Manuel Martinez, Fabian Reyes, Ana Ruiz, Marc Garcia, Ruby Ledezma

Symbols: Clouds/ Mist, Fire, Lightning

1. Clouds/Mist
Mist = uncertainty, mystery
● “I am already far north of London, and as I walk in the streets of Petersburgh, I
feel a cold northern breeze play upon my cheeks, which braces my nerves and
fills me with delight” (2)
○ Wind is a strong force produced by Earth
■ Universe’s way of letting Walton know something will
happen/unexpected will happen to him
○ Excited to explore new knowledge and to discover, yet has a mysterious
and uncertain feel
○ As scientist, has to expect the unexpected
● “About two o’clock the mist cleared away, and we beheld, stretched out in every
direction, vast and irregular plains of ice, which seemed to have no end. ...We
perceived a low carriage, fixed on a sledge and drawn by dogs, pass on towards
the north, at the distance of half a mile; a being which had the shape of a man,
but apparently of gigantic stature, sat in the sledge and guided the dogs” (14).
○ Took a while for the mist to clear out, could possibly relate that mysteries
do not clear so quickly?
○ Mist reveals mysterious creature that leaves an impact on Walton and the
crew ship men
■ Questions: Who is this? Why are they so tall? Why are they here?
2. Fire
Fire = the ability to transform, love, life, health, control, sun, God, passion, spiritual
energy, regeneration, knowledge, double edged sword of life (pleasure/life and
pain/death)
● “‘One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been left by
some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I
experienced from it…When night came again I found, with pleasure, that the fire
gave light as well as heat” (120-121)
○ The monster is telling his creator his story after he was ‘born’ and left to
the woods to hide from victor and people out or fear of their reaction to his
wretchedness
○ After all the misery the monster has experienced, hunger, cold, isolation
he stumbles upon fire that was left behind which gave him delight and
saved him in a way not just from cold but from the beast/ monster he
would become. It transformed him into a creature that was capable of
caring and feeling things other than misery as you can see later when he
encounters the cottagers. It transforms him again later on so in a sense it
symbolizes a renewal/ rebirth of his character
● “As night advanced I placed a variety of combustibles around the cottage...I
lighted the dry branch of a tree and danced with fury around the devoted cottage,
my eyes still fixed on the western horizon, the edge of which the moon nearly
 touched...The wind fanned the fire, and the cottage was quickly enveloped by the
flames, which clung to it and licked it with their forked and destroying tongues.”
(165-166)
○ Context: The Monster was enraged by his rejection from the family, and
then he decided to gather around combustibles and place them around
the cottage and then set the cottage ablaze.
○ The Monster underwent a transformation of attempting to be nice and
loving and is shown through his actions of trying to help the neighboring
family. However, after his rejection, he essentially changed into becoming
a man filled with rage and anger towards humanity, most especially
towards his creator, Victor.
○ The action of the Monster burning the village is essentially him moving on
and forgetting about his past attempts of conforming and joining society,
and now that he has burned the cottage, he has embraced a new phase
of vengeance and hatred towards society (renewal of his
character/personality). He is no longer a creature that wants to learn and
be able to be accepted and a part of society. He is now a monster that will
afflict and pain to those that pained him the most, his creator who made
him look that hideous. The use of fire also undergoes a transformation as
it was originally used (by the monster) to sustain life through warmth,
light, and cooking food. However, as seen here, it was used to cause
destruction and harm.
○ Additionally, the use of fire in this sense is destructive and by him burning
away from his past life because of negative emotions that he dealt with at
that time, the burning of the cottage could potentially symbolize the
self-destruction that too would happen to the monster as at the end of the
book he commits suicide
3. Lightning/Thunder
Lightning = Inspiration for Victor
● “When I was about fifteen years old we had retired to our house near Belrive,
when we witnessed a most violent and terrible thunderstorm. It advanced from
behind the mountains of Jura, and the thunder burst at once with frightful
loudness from various quarters of the heavens. I remained, while the storm
lasted, watching its progress with curiosity and delight” (37).
○ After Victor watches the storm progress and sees the lightning strike the
oak tree, he is inspired to pursue a career in science. This becomes a
burning passion for Victor, so much so, that he basically throws away his
previous principles and attempts to learn how to raise the dead without
preparing or really understanding what consequences might occur from
this feat.

● “With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life
around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at
my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the
 panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the
half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed
hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs” (58).
○ Victor ignorantly gave life to his creature by using all the knowledge he
has gathered so far about how life begins. The spark that gives the
creature life symbolizes the knowledge and inspiration Victor received
once he saw the lightning strike the oak tree in the previous quote. His
creature now has the power to learn and be Victor’s companion but
instead Victor is filled with fear. Victor was unhappy instead of pleased
with himself when he achieved his goal because what he dreamt about
did not meet reality. His creation was hideous to him and he saw that
there was no pride in being the creator of this creature. This leads him to
shun his creation and only fear it because he now realizes that what he
has done can lead to many future consequences. He was no longer
blinded by his want for knowledge so he could see that trying to become
god and create his own species was insanity. Victor did not want to take
responsibility for his creature’s actions so he chose to run away. His
cowardness led to the monster feeling that there was no point to being
good if everyone is going to shun him and mistreat him for his
appearance. Victor’s cowardness was the cause of his creation’s misery
but he still put the blame on the monster instead of taking responsibility
for the actions of his creation. Victor was failing to see the whole picture
though, which shows that the knowledge that Victor has pursued for so
long does not lead to happiness but instead ignorance. He continues to
remain ignorant of what is occurring around and refuses to see the good
in the monster.

● "Suddenly a heavy storm of rain descended. I had been calm during the day, but
so soon as night obscured the shapes of objects, a thousand fears arose in my
mind. I was anxious and watchful, while my right hand grasped a pistol which
was hidden in my bosom; every sound terrified me, but I resolved that I would sell
my life dearly and not shrink from the conflict until my own life orthat of my
adversary was extinguished" (240).
○ The creature later on in the story says, “I will be there on your wedding
night,” after Victor refuses to make his creation a companion. This threat
leads Victor to be consumed by fear. Fear leads to anxiety and him being
wary of everything around him. At this time, he has realized that he was
foolish in the past for not prioritizing his family over his research. His past
actions, he fears, are now going to affect what he now sees as
irreplaceable and that is his family. He has lost any hope for happiness at
this time and feels like killing the monster is his only chance at happiness
with Elizabeth. Victor did not think at the time that the monster would not
come for him, but instead Elizabeth. Victor was so self-absorbed with
 regret over his actions that he failed to see that Elizabeth was the target.
The lightning shows that he has lost all rationality and is now only
consumed by regret of basing his whole life on gaining more knowledge.
Possible Questions:
● How do all of these symbols connect to each other?