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What happens in Chapter 9 of Frankenstein?
Victor’s melancholy after Justine’s execution is momentarily relieved after traveling to the family home in Belrive.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Chapters 9 & 10. (3-minute read)
How does nature represent both renewal and danger in Frankenstein?
After William’s murder and Justine’s unjust execution, a devasted Victor seeks to renew his spirit and relieve his feelings of guilt by escaping from Geneva to the magnificent Alpine countryside (“I suddenly left my home, and, bending my steps towards the near Alpine valleys, sought in the magnificence, the eternity of such scenes, to forget myself”). The idea that natural settings, particularly ones that inspire awe, can spark serenity and spiritual renewal is indicative of beliefs of Romanticism, the artistic movement that Mary Shelley followed and which helped inspire her novel.
But as Victor climbs the steep mountains, he is alarmed when the awesome natural setting becomes arduous and menacing. The danger that the natural terrain poses to Victor is compounded when the monster appears. Victor’s journey into raw nature turning dangerous mirrors the intellectual journey he has taken: he had sought to achieve fulfillment by acquiring new knowledge but went beyond where mankind should go (creating a figurative and literal monster) and thus ended up in a dangerous place.
Read about Sublime Nature as a Motif (#4) in Frankenstein. (1-minute read)
