Mont Blanc: Lines Written in the Vale of Chamouni

One of the main messages of Shelley’s text is that nothing in the universe stands independent from one another. This is evident from the very first stanza, where the entire “universe of things” (Line 1) immediately connects with the “mind” (Line 2). As the speaker continues with their descriptions of the Ravine of Arve and Mont Blanc, they show how every landmark and physical feature of the landscape connects with one another. The pine trees cling to the river’s banks just as the “chainless” (Line 22) breeze blows through the trees. Nothing happens in the natural world that doesn’t have some sort of ripple effect because everything is connected in the endless cycle of life. This interconnection of all things is reinforced by the repeated references to “eternity” and aspects of nature being “eternal.” At one point in the speaker’s musings, they state “all seems eternal now” (Line 75). Everything in nature eventually merges into one cohesive whole, such as at the end of Stanza 4 when the melting glacial waters converge in “one majestic River” (Line 123) that meets the “ocean-waves” (Line 125) and subsequently evaporates into the “circling air” (Line 126). While humans may get caught up with the idea of progress and social and scientific developments, everyone needs to understand the interdependence of the animate and inanimate entities of the universe.