Question

What is the effect of the choice of frozen landscapes such as the North Pole and the Swiss Alps as settings in Frankenstein?

Answer 1

Answer: Warn readers about the abandonment, loneliness, misfortunes and cruelty of the characters. It also makes reference that the past events can affect us in any location.

Explanation: These landscapes show the influence of nature on the desires and actions of the characters. In the middle of the cruel and desolate winter desert, the monster claims its creator for its poor existence, its abandonment and its solitude.

Answer 2

Answer: It reminds readers of the loneliness and absolute desolation of the characters.

In Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley presents characters that are lonely. In particular, the creature which Victor created feels alone and misunderstood everywhere it goes. This major theme of lack of human connection is highlighted by the setting that Shelley chooses. The sterile, unwelcoming cold of the North Pole and the Alps serve to highlight the emptiness that the creature feels.