Tuesday, February 18, 2014
The Ultimate Power of Nature
In the
first few chapters of her book, Mary Shelley uses nature to make Viktor’s creation
seem increasingly unnatural, and therefore more monstrous. In Walton’s opening
letters, he revels in the power of nature as if he could be smited at any. He
and his ship are at the mercy of the ice.
If he wishes to travel, he can only do so if nature allows. At the beginning of the book, the ice and
the hardships that Walton faces show the superiority of nature. Even as the story progresses and refocuses on
new characters, the natural world is still shown in a magnificent light. For example, the oak tree being stuck by
lightning shows nature flexing its ultimate muscle. And unlike the ice earlier in the book, this event
is not just a description of the story’s setting; it is a turning point in
Viktor Frankenstein’s youth. It seems
that Shelley is telling the reader with the complete destruction of this tree
that nature has the ultimate power over what is created and destroyed. By the time Viktor creates the monster
Shelley shown that nature should be respected and revered. Yet Viktor defies this respect and takes the
creation of man away from nature by showing that he can create life. Because of this defiance, the monster seems
increasingly threatening and frightening; is seems as if this being should not
exist simply because it is not from nature.
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The power of nature or the countenance of nature?
ReplyDeleteLooking at the scene around him, Victor says, “Still, as I ascended higher, the valley assumed a more magnificent and astonishing characters. Ruined castles hanging on the precipices of piny mountains, the impetuous Arve, and cottages every here and there peeping forth from among the trees formed a scene of singular beauty” (p. 76). Victor acknowledges beauty in the natural world. Directly after in the next sentence, he acknowledges the beauty of society—the way man has carved a place for himself in the natural world by building homes and castles. After acknowledging the beauty of society, Victor suggests that the Alps, specifically Mount Blanc, are the pinnacle of beauty.
Victor struggles to find the pure form of beauty in society. He describes nature as pure and good. He finds joy in nature. Victor says, “My heart, which was before sorrowful, now swelled with something like joy…” (p. 80). What makes nature so alluring?
Victor uses the word countenance often when describing the monster. Looking at the monster, Victor says, “He approached; his countenance bespoke bitter anguish…” (p. 80). Countenance or appearance is important to Victor. He is disgusted by the creature’s countenance. On the other hand, the countenance of nature is pure and perfect.
I argue that the only power nature has is the power Victor has attributed to it. Nature has no real power. The countenance—or appearance—of nature is powerful. The look of nature has a calming effect, while the look of the creature has an unpleasing effect. The countenance of man is imperfect whereas the countenance of nature is beautiful. If Mount Blanc—the highest mountain in the Alps—is the pinnacle of beauty, could it be that true beauty is out of our reach? In the hands of God…