Nature setting is an effective way to show feelings. It is used quite a lot within this chapter. ‘Trees lie broken and strewed on the ground’ this creates a sense of darkness and the image of destroyed trees can correlate to the lives that have been destroyed in the novel. ‘The icy wall of the glacier hung before me’. This gives a ‘cold’ feel to the story, which could relate to the coldness of the monsters life or Victor’s ‘cold’ heart towards his unwanted creation. The effective use of setting also links to the key themes found in the novel.
There are many key themes in this chapter, all in which are important to the rest of the novel. ‘Frankenstein’ was once called, “The Modern Prometheus”. The ancient Greek of Prometheus told a tale of the Gods who took clay and water to create a man, much alike to the story of ‘Frankenstein’ and his creation of the monster. Another key theme is the theory of nature vs. nurture. This theory is that people are not born with a certain character; their character is developed and reflected on how they are brought up. This relates to the chapter, when the monster is first created he is gentle and afraid, but when he is ignored and isolated by Victor, his fear turns to anger and his terrifying image is created. He expresses this in chapter ten.
The idea of ‘hands’ arises throughout this novel. The monster covers Victor’s eyes in chapter ten. ‘And placed his hated hands before my eyes’. This is a key theme because it shows the monster trying to send the message that Victor Frankenstein is in denial of his responsibilities; that he is trying to shut out something that shouldn’t be. These key themes are important to the rest of the story as they show the influences and feelings behind them.
The use of language in this novel is creative and relevant to set the overall mood of the story. The idea of Gothicism arises again within the use of language. The clever use of descriptive setting builds up the tense mood, and helps to engage images of the supernatural. Another creative use of language is the way in which poetry is integrated into the story. Poetry is a classic way to voice feelings, thoughts and emotion of characters, and works brilliantly in this novel. ‘We feel, conceive or reason laugh or weep’. This shows a mixed emotion of feelings. Should he laugh or cry? The use of language is important to emphasize the personality of each character. It shows Victor Frankenstein as an irrational and aggressive person. ‘Devil, do you dare approach me’. The monster however, is described as a calm, rational and reasonable person, until those who hate change his attitudes, and he too becomes aggressive.
Without the effective use of language, the characters would be extremely dull. The language in chapter ten creates an image of emotions, which continue throughout.
The characters have been portrayed effectively in this chapter and throughout the novel. Some of the characteristics of characters have been based on events in Shelley’s life or on what she believes is important. The development of the two main characters paints a contrasting picture of good and evil. The monsters character evolves throughout the novel. He is kind and gentle to begin with but due to his bad experiences with humans he becomes bitter and aggressive. He seeks revenge on his creator, but the monster is still not as horrific as Victor Frankenstein portrays him. Character development can change depending on who is telling the story. Frankenstein gives the monster a negative character. We see this in chapter ten, ‘be gone! Vial insect’ ‘devil’, ‘too horrible for human eyes’. These make a biased opinion on the readers. Whereas, when the monster is narrating, the reader will understand his anguish and feel sympathetic.
Victor’s character is overall selfish and inconsiderate, he is irresponsible too his actions and doesn’t give his creation a chance. The monster’s character is kind and lonely. Only did he turn bitter when those who should have loved, hated. And resulted in him having an isolated upbringing. Chapter ten shows that the monster is just crying out to be heard, he wants to be understood, ‘hear my tale’. But Frankenstein is too self involved to listen.
To conclude this essay, it is clear how chapter ten is significant and contributes greatly to the rest of the novel. Setting important images in the reader’s mind, of terror, Gothicism, loneliness and creation, which are vital to life, the story. The chapter is a bridge between Victor and the monster’s stories and begins to change where the reader’s sympathies lay.
