Devastating Nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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One’s nature has always influenced his or her actions. Everyone has his or her unique attitude but there are different attributes that make up one’s attitude. Arrogance, overconfidence, greed, selfishness, selflessness, benevolence, and fear are among these attributes. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley empowers her characters with these attributes. In the gothic novel Frankenstein, the character Victor creates a creature in order to fulfill his ambitions. This creature is abandoned by Victor, which causes the creature to be overwhelmed with loneliness. Everyone judges the creature by his appearance and this causes the creature to disdain his master. The creature murders Victor’s family and later both of them duel each other in order to satiate their need of vengeance. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the characterizations of Victor and the creature in order to convey the idea that those who are overwhelmed with ignorance and arrogance are bound to experience sorrow.
First, Shelley characterizes Victor as an ignorant man to convey the idea that ignorance leads to sorrow. In the following passage, Victor is informing Walton of how he had worked day and night without sleep; however, all of his hard work was in vain:
I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate for this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, continued a long time traversing my bed chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep. (Shelley 47)
Shelley uses ...

... middle of paper ...

... sense, the physical secrets of the world. (Shelley 30)
Victor desires to learn the “secret of heaven”, which shows his arrogance. Victor wants to achieve something, which no human has achieved. He also wants to obtain the secrets of nature: “the mysterious soul” of human beings. Nature is someth ing which is far too difficult for humans to understand, which shows his audacity. Later on in the story, Victor repents in seeking this knowledge and this later becomes the cause of his death. Thus, Victor’s arrogance has caused his demise.
The ignorance and arrogance of Victor Frankenstein has caused him to mourn. Victor was unaware of the consequences of his own actions and as a result he had to feel remorse. Victor was also arrogant and his dreams were far beyond his reach. Thereupon, one should not have ignorance and arrogance or else he will experience sorrow.

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