Themes (student descriptions)
Nature vs. Science – version 1
In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley one of the most explored themes is the
contrast between nature and science. Nature is the world as it primarily exists
meanwhile science is the variation and remodeling of nature’s course by mankind’s
intervention. Through the portrayal of the two main protagonists Frankenstein and
the monster, Mary Shelley emphasizes the dominance of nature over science, thus
reflecting the foundations and ideals of Romanticism. Frankenstein’s experiment is
the symbol of the boundary between nature and science, and the monster
represents the exploitation of the moral values of society. As the author
demonstrates throughout the novel nature is the real source of life and when altered
provokes terrible disasters; furthermore, nature’s power is reflected on many
occasions, such as when the ice in the North Pole blocks the course of the ship and
Frankenstein is unable to confront the powerful current of the sea. The entire novel
is Shelley’s own reflection on the relationship between nature and science. The
author’s perspective of the world, profoundly influenced by her romantic view, is a
developed critic of the effect of science on society which she emphasizes the
dramatic evolvement of events with the death of the most important characters.
Shelley’s ultimate comment on society is that nature and reality triumph over
experimentation with life.
Nature vs. Science – version 2
Science is the knowledge gained by the systematic study of the things around
us. Nature makes up the things that surrounds us. One of the many links between
nature and science is evolution. A major difference can be found between evolution
in science in nature: in science humans have the power to decide evolution while in
nature, the progression of life is determined by external agents and elements.
This bond between science and nature can be seen in the novel Frankenstein, by M.
Shelley. By creating the monster, Dr. Frankenstein breaks the natural evolution. He
gives life to a large, strong, resistant human: a superior being. Frankenstein takes
the power of science and nature and by giving life to dead parts of bodies, he
changes the balance between science and nature, inverting the life cycle and
changing evolution.
M. Shelley lived during the time of Romantics, and that of great scientific
discoveries. Romantic authors loved nature. It was something that gave them
freedom to express themselves. The scientific experiments carried out during those
same years were in contrast with the ideas the Romantic authors had. Nature is
depicted negatively in M. Shelley's novel, who writes about a creation which
contrasts with the force which Romantics loved.
Responsibility and Duty
The main difference between responsibility and duty is that responsibility is a
quality that applies to objects. For example, it is my responsibility not to lose my
wallet. On the other hand, duty is what a human being is called to do. It is a
mother’s duty to protect her children. An example of duty in Frankenstein is that
Victor is ultimately responsible for the deaths of his loved ones. An example of duty
is Victor’s will to find the monster and destroy him before anyone else is killed. He
is filled with this sense of duty after his family members are killed.
There are early signs that Victor does not fulfill his duty. His professors at
Ingolstadt tell him that eh scientists he had been studying were alchymists and that
he should study what they gave him. He does not follow them and continues in the
study which results in the creation of the monster If Victor had followed their the
advice the monster would not have been created. Once Victor sees the monster, he
abandons him and becomes ill. This is an example of his lack of responsibility. So,
the qualities of duty and responsibility are lacking in Victor from the start.
Victor continues to be irresponsible even after the deaths of Justine and William. He
could have told everyone about the monster and prevented further deaths, but he
didn’t. He became sick again and refused to be responsible. When the monster
confronts him, and asks him to be responsible for his existence by creating a female,
Victor aggress to do it, but for the wrong reason. He feels that it will get the monster
to leave him alone. He doesn’t ever feel that the monster may need a companion,
even as he did. Victor is only filled with a sense of duty when Clerval and Elizabeth
are killed. Now, he is consumed by the duty to kill the monster for revenge. This
sense of duty to kill eventually kills Victor in the end.
Appearance vs. Reality - Version 1
The role of appearance and reality in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein shows the reader
that this theme relates to all of the characters. In the beginning, the letters written
by Walton exhibit the need for him to explore the North Pole in order to gain fame
as a pioneer of the land. It appeared as if he was interested in expanding his
knowledge, but in reality all he wanted was to be the first man who set foot in the
vast unknown territories of the North Pole. Victor wants to delve deeper into the
subject and explore the sidelines of science farther than it’s limits allowed him to.
The monster is judged only on his appearance, although he has human emotions and
expresses himself as such. A perfect example of this is when he meets Mr. DeLacey,
the blind cottager who accepts him as kind visitor. Subsequently, when Felix and
Agatha return home is glared at with repugnance and is banished from the hovel.
Ultimately, Mary Shelley creates a connection between the characters with this
common them of appearance masking reality.
Appearance vs. Reality – Version 2
In Frankenstein, Shelley explores the theme of appearance juxtaposed to
reality through various characters involved in the novel. She ironizes on the
way in which her society, as well as ours, "judges a book by its cover", giving
too much importance to appearance and not going in depth to fully
understand the true nature of things. This is a very modern theme since it can
easily be applied to the 21st century mentality, where mass media and
advertisement valorize greatly the countenance of people or merchandise.
The main character who reflects this theme is the monster; she concentrates
on him and how he is discriminated against by all other people because of his
look: the only person who really understands him is De Lacey. Although he is
blind, he is the only person who can really look inside him, and accept him,
and understand his true nature. He is actually the only person who can "see
the truth," therefore he becomes a symbol.
Justice and Injustice
The Romantic sense of disillusionment with the world is eloquently displayed
through Mary Shelley’s portrayal of justice and injustice in her seminal novel,
Frankenstein. Shelley shows in her writing a monster struggling to achieve justice
through the manipulation and eventual destruction of his master/creator. Finding
their root in the monster’s lack of acceptance from humanity, his actions the
manifestation of his attempts to find consolation. The obliteration of all those
Frankenstein loves in the world is simply the monster’s attempt to remedy the
injustices inflicted upon him. To the monster’s horror, all this achieves is to burden
him with an even greater feeling of remorse and despair.
The monster is not alone in his inability to achieve justice in the novel. In particular,
the characters of Henry, William, Justine and Elizabeth, through no fault of their
own, lose their lives at the hands of the monster. The murders of these innocent
creatures represent the destruction of innocence repeatedly expressed in the novel.
By forcing these characters to undergo injustice, we can observe Shelley’s view of
the injustice present in the world.
Nature vs. Nurture – Version 1
Throughout the course of the novel, Shelley explores the recurring theme of the
overlapping power of nature and that of our surroundings, and how the two
influence one another. By presenting several examples of counter-figures, Shelley
makes the reader ponder the coming together, as well as the polarity, of the very
nature of the characters’ beings and their upbringing. In such a way, their nature,
that is their most inner selves, and the way they have been nurtured by the
surrounding people or society, influence each other to form the characters as
individuals. Shelley then uses this specific theme and applies it to a more universal
concept, introducing the various and contrasting doubts on the influences of these
two elements. As readers, we are brought to wonder whether each of us is born
with an innate good or evil, or if perhaps our being nurtured a necessity that can
change our very nature; how much of our true nature resides within us, regardless
of our upbringing?
Perhaps the most evident example of this intricate relationship can be seen through
the contrasting yet at the same time similar, characters of Victor and the monster.
Frankenstein, educated and accepted by society, is initially described as a curious,
warm-hearted and devoted man, whose vision of what is good and bad, of what is
moral and immoral, coincides with that of society. His deep affection towards his
family and his passion for science portray his loving character. However, after the
creation of the monster, his darker side is portrayed as a zealous and overwhelming
rage comes over his entire being and urges him to seek revenge on the ‘horrid’
creature. Therefore, we as the readers, are brought to wonder whether the latter
aspect of Frankenstein’s persona, the rage that fills his heart like the burning fever
he is often struck by, has always been there from birth or if it was his traumatic
experiences (the deaths of William and Justine) to ‘create’ it. The quiet and curious
young student is contrasted with the frantic man who insanely follows his ‘evil’
creation across all lands with the one intention of extinguishing the spark of life that
he himself had so passionately ignited. Similarly, Frankenstein’s monster also
begins his life as a curious and loving creature but spurned by society and by his
own creator, he is alienated and alone in the world, resorting to violence and
wretchedness. His first visions of the world had been of hope and serenity but after
being so roughly cast aside by society, starting from Victor himself, the monster is
left to undergo life without any sort of nurturing. His initially gentle and kind nature
is contrasted with his murderous and destructive actions, such as the murders of
William and Elizabeth: torn between vengefulness and compassion, he ends up
being lonely and tormented by remorse. Ultimately, therefore, Shelley portrays him
not as of completely ‘evil’ nature, but not of completely ‘good’ nature either; as
readers, we are left to wonder: how much was society the cause of this change
within him?
Nature vs. Nurture – Version 2
In the gothic novel by Mary Shelley Frankenstein one of the main themes is the
constant contrast between nature and nurture.
Two characters in the novel that have a significant relationship with nature and
nurture are Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the monster.
The monster has always been deprived of nurturing; he is left completely alone and
abandoned from the moment of his birth. The only compensation for this lack of
nurturing is found in external factors such as the observation of the DeLacey family,
and the reading of literary works.
Frankenstein instead does have a loving family, even though his mother dies early,
leaving him alone with his father. He starts to find interest and nourishment in the
world he discovers within the philosophy of the great men of reason and wonder of
the past.
They both find knowledge and fuller experiences in the reading of the manuscripts
and masterpieces of literature. They both are changed deeply or start to have
realizations on their lives and the world around them from the reading; although
while the monster is abandoned from his birth and has to build his experience from
the very basics of life and from everything he observes and absorbs from the world
around him; Frankenstein already has thy experience, and is only expanding it
through learning the opinions of great men like Cornelius Agrippa.
The books in both cases represent a form of nurturing to the two figures, which
change them, and change their nature, and influence their thoughts revolutionizing
their way of reasoning.
Every creature seems to be born neutral; it’s pure, with just the basic elements of
life which enable it to breath and act. Both Frankenstein and the monster are
changed from this original state by what they see around them. They are changed
by the books, the monster is changed by his encounter with the people, and learns
from the forest how to feed and survive. (Lack of nurturing, he nurtures himself
from the basics of life.)
On the contrary, Frankenstein like every other human, is neglected the right to fully
explore the world alone. He is guided through the first years of his life, and is
thought by others of his same species to eat, talk and every other common capability
of a human being. He is nurtured by his family, and will then change into what he is
by the change he gets from the books he reads. (Frankenstein is nurtured.)
The monster is alone; he is out of the natural course of nature, and out of the cycle of
life. He is alone, also meaning that he is the only one of his species in the whole
world. Although he tries to identify himself with the human beings, and
demonstrates many traits which might resemble them, and also has a human nature,
he has emotions, he commits errors, he feels rage, and he is capable of remembering
and feeling and can change based on what surrounds him and strikes him.
He is very similar to a man, the only difference between Frankenstein and the
monster is the different treatment they had in their first years of life (nurture) for
the rest they are very similar, and both have a human nature, which evolves during
the events they experience and observe.