Throughout literature, seasons, often presenting abstract thematic information and conveying extended metaphors through repetitive attention to seasons, parallel an underlying notion of progress or cycles within the narrative. Mary Shelley, in Frankenstein, likewise employs seasonal and nature-related rhetorical devices, extending such symbols and settings to directly reflect inner developments within prominent characters; through the naturally abstract and indirect, she develops a standing on the ways man naturally acquires happiness. In her gothic fiction novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley parallels characters’ internal emotions and conflicts through the inclusion of natural settings and events, therefore arguing for man’s natural desire to
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Following his initial encounters with a perceivably unkind humanity, the creature defaults to a “hovel,” located in a rural area next to a small cottage - his only connection to society (Shelley 94). This disparity between the creature and mass civilization harkens to the biblical account of early man, as the creature finds himself lonely and in need of companion with whom to continue his lineage. Immersed in this elementary lifestyle, the creature first learns words pertaining to natural, earthy objects: “fire, milk, bread, and wood,” (Shelley 100). Despite the simplistic quality of this lifestyle, these pure actions maintain an ideal lifestyle for him to interact with, with his most basic needs, companionship and survival, satiated. In this setting - unmolested by the greed of man - each character, including the creature, contributes to the wellbeing of the community; “domestic bliss is eventually recovered,” due to the fundamental nature of each character’s actions (Ellis). Rather than interacting with a numerous quantity of persons, the close and fundamental nature of the De Lacey’s rural environment mimics that of an ideal Garden of Eden situation. Shelley furthers this parallel, following through with the creature’s ultimate request to Frankenstein: the request for a female. Upon finally restraining Frankenstein, he displays abilities beyond the natural scope of man, scaling mountains and “[bounding] over the crevices in the ice,” (Shelley 85). In this action Victor “looks up” toward “a supernatural being,” (Randel). No longer in the easy natural landscape, both creatures face realizations as cold and jagged as their surroundings, for Frankenstein loses all sense of his god-like
Following his initial encounters with a perceivably unkind humanity, the creature defaults to a “hovel,” located in a rural area next to a small cottage - his only connection to society (Shelley 94). This disparity between the creature and mass civilization harkens to the biblical account of early man, as the creature finds himself lonely and in need of companion with whom to continue his lineage. Immersed in this elementary lifestyle, the creature first learns words pertaining to natural, earthy objects: “fire, milk, bread, and wood,” (Shelley 100). Despite the simplistic quality of this lifestyle, these pure actions maintain an ideal lifestyle for him to interact with, with his most basic needs, companionship and survival, satiated. In this setting - unmolested by the greed of man - each character, including the creature, contributes to the wellbeing of the community; “domestic bliss is eventually recovered,” due to the fundamental nature of each character’s actions (Ellis). Rather than interacting with a numerous quantity of persons, the close and fundamental nature of the De Lacey’s rural environment mimics that of an ideal Garden of Eden situation. Shelley furthers this parallel, following through with the creature’s ultimate request to Frankenstein: the request for a female. Upon finally restraining Frankenstein, he displays abilities beyond the natural scope of man, scaling mountains and “[bounding] over the crevices in the ice,” (Shelley 85). In this action Victor “looks up” toward “a supernatural being,” (Randel). No longer in the easy natural landscape, both creatures face realizations as cold and jagged as their surroundings, for Frankenstein loses all sense of his god-like