The Setting of Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein, The country setting affects the character’s moods and takes a vital part in the story.   Most of the novel takes place in the lush countryside of Europe.   Victor Frankenstein and Henry Clerval travel to the country to lighten their moods and spirits.   Frankenstein’s monster learns everything he knew by exploring the country and makes his home in this setting, and all the characters, especially the monster, appreciate all nature has to offer, and the life it holds.  
Henry and Victor use the country to lift their moods after Victor’s illness.   They find a sort of peace in the tranquil landscape, “A serene sky and verdant fields fill me with ecstasy.   The present season was indeed divine; the flowers of spring bloomed in the hedges, while those of the summer were already in bud.”(78) The country fills Victor with total happiness and bliss.   The innocence and life of nature purges Victor of the memories of his sins, for the moment at least. It is hard to forget ones sins when ones sins have a habit of following you. The solitude of the country also accentuates the characters’ loneliness. Victor’s creature must feel so much more lonely in the desolate countryside.
It is also a great deal of misfortune that Victor encounters in the country.   When he is on a woods excursion, the monster contacts him in his time of elation.   At first he felt the regular bliss, “These sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the greatest consolation that I was capable of receiving. They elevated me from all littleness of feeling; and although they did not remove my grief, they subdued and tranquillized it.”(111), but almost immediately after he sees the creature he so ardently hates. “As I said this, I suddenly beheld the figure of a man, at some distance, advancing towards me with superhuman speed. He bounded over the crevices in the ice, among which I had walked with caution; his stature, also, as he approached, seemed to exceed that of...