philosophy, which led him to live in isolation in pursuance of his objective. As the novel progresses, Frankenstein becomes more self-centered and irresponsible of his creation. The anti-Enlightenment attitude is also found in Frankenstein as a romantic element. However, Romanticism emphasized sanity as the way to develop ethics, a good code of conduct in life, knowledge, reasoning, and aesthetics for peace and tranquility (Bloom 98). In reality, romanticism is acquiring knowledge of life through personal experience and wisdom.
Considering his intellectual ability and passion for work, Dr. Frankenstein turned extremist. He was self-driven and passionate about the knowledge of the nature of philosophy and the creation of the living thing. He sees it as romanticism, but in reality, it is his obsession. His scientific creation, which he brought into existence by using a dead body, got out of his control and turned into a monster. After being created, the monster became dark and wanted to bring destruction and death to everything around him. The beauty of the world around him made him jealous. The monster was not anti-humanity, he was revengeful though. Monster once saved the life a young boy and in return, he is shot, he describes his pain that the bone and flesh and bones are coming out the body (Bloom 76). He deplored all of humanity as a result of this incident. This event filled hatred and vengeance inside of him,m and he was ready to inflict harm on mankind.
The monster wanted to be seen and treated as human, but everyone who saw him hated him, even a small child, disapproved of him. His physical and intellectual abilities went beyond that of a normal person. Initially, he loved nature and natural beauty, but once he turned anti-human, even the beauty of nature didn’t inspire him, and eventually, he became anti-romantic (Bloom 134). The beauty of the world around him made him jealous. There was a time when the monster wanted to present himself to the world, but this didn’t happen.
Frankenstein faced serious consequences as the monster murdered his loved ones. His bride, on the wedding night, fell prey to the monster, and he killed her brutally. This led Frankenstein to ultimate isolation.
Frankenstein is in the extreme conditions of the Alps to get rid of the guilt of the death of his loved ones. He was also in the chase of the monster through Europe and Russia. The creature who brought destruction to his life. He realizes that his extravagant imagination prompted him to take up the subject that society advised him to avoid. This was the time when he looked inside him deeply and performed his catharsis. He knew he deviated from nature and how serious the implications were that he was going through at that point in time. The story starts with Walton’s search for a new venue from Russia to the Pacific Ocean by means of the Arctic Ocean.
Further, after several weeks, the crew was able to find an abnormally weak and thin man named Victor Frankenstein, who was floating on an ice flow and was close to death. He was able to get hold of the monster. A monster that appeared from the haze and who killed Victor and disappeared again with a commitment to never be seen again ever. Walton’s series of letters to his sister in England narrated the tragic life story of Victor Frankenstein (Bloom 131). This story covers all the aspects of his early life, his college, his inspiration to explore nature, and how he created a living being that transformed into a monster.
Victor grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, and he was a beloved child with the ability to learn things quickly. Victor was raised with Elizabeth, who was an orphan adopted by Victor’s family. At the time, when Victor was preparing for his higher studies at the University of Ingolstadt, both his mother and Elizabeth fell sick due to scarlet fever, and as a result, his mother died. However, Elizabeth was able to recover from it.
During the first two years of his university, Victor impressed his fellows and teachers greatly and became involved with his studies. Then, he made a plan to create and restructure a dead body. He used the knowledge of chemistry, electricity, and alchemy for that purpose. This was his ambition, which he wanted to bring to reality at any cost (Bloom 125). The creation then turns into a monster and brings devastation to Victor Frankenstein’s life.
Marry Shelly, the author of this novel, shows the romanticism of Victor Frankenstein, the main character of this novel, and she also discusses Walton’s passion for seeking a new passage. There was also a sense of romanticism in the monster as he loved nature initially, but later, the attitude of a human put him off, and the romance turned into fierce rivalry and vengeance.
The writer emphasizes the point that romanticism should remain within nature. If it goes beyond, it invites many troubles and inflicts severe destruction on humans. Before pursuing dreams, one should analyze the implications in case passion turns into obsession.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold. Frankenstein. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004. Internet resource.
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