It suggests that an ambitious person will surrender moral integrity in order to achieve power and success. This is portrayed through Tyrell, the Creator of the Replicants and possibly the mastermind behind the world’s rapid propulsion into a world of science. Bladerunner is a dystopic science fiction that holds similarities to Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) and George Orwell’s 1984 (1949). Both these texts have influenced the themes present in the film regarding contemporary society’s failings and the speculation on the potential consequences of continued scientific pursuit. This pursuit of knowledge and progress is not unlike that of the Nazi regime.
The replicants are artificial, the memories are artificial. Technology has well and truly taken over. Akin to Frankenstein, Blade Runner acts as a severe warning to the depressing future we may have if we try to push advances of science and technology further and further beyond the limit. As before mentioned, it is the hubris of the protagonists in each text that causes the highest diminution of humanity. In both texts, both protagonists seek earnestly to become God-like by taking on the role of creator, Frankenstein with the monster, and Tyrell with the replicants.
Albert Speer – Opinion Speech Albert Speer, architect of the third Reich, minister of Armaments, its undoubted that he was a man of great potential & caused great effect during Hitler’s reign & Germany’s ongoing war effort. Though one question still remains, that is, was he honest at the Nuremburg Trials in 1945? Was Speer really honest, when he said that he knew nothing of the holocaust & Nazi death camps? It was at the age of 26 in 1931, in an address to the students of Berlin University that Speer first saw Hitler. Speer admitted he was carried away by Hitler’s unmatched speaking prowess, unequivocal belief in Nazi ideology & the idea of a restored Germany.
Science & Technology * Example: Ernest (Frankenstein’s brother) is “full of activity and spirit”, “ looks upon study as an odious fetter; his time is spent in the open air”. Frankenstein: “often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation”. “It was a most beautiful season…but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature” * Technique & Effect: Shelley characterises Ernest as representative of Romanticism and Frankenstein as representative of the Enlightenment. Shelley juxtaposes the two to highlight how their contrasting relationship with nature results in contrasting levels of personal well-being. Ernest is described in terms with positive connotations such as “spirit”, while Frankenstein is described in pejorative terms such as “loathing”.
Inhumanity and monstrosity is depicted in Frankenstein, through the characters of Victor and the creature, whom can be perceived as doppelgangers. Initially the creature is seen as physically horrifying, which is expressed through description, the hyperbole “his face was wrinkled into contortions too horrible for human eyes to behold,” but is initially benevolent until contact with civilisation transformed him into a vengeful murderer. This also evokes Rousseau’s Romantic theory of the noble savage; that man’s existence is superior amongst nature, when he is not exposed to the malicious influences of society. Towards the end of the novel, Victor is also seen to be a monster, as he did not take responsibility for his creation, which leads to his realisation, “I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer.” This is also a similar case for Tyrell in Blade Runner; however, he does not feel guilt for the treatment and injustice of his replicants. “Commerce is our goal,” is his slogan, depicting his greed and inhumanity, which is reflective of the economically driven 20th century.
If not for the birthmark on Georgiana’s face, she would have been perfect in Aylmer’s obsessed eyes, dare say perhaps, immortal. He leaves behind all he knows of a life dedicated to science and its workings, to marry Georgiana. That’s a big deal, so it makes the reader wonder why Aylmer is so distraught over this minute detail. Despite Georgiana’s many attributes, Aylmer, a man of science, obsesses himself with removing the flaw from his wife’s face. During his research and experimentation on his willing wife, Aylmer begins to think that the facial blemish held deep roots into his wife’s spiritual core.
The monster comments on his bodily composition in the novel and makes a seemingly obvious comment much more intriguing. The monster paves the way for a successful scientific understanding of the novel and the concept of recreating life: “I was not even of the same nature as man” (Shelley 103). The monster makes clear the fact that he came into existence in a fashion far-removed from natural sexual reproduction and human birth. The critic Stanley Crouch explains: “Frankenstein injected into the game the idea of artificially creating life. Scientifically manipulating the forces that underlie existence; subverting sexual coupling as the sole manner of passing on the divine spark” (Crouch 56).
Innocence and purity are tarnished when pride is introduced into oneʼs mind. Benjamin Disraeli supports this by stating “pride ruined the angels.” When people have pride they will go to extreme measures to remove the flaws that surround them; this leads to them losing the morality and naivete that once established their being. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, exemplifies the disintegration of integrity through her protagonist: Victor Frankenstein. At first, Victor was a pure and intelligent human who once held a great passion for science and wanted to pursue his dreams of creating life; however, once that goal was achieved, Victor isolated himself from his creation due to all its imperfections and the overwhelming feelings from failing himself thus diminishing his pride.
Being “by birth a Genovese,” and belonging to “one of the most distinguished [families] of that republic”, coupled with his conceived omnipotence after creating life, Frankenstein believes he can predict other’s motives and solve problems single-handedly, betraying an excess of pride (14). For instance, Victor fails to register his own advice that he relates to Captain Walton, which expresses that “if the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and… destroy your taste for… simple pleasures… then that study is certainly unlawful… [and] not befitting [of] the human mind”(56). Instead, this character continues with his experiments, believing that adhering to this rule would cease human progress, and thus destroy his vision. As well, he neglects the guidance of his own family. When Victor is thirteen, he chances to find a volume of the works of a famous natural philosopher.
In the novel and in the film, there are many differences in the character, Dr. Victor Frankenstein. In the novel Frankenstein wants to create life because he is infatuated with the idea of doing what hasn’t been done before. When the creation finally comes alive, Frankenstein is proud, but shortly after the creations “birth” he finds it hideous and scary: “His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! - Great God!