Frankenstein
By: Mary Shelley
Beginning in October, Victor and Henry first begin their embankment to London by traveling to Windsor. Their journey takes them to Windsor, Oxford, Mattock Cumberland, Westmorland, Edinburgh, Couper, St. Andrew's, Perth, Orkney Islands, and Ireland. While this change serves the purpose of illustrating the progression in the novel, I believe it also illustrates a progression in the characters. It presents a shift from fear of death to embracing death, slavery to creation and knowledge to facing and fighting for freedom, and an attempt to resolve the past by moving forward. Victor himself describes the setting by saying, "It was a monotonous yet ever-changing scene (Page 119)." This phrase illustrates the inconsistency yet the importance of setting as it created a despairing mood and set the scene of darkness and desolation as "The voyage came to an end (Page 136)." With the end of the voyage, came the eventual end of the creature.
A constant aspect and characteristic that both guides and directs the novel is setting. The setting is used by Mary Shelley to reflect mood changes, illustrate a change in the direction of the story, and characterize or bring to life the emotions and experiences of the characters. From Chapter XVI to Chapter XIX, the setting changes over 12 times, thus emphasizing this section as a climax and time of immense change.
Beginning in October, Victor and Henry first begin their embankment to London by traveling to Windsor. Their journey takes them to Windsor, Oxford, Mattock Cumberland, Westmorland, Edinburgh, Couper, St. Andrew's, Perth, Orkney Islands, and Ireland. While this change serves the purpose of illustrating the progression in the novel, I believe it also illustrates a progression in the characters. It presents a shift from fear of death to embracing death, slavery to creation and knowledge to facing and fighting for freedom, and an attempt to resolve the past by moving forward. Victor himself describes the setting by saying, "It was a monotonous yet ever-changing scene (Page 119)." This phrase illustrates the inconsistency yet the importance of setting as it created a despairing mood and set the scene of darkness and desolation as "The voyage came to an end (Page 136)." With the end of the voyage, came the eventual end of the creature. 
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