“It’s All Greek to Me”
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein alludes to the story of Prometheus as they are both creators that go against God, that only lead to their own destruction. In the story of the wise Prometheus, he was the creator of mankind and taught them art. In Frankenstein, Victor was the creator of a monster when it says on page 51, “Nor could I consider the magnitude and complexity of my plan as any argument of its impracticality. It was with these feelings that I began the creation of a human being.” When fire was taken away from the humans Prometheus made, Prometheus went against Zeus to bring the fire back to mankind. This lead to his own self destruction as he faced a cruel punishment for his own creation …show more content…
Although at the same time rain can symbolize isolation. “So if you want a character to be cleansed, symbolically, let him walk through the rain to get somewhere,” (pg. 71 HTRLLAP) show how the rain can cleanse a person to lead to new ideas. On page 71 it also states, “Rain can be more mysterious, murkier, more isolating than other weather conditions,” showing how rain, unlike other conditions, can be obscure and isolating. Snow on the other hand can have different meanings such as warmth, playfulness and invitation as it says on page 75 , “Snow is clean, stark, severe, warm, inhospitable, playful, suffocating, filthy.” Mary Shelley uses weather very descriptively and enticingly to foreshadow future events. Rain in this case is considered as restoration for Victor, yet can also lead to his misery. The rain in Frankenstein also foreshadows the future deaths to come. The night Elizabeth died, it was a stormy night as it says on page 192, “Suddenly a heavy storm of rain descended.” This shows how rain on that night foreshadowed the death of Elizabeth and lead to Victor’s isolation. But, on page 38 it describes, “I remained, while the storm lasted, watching its progress with curiosity and delight,” that shows how rain in this situation brought a new life to Victor’s senses of science. Snow in the novel brings harsh, terrible experiences with it. Frankenstein chases after his monster through …show more content…
“The literal violence encodes a broader point about the essentially hostile or at least uncaring relationships we have with the universe.” (pg. 95 HTRLLAP) Mary Shelley uses violence in Victor’s monster and in himself to show the theme of lost of innocence. Victor’s creation knew nothing about violence or hate before he experienced the world. Shortly after Victor’s monster showed an act of kindness towards the De Lacey’s, they struck him with violence. After that, he felt as if mankind was against him and was set to despise him, going back to Foster’s idea of an “uncaring universe.” On page 140 it says, “The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage...I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind.” This shows how before he met the De Lacey’s, he was kind. But once he saw true mankind, he lost his innocence vowing to store hatred in his heart for mankind causing further violence and destruction, “I gave vent to my anguish in fearful howlings. I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils; destroying the objects that obstructed me, and raging through the wood with a stag-like swiftness.” (pg. 135) Then, this leads to Frankenstein’s lost of innocence in himself as he lost his
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein alludes to the story of Prometheus as they are both creators that go against God, that only lead to their own destruction. In the story of the wise Prometheus, he was the creator of mankind and taught them art. In Frankenstein, Victor was the creator of a monster when it says on page 51, “Nor could I consider the magnitude and complexity of my plan as any argument of its impracticality. It was with these feelings that I began the creation of a human being.” When fire was taken away from the humans Prometheus made, Prometheus went against Zeus to bring the fire back to mankind. This lead to his own self destruction as he faced a cruel punishment for his own creation …show more content…
Although at the same time rain can symbolize isolation. “So if you want a character to be cleansed, symbolically, let him walk through the rain to get somewhere,” (pg. 71 HTRLLAP) show how the rain can cleanse a person to lead to new ideas. On page 71 it also states, “Rain can be more mysterious, murkier, more isolating than other weather conditions,” showing how rain, unlike other conditions, can be obscure and isolating. Snow on the other hand can have different meanings such as warmth, playfulness and invitation as it says on page 75 , “Snow is clean, stark, severe, warm, inhospitable, playful, suffocating, filthy.” Mary Shelley uses weather very descriptively and enticingly to foreshadow future events. Rain in this case is considered as restoration for Victor, yet can also lead to his misery. The rain in Frankenstein also foreshadows the future deaths to come. The night Elizabeth died, it was a stormy night as it says on page 192, “Suddenly a heavy storm of rain descended.” This shows how rain on that night foreshadowed the death of Elizabeth and lead to Victor’s isolation. But, on page 38 it describes, “I remained, while the storm lasted, watching its progress with curiosity and delight,” that shows how rain in this situation brought a new life to Victor’s senses of science. Snow in the novel brings harsh, terrible experiences with it. Frankenstein chases after his monster through …show more content…
“The literal violence encodes a broader point about the essentially hostile or at least uncaring relationships we have with the universe.” (pg. 95 HTRLLAP) Mary Shelley uses violence in Victor’s monster and in himself to show the theme of lost of innocence. Victor’s creation knew nothing about violence or hate before he experienced the world. Shortly after Victor’s monster showed an act of kindness towards the De Lacey’s, they struck him with violence. After that, he felt as if mankind was against him and was set to despise him, going back to Foster’s idea of an “uncaring universe.” On page 140 it says, “The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments before gave place to hellish rage...I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind.” This shows how before he met the De Lacey’s, he was kind. But once he saw true mankind, he lost his innocence vowing to store hatred in his heart for mankind causing further violence and destruction, “I gave vent to my anguish in fearful howlings. I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils; destroying the objects that obstructed me, and raging through the wood with a stag-like swiftness.” (pg. 135) Then, this leads to Frankenstein’s lost of innocence in himself as he lost his