Significance of chapter 5 in Frankenstien Essay Example for Free

Significance of chapter 5 in Frankenstien Essay Look at the significance of Chapter Five to the novel as a whole. Focus on the relevance and effect of writers use of language to describe setting, character and what it shows about social and historical influences. When Mary Shelley was writing Frankenstein, she was heavily influenced by events going on in society at the time. She was married to Percy Shelley, who also influenced her with his romantic poetry. Mary Shelley wrote the novel for many different reasons. One of the reasons was said to have been that she was playing a game to see who could write the scariest horror story; this is where she began writing the basics of Frankenstein. Chapter Five is a crucial moment in the novel because this is where Frankenstein brings the monster to life. The chapter opens with It was a dreary night of November. This is building up an atmosphere, and it shows that it is dark, gloomy and that potential events are ahead. Frankenstein is feeling very emotional at this time, when he says How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe. This is because he thought that bringing the monster to life would be great, even though it turns out to be a big disappointment and too much for him to handle. Therefore he rejects the monster and abandons him. Consequently, this results in events such as; The monster feeling lonely and rejected, and ends up killing Elizabeth (Frankensteins future wife) because he wanted a companion for himself, and also to get revenge on his creator. In Chapter Five, you get to know understand the character of Dr Frankenstein much more. He is shown as many things, such as; Obsessive- I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body, which means he had spent all his time trying, and being determined to create the monster. He also is shown as anxious- With an anxiety that almost amounted as agony, which shows that he his worried about what he had done. On the other hand he is shown as nai ve, when it says The beauty of the dream vanished, which means he finds it impossible to face up to what he has done and he doesnt take responsibility for his actions. This is a significant moment in Chapter Five because of the language used to describe the character. Mary Shelley uses language to develop an atmosphere in Chapter Five. She wrote things such as The rain pattered dismally against the panes, which shows that the setting is gloomy and using the word dismally means that it is also wet and miserable. She also said It was on a dreary night of November, (refers to the Gothic ideas in the novel) which shows that it isnt light outside- she uses this to show that it isnt a happy setting. The emphasis on her language describing the setting and atmosphere shows the importance of Chapter Five in the novel. In Chapter Five, one of the key themes linked to society in the 19th century is science. This is because people didnt know much about it and it was new to them. Frankenstein says, Two years for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body, which links to the industrial period, because he tried to do something that hadnt been done before. Another key theme used in the novel is nature, and that links to science, because Frankenstein is trying to break the boundaries of nature by trying to create life unnaturally. This makes Chapter Five significant because it shows the social and historical influences at the time. In conclusion, studying Chapter Five has given me a better understanding of the 19th Century life, and it has also given me a better understanding of why future events in the novel happen.