Atmosphere in Shelley's Frankenstein

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Throughout the novel, Shelley uses a very gothic and gloomy atmosphere partly because she is reflecting her personal life into the novel and also to emphasis on the horror that come when men try to play God. “As I still pursued my journey to the northward, the snows thickened and the cold increased in a degree almost too severe to support.” (203, Shelley) In the quote, Victor tracks down the monster in the Arctic, Shelley uses such desolate locations to show the isolation of both Victor and the monster. Other desolate places such as the places described by Victor, (locations throughout Europe) were also used. Shelley uses the gothic genre to show the dark side of human nature. Victor became so carried away with his with his experiments that he did not consider that it would be evil to try to play God. “I had deprived myself of rest and health” (51, Shelley). It can be seen here that Victor what very involved In his studies of the reanimation of life, he does not think of the moral issues that might arise from his experiments. It is Victor that controls the technology and knowledge of life, but he insists on creating the monster. Shelley uses public prejudice showing the evil that society creates through the ever changing personality of the monster. “Who can describe their horror and consternation on beholding me?” (132, Shelley) The reaction of the De Lancy family towards the monster shows the horridness of the monster’s appearance, even though the monster was once described as “good spirits”, the De Lancys now detest him. In gothic novels, ideas about the supernatural and the mysterious are often mentioned, “the characters seen to bridge the mortal world and supernatural world.” (74, Coghill), Victor seems to have a mental bond with his creation, the monster seems to know the whereabouts of Victor wherever he goes. Shelley uses allusions from Rime of the Ancient Mariner to show man’s journey for knowledge through Walton’s expedition. This also links to Victor as he is somewhat similar to the Ancient Mariner, they both seek knowledge though the results of their acquired knowledge is different. The Mariner seeks spiritual knowledge while Victor searches for the secrets of life, Victor is cursed by his acquired knowledge unlike the Mariner who was freed by it. Through the Marina’s curse of killing the albatross, he learns to love all that God creates, Victor does not love what he has created causing the monster to want to kill his creator.

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