Topic > The Themes of Nature and Civilization in Frankenstein

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses two themes: nature and civilization. He uses his text to describe the differences between nature and civilization and uses the text to explain how civilization arises from nature. Nature and civilization are an important part of everyone's daily life. Civilization eventually developed from nature. Many aspects of civilization, including food, hunting, shelter, water, competition, and family relationships, evolved from nature. In primitive civilization, before humans, nature displayed many of the traits and life priorities we have today. Nature is one of the most important things we humans need to survive. Civilization is the advanced stage of social and cultural development, and nature is everything that surrounds us, from the landscape to the people in the world around us. Earth's first inhabitants, including dinosaurs and cavemen, had the same basic needs. All living things need food, water, sunshine and shelter in some way. After reading the novel we discover that the author wrote this book to show what happens when the boundaries of nature and civilization are crossed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley pits nature and civilization against each other and symbolizes nature as feminine and civilization as man. I personally think there are positives and negatives to both species. Nature shows more feeling and compassion while civilization shows more organized and entrepreneurial production of the human race. I feel that women and men personify all characteristics and therefore could represent nature and civilization. Nature was used a lot throughout the book to help show the difference between man and civilization. Author Mary Shelley really highlights how nature is a wonderful thing. Because nature is a beautiful thing that can also lead to many dangerous and bad things. Nature was one of the themes present in the novel. People usually think of nature in terms of animals, trees and plants. In Frankenstein nature is used as the basis of the novel in ways such as mother nature and how she has played a role in civilized culture. Another way nature is used as a basis is human nature, which mainly focuses on education and civilization. Nature was something that Romantics felt a close proximity to and it seemed natural to them. Civilization and the networks within it really play a huge role for the characters. Victor wants to be part of civilization and wants to be a successful scientist. Even though his years of isolation kept him away from civilization and society. His monster felt rejected and detested by civilization. The way society views Victor and the way society views Frankenstein differs from how they view themselves. This is very true in modern life too. Individuals often see or think of themselves very differently than how society sees them. This can be done in both positive and negative ways. An individual may be insecure and think that others view him or her unfavorably, but in reality others do not think this way. On the other hand, an individual may think that others view him or her favorably, but society does not. Prejudices can form based on appearance or education. True understanding of an individual and his opinion must be obtained after knowing the individual in depth. Shelley uses the role of humanity and the use of science to influence how Frankenstein develops., 325(5940), 578–585.