The setting plays a central role in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Nature is presented as possessing immense healing power: the beauty of the natural world heals Victor when he is too unhappy to find comfort elsewhere. The Ravin de l'Arve and the Chamounix Valley illustrate the harmony and serenity of nature, which contrasts sharply with the chaos of Victor's troubled mind. This respite cannot, however, last: Victor has violated both divine law and natural law by attempting to appropriate the principle of life which is the exclusive prerogative of God. Therefore, even nature cannot save Victor from his inevitable punishment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay One of the most beautifully described settings in the novel is that of the Arve ravine, which leads Victor to the Chamounix valley. The ravine is “picturesque” with its picturesque cottages “protruding among the trees” and its castles “clinging to the precipices of the pine mountains”. The landscape is full of details: the reader finds himself facing a raging river, impressive mountains and a gushing waterfall. The Chamounix valley is bounded by massive glaciers (including the magnificent Mont Blanc) and threatened by rumbling avalanches; Victor considers it the height of “marvelous and sublime”. Victor's journey through the ravine and valley and his arrival at the mountain shows the reader the immense effect that nature has on Victor's health and sanity. The idea of ​​the sublime is taken from the work of Immanuel Kant (a German Enlightenment philosopher) Kant, in his book Critique of Judgment, says that one will often, when confronted with a truly immense natural landscape (its examples include the ocean and a mountain), a feeling he calls "sublime". This sublime feeling occurs because the immensity of the natural landscape involves the hand of God; that is, as we look at it, we realize that there is a force and intelligence infinitely greater than our own behind the composition of the world. It is this intelligence that Victor offended by creating the monster. Throughout the novel, nature assumes the role of Victor's doctor. The setting of the ravine and valley is a perfect example of the nourishment that nature provides for Victor. For example, when Victor lodges in the town of Chamounix, the sounds of the Arve River lull him to sleep, giving him a brief respite from the agony he endures during his waking hours. During Victor's journey to the mountain, he notices that certain natural phenomena along the way remind him of his childhood where he was "light", carefree and full of joy. All the beautiful scenes that Victor sees during his journey, even the sound of the wind in his ears are enough to soothe him and stop his tears. His current turmoil is all the more poignant and distressing as it contrasts with a child's innocence and delight in the natural world. The Arve River and the Chamounix Valley provide the reader with insight into Victor's changing character. At this point in the novel, it becomes clear that Victor prefers nature, which represents solitude, to human comfort. Victor feels he must abandon human society since he has caused it such terrible harm by creating the monster. Even Victor's father and his beloved Elizabeth cannot put him out of his misery, such is the immensity of his guilt. Victor admits that he “avoided the man’s face; every sound of joy or complacency was torture for me; solitude was my only consolation – in fact, a dark and deadly solitude.” Thus, uninhabited nature becomes the only place where Victor can find comfort; he says the “change of location” gives him a brief.