How Does Shelley Create a Sense of Fear at the Start of Chapter 5

How does Mary Shelley create a sense of fear and tension at the emergence of the monster in the opening at chapter 5?

The author of Frankenstein was Mary Shelley; she wrote the book in 1816 but it was got published in 1819. Shelley was born in 1797; when she wrote the book she was only 19 years old. The novel is of the gothic genre, combining horror and romance, which was very popular in the 1800‘s. Shelley’s mother was Mary Wollstonecroft, a campaigner for women’s rights. Shelley’s father was William Godwin who was a political free thinker. Her mother died 10 days after her birth. This impacted on the novel she wrote and means she can also sympathise with Victor.

In the 19th century there was major conflict between scientists and the church. Scientists such as Darwin and Galvani brought established religious views into question. Erasmus Darwin proposed his theory of evolution, meaning man evolved rather than having God as its creator, whilst Luigi Galvani actually revived some dead tissue by using electricity. On the other hand religious people thought man was trying to take the role of God and have equal powers. The church was disgusted. I think the messages Mary Shelley was trying to tell her reader swas that science can be extremely dangerous if used in the wrong way and was warning them.

Victor Frankenstein was a scientist who created a human form made with electricity. When Victor was younger he was affected deeply when his mother died giving birth to his younger brother. Victor’s childhood was very privileged; he was wealthy and had a close relationship with his mother. When he was a child he was enthusiastic about science.

When Victor went to university in Ingolstadt he became addicted and obsessed. When finally completing the experiment, Victor’s reaction was one of pride and anguish. He was pleased with his achievement but this was undermined by the monster’s horrific appearance. He classified the creation by calling it an ‘it‘. This...