Frankenstein

Jenna Rose Dertouzos

Understanding Literature

Dr. Ellis

October 24, 2016

Frankenstein

After learning about the painting on the front cover in my Survey of Renaissance Art History class, I did not think it had any relations to the novel, “Frankenstein”. We discussed as a class how the piece was very dark and did not have much scenery to judge the style off of, with such a hazy scene. After reading in the novel about how main character, Victor, gazes off into the distance when he reaches the summit of Montanvert’s glacier, and this is the moment right before he sees the creature that has been haunting him. Observation techniques from my art history class, along with analytical thoughts when reading for an english class, inspires me to conclude that the reason there is a hazy background be due to the fact that Victor, the man standing on the rock--whose back is turned to us--might have been to busy to even be gazing out into the distance and really taking in the scenery of Montanvert; this may be the reason why the painter left the view very obscurely drawn. The cover of the book is honestly what I think about most when I was reading chapters one through fourteen because it is a constant reminder as to how old the writing of the book by Mary Shelley actually is. I also think that considering the artwork on the cover was painted by a creative painter, it also foreshadows a theme of creativity, that Victor has, himself, when he used his own creativity, along with the scientific knowledge he learned throughout his college years, to create something.

With such a historically related background, through the message of the cover artwork, I never would have guessed the plotline of the novel, “Frankenstein”. A very interesting turn that the author took with the novel was when Victor’s creation did not end up being an actual monster, but instead tries observing the society of humanity in which he was built into. He wants to integrate himself into being just like humans around him, and I think at the point of around Chapter 14, his efforts could either be accepted or declined. The wonderment he has for society leaves him wanting to be exactly like each and every person he meets and learns about. I think in some ways, as us humans grow up and experience more and more locality of society. Personally, I can relate to the Monster, in the way that it seems as though all the humans around him, have things figured out, while he feels abandoned, lost and confused. When I first came to Loyola, I was in amazement by this societal-like community that I was beginning to enter into, trying to integrate myself into a set of friends, comfortable living spaces, and informational intellectual classes that fit my preferences. In a way, I looked at the older kids around me, who were already blended into the community, had their set of friends and was on their way to pursuing their dreams. I envied their states of mind because they did not look lost or confused. They seemed to have it all together. It was not until I realized that the mountain they climbed to get to that point, had a rocky start, just like I am experiencing today. At a point in the novel, the creation by Victor notices that at some point, not all of the humans he are watching are necessarily happy at all times; he does not understand this concept. It is human nature to feel ups and downs, and that is the way evolution of lifestyles continue and move on to more sharpened happinesses.