Chapter+22

Chapter: 22 Marriage of Frankenstein and Elizabeth "It is sad not to love, but it is much sadder not to be able to love."- Miguel de Unamuno

In Paris, Victor receives a letter from Elizabeth, who is worried that Victor has fallen for another woman. Victor reassures Elizabeth of his love for her, and they get married.

No detectable allusions
 * Allusions:**


 * Motifs/Symbols:**

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Nature: "Those were the last moments of my life during which I enjoyed the feeling of happiness. We passed rapidly along: the sun was hot, but we were sheltered from its rays by a kind of canopy, while we enjoyed the beauty of the scene, sometimes on one side of the lake, where we saw Mont Saleve, the pleasant banks of Montalegre, and at a distance, surmounting all, the beautiful Mont Blanc, and the assemblage of snowy mountains that in vain endeavor to emulate her" (Shelly 190).=====

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Light: "But we were sheltered by its [the sun's] rays by a kind of canopy...we saw the mighty Jura opposing its dark side to the ambition that would quit its native country" (Shelly 190). In this excerpt, Shelly juxtaposes the light of the sun with the darkness of a shadow. The physical darkness of the shadows serves to foreshadow further metaphorical darkness to come. Throughout the novel, Shelly includes the classically Zoroastrian light-dark contrast to evoke the notion of the doppelganger. Despite Frankenstein’s benevolent exterior he has in fact committed atrocious acts. Despite Frankenstein’s belief that his intentions in creating the monster were pure, his motivations were indeed selfish. Frankenstein, a being of nature, therefore possesses the same contrast of light and dark that is discernible in the Swiss countryside. =====

__Nature as. sublime__: Throughout the novel, Victor is able to calm his grief by visiting the “natural world” and experiencing its sublimity. Romantics believed that a natural setting allows humankind to experience individuality and sincere, uninhibited emotions (// Frankenstein //). In this chapter, the beauties of the natural world are still able to quell Victor’s angst, which stems from the Monster’s threat. Indeed, Frankenstein goes so far as to say “What a divine day! how happy and sincere all nature appears” (Shelly 191).
 * Themes:**

__Elizabeth as a Possession__: In this chapter, Victor finally marries his adopted sibling Elizabeth. Throughout the novel, the reader notices the peculiarity of Victor and Elizabeth’s relationship. Indeed, Victor seems to possess the view instilled in him by his mother that Elizabeth is “his.” In one conversation Victor refers to Elizabeth in the third person despite the fact that he is addressing Elizabeth: “I love Elizabeth” (Shelly 188). Such reference evinces the true nature of the relationship between Victor and Elizabeth – a relationship in which one possesses the other. Such a relational dynamic is typical for Victor. In his egocentrism, Victor often regards the people close to him as mere commodities or pawns.
 * Character Development:**

“Alas! my father,” said I. “How little do you know of me. Human beings…would be degraded if such a wretch as I felt pride” (Shelly 183). In this passage Victor elaborates on the guilt that he feels. However, Frankenstein fails to explicitly say that he is responsible for the deaths of the monster. He simply calls himself a “wretch.” The notion that the his own actions are central to the purity of all humanity also reveals Victor’s egocentrism.
 * Significant Quotes and explanations:**

“As if possessed by magic powers, the monster had blinded me to his real intentions…I hastened…[the death] of a far dear victim.” (Shelly 189). In this excerpt, Victor mourns not the death of Elizabeth, but his inability to predict his monster’s plan kill those close to Victor. Indeed, a less selfish protagonist might have realized that the monster would engage in such a plan to avenge the destruction of a companion for the monster.


 * Art Gallery: [[image:wedding-rings.jpg width="160" height="119"]]**

“// Frankenstein //Mary Shelly: Themes, Motifs and Symbols.” // Sparknotes //. Sparknotes LLC. 2010. Web. 02 Dec. 2010. . Shelly, Mary. // Frankenstein //. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.
 * Sources:**