Frankenstein 20

• “The moon gazed on my midnight labours, while, with unrelaxed and breathless eagerness, I pursued nature to her hiding-places.” (p. 48)

Throughout the story, Victor retreats to the serenity of nature to soothe his mind. During the deaths of his family members, Victor escaped to cope with the loss. In this excerpt, Victor is vigorously working on his experiment, yet feels anxious and uptight. To getaway from this, he seeks the calmness of nature. Victor’s reoccurring escape to nature sets the tone and mood of this novel that Shelley was aiming for. However, the tranquility of nature is ruined as Victor has to constantly be cautious of the monster’s “hiding places.”