Look at the significance of chapter five to the novel as a whole. Essay

Look at the significance of chapter five to the novel as a whole. Focus on the relevance and effect of writer’s use of language to describe setting and character and what it shows about social and historical influences. ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley is a complex horror novel that was written during the age of Romanticism. It contains many themes common to a Romantic novel such as death, tragedy, and loneliness. These themes have all arrived through Mary Shelley’s background as the events in this novel have been influenced greatly by her life. We can see that this novel has been written as a warning to tell the reader what the consequences are of playing with nature. This is highly relevant to today as even now scientists feel they can experiment with nature, for example, cloning. A highly crucial part of this novel is Chapter five. It is where the story really begins as now Frankenstein has reached his goal and realizes the horror of what he has done. This essay will be discussing how chapter five is made so significant to the novel and will look at why certain language is used to describe setting and character and to see what this shows us about social and historical influences. From a very young age, Victor Frankenstein shows a clear interest in science and in Chapter two of the novel Shelley focuses on Victors desire to be a discoverer, when he declares, â€Å"It was the search of heaven and earth that I desired to learn.† In this chapter it is clear that Victor’s ambitions are entirely noble as all he wants is to help mankind, which is also what Robert Walton wanted when discovering unknown lands. When we see two men like this who are clearly obsessed with discovery it shows us how important the pu... ...uel treatment of the creature stands in stark contrast to both his parents’ devotion and Clerval’s care for him. If we conclude to look at Chapter five compared to the rest of the novel we can see it is a central part to the story as it is where the horror really begins. The later chapters in the novel all show the disastrous consequences of Frankenstein’s actions. The purpose of this novel is to teach all a lesson as it shows us what might happen if we continue to play with nature and ‘play God.’ It also tells us the importance of not judging on appearance, as the creature although kind and benevolent was punished because of the way it looked. It is through the language that we are able to understand the significance of Chapter five as it tells us more about life in the 19th Century, more about the life of Mary Shelley and the way the novel came about.