Representations of Emotion through Nature in Frankenstein - Alese Cowardin

 When we were discussing the audible representations in nature my mind immediately went to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the new Guillermo del Toro movie adaptation starring Oscar Issac and Jacob Elordi. The nature of the environment mirroring the emotions that the characters experience in the novel are strongly depicted in the beautiful cinematography of the movie. The book is known for its emphasis on the sublime, and Shelley fully leans into this element of nature throughout the novel, for what is more sublime than nature mirroring our own inner turmoil? For his part, del Toro’s cinematography captures this same spirit: the mountainous cave that Elizabeth dies in hints at the mourning that the creature feels, the barren iceland represents Victor’s lack of meaning and sole focus on hunting down his creation. The storm rages on outside the ship as Victor unreliably narrates his story and only when the captain hears both sides, does the storm stop. In a way, the storm symbolizes the conflict between Victor and the creature, an idea that is emphasized at the end when the creature leaves the ship at peace and holds his face up to the sunlight in the distance. His future is uncertain as he remains in this wasteland, yet he has found some semblance of peace and so has the environment around him. The wind no longer howls with rage against the desolated ice – the two have found peace just like the characters they are meant to mirror.

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