Use of Weather as Punishment

Shelley uses the weather to comment on Victor’s actions and to highlight the supernatural effect his creation has. The weather first becomes a factor when Victor decides to build his creation. While he is collecting the materials for his invention and first beginning the process, he describes the summer weather as “a most beautiful season” (55). It is during this time that he begins to become absorbed in his work, forgetting about his friends and family back home, focusing all of his time and energy on his creation. When the time comes to add life to his human frame, the weather takes a turn for the worse. It begins to storm and the “rain [patters] dismally against the panes” setting an ominous tone as the creature comes to life (58). This dark turn emphasizes Victor’s broken tie with nature, as he defies the natural when he gains control over creating life, an ability no human should have. The weather again does a completely shifts again while Victor is recovering from his breakdown after successfully bringing his creation to life. Victor describes the duration of his recovery as “a divine spring, and the season contributed greatly to [his] convalescence” (64). This beauty continues at his home as well, as Elizabeth writes of the wonderful weather, a point Shelley uses to reinforce that Victor’s actions defy the laws of nature. When Victor receives news of William’s death, he immediately returns home and his nighttime visit to the location of William’s murder greats him with similar weather as the night his creation first came to life. The storm’s “violence quickly increased” and a flash of lightning illuminates Victor’s creation, solving the mystery of William’s death (78). The world is unbalanced by Victor’s actions and the weather’s constant change is punishment for his offense.