Shelly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shelly - Essay Example This story can be seen as an allegory about the theme nature versus nurture. It shows that even monsters are capable of love and even a harmless creature can be turned into a monster, given the treatment that he or she receives from his or her creator or the people around him or her. To give more clarity to the theme, nature versus nurture, in Frankenstein, Shelly has used a set of verbal imagery including the images of fire, light, gloomy weather, remote settings, violence and finally death. The way in which the narrator in the story get cast away from mythical stories, which are very close to nature and get drawn towards science which was in some way opposite to nature, is by watching a lightning burning down a tree to ashes (Shelly, 56-58). Here, the light and fire is metaphoric of the transformation of the author from being a person fascinated by nature into someone who has the confidence to command nature, who believes in nurture rather than nature. And when Frankenstein narrate s his own inner story to his creator, the imagery of fire is repeated and the reader hears the monster wondering about the nature of fire in the following words: I found a fire†¦and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy, I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects (Shelley, 218). This is a profound depiction of the basic contradiction involved within the evil-good duo, which can also be interpreted as a reflection of nature- nurture duality as well. Because in nature there is no evil or good as such and they exist only within a frame created by human beings. So it can be argued that evil is an after-effect of nurture. And the fire teaches that simple lesson to the monster who is just like a new born baby unaware of good and evil, and who is just learning to tread the earth and the landscape of humanity. Throughout the s tory, people are seen seeking refuge around a wood fire to talk, to understand the contradictions of life better (Shelley, 257). Similarly, there is also mention of the â€Å"feverish fire† glimmering in the eyes of Frankenstein even when his health is failing him (Shelley, 254). Here, fire is the life force, the passion that keeps one alive. Fire is the boundary between life and death, between nature and nurture. In the same way, light is used as an imagery that represents knowledge- the point at which humans depart from nature and enters the realm of nurture. This is why Frankenstein is seen observing that â€Å"I began also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me, and to perceive the boundaries of the radiant roof of light which canopied me† (Shelly, 217). Again the reference to knowledge is made when narrator says, â€Å"as exemplified in the change from life to death, and death to life, until from the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me† (Shelly, 84). This was the moment of knowing the secret of life. This was the point of transition from simply living the nature to nurturing life. But the same light becomes â€Å"oppressive† for Frankenstein because it is the growing existential knowledge that becomes an unbearable curse for him (Shelly, 214). And this is why, towards the