Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, several concepts and objects are used as symbols to greater themes Shelley is trying to convey. There is the use of fire and light, which represent intelligence and discovery (such as how the Monster is drawn to the light of the small cottage, in which he learned of how humans behave by observing the family inside), and there is the use of Adam and other biblical figures as symbolic descriptions for the Monster (who refers to themself as Adam but is called a Devil or “Daemon” by Victor). However, I want to focus on the symbolic use of lightning, as it is quite possibly the most misrepresented symbol in all of Frankenstein.

Many people who haven’t read Mary Shelley’s original Frankenstein likely connect the use of lightning to the creation of the monster, but the novel doesn’t inherently mention electricity in the monster’s creation. While this may be a mistaken interpretation of Shelley’s use of the phrase “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.” (pg 83, Volume 1) However, use of lightning is more likely attributed to James Whale’s 1931 film adaptation to the novel, which established many of the tropes we associate with Frankenstein in the modern day. This isn’t to say that Shelley didn’t know the electrifying properties of lightning, as that information had become widespread by the point she had written her novel. But the use of lightning as a way of powering a machine, let alone a corpse, was beyond the thoughts of science fiction. 

The original symbolic meaning of lightning was to represent, and often foreshadow, death and destruction. This symbolic connection can be seen very early on in the novel, as Victor watches a bolt of lightning destroy a tree. This event sparks Victor’s interest in the philosophies of life and death but it also serves as a warning to the destructive and dangerous qualities of lightning. 

This destructive quality is used to describe the Monster as well, and lightning is used to foreshadow the arrival of the Monster with malicious intent. For example, after Victor returns to Geneva he sees the Monster silhouetted in the light created by a storm’s lightning. This event is preceded by the death of William, Victor’s brother, and alludes to the idea that the Monster killed William by using lightning to suggest the monster’s destructive capabilities. Lightning is also present at Victor’s wedding, specifically after it is revealed that the Monster killed Elizabeth. Both of these cases use lightning as a symbol of the Monster’s violent actions, but it’s also used to show the destruction caused by others. The most notable example of this is when Victor is attempting to create a partner for the Monster, he destroys his new creation in a thunderstorm. While destroying the body, Victor spots the Monster as he is illuminated by the light from the storm’s lightning. The use of lightning in this scene represents both the malicious intent by the Monster as well as the destructive actions of Victor Frankenstein. The use of lightning as a symbol in Frankenstein is often misunderstood. Most people see lightning as a symbol of life and creation when in actuality it is quite the opposite: a symbol of death and malicious destruction. It is important to understand the use of lightning in this book, as to understand the themes present and the author’s original intent.