However when Victor’s creation transforms from dream to reality the ‘dream vanishes and is replaced with breathless horror’. Instead of reaching out to his child Frankenstein rushes out of the room abhorred by the abnormality of his creation. Even after successfully reaching his goal Frankenstein remains unhappy and, ‘unable to endure the aspect of the being he has created’ he irresponsibly abandons the monster.
In chapter one of the novel Victor talks about how he and Elizabeth had been brought together. When he first meets her, his description contrasts greatly with his impression of the monster.
‘Her brow was clear and ample, her blue eyes cloudless, and her lips and the mounding of her face so expressive sensibility and sweetness.’ (Ch1 page 36)
Whereas Frankenstein’s description of his creation is:
‘His watery eyes his shriveled complexion and straight black lips.’ (Ch5 pg. 58)
Victor is disgusted with the visual appearance of his creation and so wishes to disassociate himself with it. Conversely Frankenstein is willing to be acquainted with Elizabeth because he finds her sexually attractive.
In Gothic Literature the main protagonist is usually isolated in some way from the society that they live in. Frankenstein fulfils this as a result of his experiments confined in his laboratory. It is interesting that this confinement is self imposed but in the case of the monster it is his rejection by creator and society that have led him to lead a solitary existence.
Even though Robert Walton is not a main character he is still a result of isolation choosing to exclude himself socially and live out his ambitions instead:
‘How slow the time passes here, encompassed as I am by frost and snow! Yet a second step is taken towards my enterprise.’ Shelley may be demonstrating how ambition can repress you rather than achieve its ultimate aims.
Chapter 5 introduces the key elements that we (the audience) use to identify the book as Gothic Genre. ‘Gothic’ refers to the genre of novel typically situated in wild and remote settings, such as haunted castles and the plot is often mysterious with events represented in an uncanny or macabre way.
In the opening of this chapter Shelley has overturned the usual Gothic convention of violent thunderstorms in areas of dramatic intensity to create a bathetic climax to Frankenstein’s work:
‘It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils.’
Opening with an overriding sense of despondency, pathetic fallacy is a key literary device used to create mood and atmosphere. The line above sets a bleak and desolate mood, which is further reinforced by the melancholy image of the ‘rain pattering dismally against the panes…’. Although effective for this part of the story Shelley’s description at the beginning of this chapter is in no way dramatic or emotionally climatic it is simply miserable letting foreshadowing that the creation will be a disappointment.
Shelley uses a variety of techniques to present the grotesque nature of Frankenstein’s monster. Two opposing semantic fields are used to describe the creature’s appearance allowing a detailed image to be developed in the mind of the reader. The positive details include words such as ‘lustrous black’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘pearly whiteness’. These are contrasted with the negative details, for instance ‘horrid’, ‘dun white sockets’ and ‘straight black lips’. The contrast highlights the monsters imperfections, making them even more vivid and gruesome.
Part of the gothic genre is the apparent bridge between the natural world and the supernatural. In Chapter Five Frankenstein expresses his regret during the scene in a prophetic dream.
‘…but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death…’
Frankenstein’s dream symbolizes the contrast between the ultimate outcome of his experiment and his feeling towards it. Although he has created life by his creation it has come from death and will ultimately end in it as well as the monster wreaks havoc on those close to his creator.
One of the major themes in Frankenstein is the great emphasis placed on appearance and acceptance in society. In modern society and Shelley’s social prejudices exist whether it be from the colour of skin, the clothing worn or accent, people make instant judgments. In an appearance based society every human wants acceptance regardless of his or her physical appearance and if they are not they he or she becomes an outcast.
At his ‘birth’ the monster immediately seeks acceptance. As mentioned earlier the character of Victor Frankenstein abandons the monster purely because of his visual appearance:
‘Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room…’ (pg 45).
Unlike a human being the monster has no family (except that of his creator who has abandoned him), no acceptance. After it was rejected the monster demands Frankenstein make him a female partner; someone that would be able to relate to the monster’s suffering. Acceptance is still a constant in the society of today. It is a major part of social life and allows us to do activities in numbers and therefore gain respect from others. The monster does not have this and so is permanently excluded from society.
In Frankenstein we are shown how ambition can blind people from what is morally right and the consequences. When Frankenstein creates his monster is does so selfishly without consideration over the repercussions of his work. His ambition overlooked the fact that creating life was beyond the capabilities of mankind and should not be. A common example in the novel is Frankenstein’s reaction to his monster at creation describing it as ‘horrid’ and ‘wretch’. This is contrasted with God’s reaction to Adam and Eve: ‘He saw that it was good.’ This shows clearly who the creator should be as that form of responsibility could not and should be given to man.
In many ways the novel of Frankenstein is an allegorical representation of mans eternal weakness for power. In Chapter 5 Frankenstein describes the experiment as ‘bitter’ commenting on the temptation of man by Satan. This may have been inspired by the novel ‘Paradise Lost’ which describes mans great mistake owing them expulsion from the paradise of Eden. Throughout the novel Shelley has the monster relating himself to Adam:
‘Like Adam I was apparently united by no link to any other human form…I was wretched, helpless and alone. Many time I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition.
In many ways the monster can relate to the suffering felt by the first human beings as they were like him plunged into an unknown world with good and of course evil to tempt and corrupt. Frankenstein hopes to be the source of a new species, but ironically the creature becomes a Satan like figure who swears revenge on his creator. The monster reflects that hell is an internal condition produced and increased through loneliness and despair.
Shelley uses emotive language to try and provoke a reaction from the reader.
‘I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind…’
She is appealing to the compassion of the reader to create a sense of integrity about the monster.
Frankenstein was written at the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1816. It was a time of great discovery; the electric battery had been invented just sixteen years earlier and Luigi Galvani believed that he had found electricity present in human limbs. This means that electricity was an unknown field of science and Shelley portrays it as dangerous to meddle in such things. This is still relevant today with certain branches of science pivoting between what is morally right and a scientific breakthrough. Cloning, for instance is an issue that has a large number of controversy surrounding it today. As more and more scientific discoveries are made we ask ourselves where these may eventually lead, the repercussions of knowledge.
In Chapter 5,
When I found so astonishing a power placed within my hands... (Ch4 pg.42)
Frankenstein does not consider the fact that it could be dangerous acting as God and that he could be punished for it.
A common example of overreaching ones self is ‘Metamorphoses’ that was certainly an important reference for Shelley when writing her novel. It tells the story of Prometheus, a titan in Greek mythology that created man from the earth and gave them fire.
‘Whether with particles of heavy fire, The God of nature did his soul inspire; or Earth but new divided from the sky, And, pliant, still retained the ethereal energy; which wise Prometheus tempered into paste , And mixed with living streams, the god like image cast…From such rude principles our form began; and earth was metamorphosed into man.
Lines from Frankenstein that reflect the above passage are:
‘I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet….’ and ‘that I may extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed.’
Both of these figures posses great intelligence shown by the things they are able to achieve but in many ways this power is abused and used for personal gain rather than for others. Both Frankenstein and Prometheus do not consider the dire consequences of their experiments nor look at it from the view of their creation that has been made in an act of pure selfishness.
To conclude the early chapter set the scene for Frankenstein relentless pursuit of power over those he loves. In Chapter Five, Frankenstein’s dream are accomplished but at the same time destroyed as the creation becomes a big disappointment to its creator. It is the end of the future of Frankenstein and the start of the struggle between creator and creation. Mary Shelley seems to be saying that ambition can often lead to unethical decision making such as the creation of life. Frankenstein still has a number of points which are of moral significance today such as whether or not there should be cloning etc in Science.
