Ecocriticism in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Faculty of Letters English Department Universitas Pamulang
Ecocriticism in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Faculty of Letters English Department Universitas Pamulang
Ecocriticism in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Faculty of Letters English Department Universitas Pamulang
by Mary Shelley
By:
2013060736
FACULTY OF LETTERS
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
UNIVERSITAS PAMULANG
I. Intoduction
The reason of this essay is first to complete the assignment from our
lecturer Mrs. Indrani Dewi Anggraini. This essay analyze the ecocriticism
in The Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley. This essay will discuss and
analyze the problem how the relationship between nature and human
being in the story. The writer believes tthat this essay can help the readers
Writer Mary Shelley was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin on August 30,
Shelley, she never really knew her mother who died shortly after her birth.
She married poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1816. Two years later, she
alongside her father and mother and with the cremated remains of her late
husband's heart.
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Pole. In letters to his sister Magaret Saville, he keeps his family informed
of his situation and tells about the difficult conditions on the ship. One day
taken aboard Victor Frankenstein. As soon as his health allows it, he tells
family. He was brought up with an orphan, Elizabeth and also had two
younger brothers. He did not have many friends, Henry Clerval being the
with the human frame and the principle of life. After four years of fanatic
studying, not keeping in contact with his family, he was able to "bestow
monster and fled from his laboratory. On his return the next day, the
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nervous fever for the next months, being nursed back to health by his
friend Clerval. On the eve of the return to his parental home, he received a
letter that his youngest brother had been found murdered. On his way
Frankenstein decided not to tell his family about the daemon because they
that the murderer of his brother had been found. The accused was
Justine, a good friend of the family. When Justine has been found guilty
and has been hanged, Frankenstein's heart was tortured. He could not
stay in the house and started wandering in the alpine valleys. There,
Frankenstein was confronted with his creation that tells him his life story.
to the country and found refuge in a hovel next to small house inhabited by
an old, blind man and his two children. By observing the family and by
reading their books, the monster learnt how to speak and read. He felt
compassion for the family who has to struggle to get by, and anonymously
did chores for them. Longing for some kindness and protection, he
decided to meet his hosts. He got into a pleasant conversation with the
disillusioned, the monster was filled with rage and decided to find his
him. He also placed a portrait in the lap of a sleeping young girl, Justine,
The daemon's only request from Frankenstein was that he should create
and his bride will stay away from other people and keep to themselves in
the wild. Frankenstein saw some justice in the monster's arguments and
also felt that he has a duty towards his fellow man, so he agreed to the
daemon's request. Victor left for England to finish his work accompanied
by his friend Clerval, promising to marry Elizabeth on his return. When the
promise. He was afraid that they might hate each other, or that they might
swore revenge and promised to be with him on his wedding night. The
following day a body was found and Frankenstein was accused of murder.
condition. Frankenstein married Elizabeth after promising her to tell her his
member as his father died after hearing the news about Elizabeth's death.
followed the monster everywhere which eventually led him to the Arctic
After telling Walton his story, Victor asks him to kill the monster if he dies
before he can do it himself. The ship has in the mean time been freed from
the ice and pressured by his crew, Walton has decided to abandon his trip
and return home. Victor's health eventually deteriorates and he dies. Just
after his death, Walton finds the monster hanging over Victor's body. The
is time that he too will rest in death. After stating that he will build a funeral
pile for himself, he leaves the ship and disappears on his ice-raft in the
darkness.
II. Analysis
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly has many allusions which link human and
nature. It gives us sense about the power of nature which conducts human
analyze how nature has nourished the human species and controlled
During this novel the writer make a connection between nature and human
through its different perspectives. From very beginning of the novel she
uses the horrible scene of nature and tries to show that nature is not in
to conquer natural rule and curiously wants to explore “a part of the world
never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the
foot of man” (p.3). Through his way he faces many difficulties and a
horrible accident where the ice broke and freed his ship. At this point he
person who wants to learn “the hidden laws of nature” (p.31), “secrets of
heaven and earth” (p.33). He tries to challenge the role of the God by
Victor makes him to create life under his terms and conditions rather
nature’s power and put a strain on his society by creating the unnatural
creation and paid by losing his beloved ones. This shows that there is a
mother fell sick and died before he leaves for the University of Ingolstadt
are the signs of nature which were making him to resist from doing the
inhuman thing he was about to do. But he stubbornly led himself to create
the “daemon” and finally couldn’t endure the aspect of being he had
created. He quotes:
wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but
(p.60)
This shows however human challenge the nature but it gives glimpse of
realization through many ways and signs. It’s upon human to realize it
he gets news of his brother’s death which makes him a sight of the
monster. This was a warning of nature to him that it is time to pay for his
shape plainly to me; its gigantic structure, and the deformity of its aspect,
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the wretch, the filthy daemon, to whom I had given life. (p.83).” This
incident made him aware that he could know the truth that his own
looks as if discovering pleasure of life within the natural beauty beyond his
laboratory with a warm company of his friend. His words has glimpse of
his enjoyment and recovery after the heart breaking moments through
nature:
I became the same happy creature who, few years ago, loved and
This shows how a person gets pleasure within the nature even after
After Victor attempts to play the role of mother by creating the monster
and abandons his duty, that monster learns his life through nature. Like an
adopts the wretched creature in order to live his life. The Monster first
finds a pool to drink water and learns the dangerous of fire by touching
inflamed branches. Then his hunger made him aware of food and found a
imitating the family and using tools around them the Monster could learn
happiness, generosity and affection as well as the pain. “If such lovely
he helps the family by bringing firing sufficient for them. The knowledge
have knowledge through nature. He didn’t have anyone to teach him life
but he could perceive all that through nature itself. So, we can consider
nature as mother figure for the monster that nourished and helped him to
survive.
Another aspect of interplay between human and nature in this novel is the
species for the monster and destroys it. Though he had promised the
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finally realizes what he was going to do is harmful for his own species.
Even if they were to leave Europe, and inhabit the deserts of the
new world, yet one of the first result of their sympathies for which
now, for the first time, the wickedness of my promise burst upon
pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at
(p.203)
This is the realization which every human being has to think of if they want
their race to continue for long time. Victor realizes that even he has to pay
lives of himself and his beloved one he gives us a sense what is nature all
about.
III. Conclusion
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This novel considers nature as a parental figure for human beings that
encourages as well as controls human mind for their daily work through
different kinds of signs but it’s upon us to realize what nature is pointing us
rule in mind. If we will not be able to realize it in time our own discovery
References
www.planetebook.com/ebooks/Frankenstein.pdf
http://www.biography.com/people/mary-shelley-9481497
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/f/frankenstein/mary-shelley-
biography
http://mural.uv.es/laucomo/summary.htm
http://www.shmoop.com/frankenstein/summary.html
http://www.globethesis.com/?t=2155360272971099