One of the ways Shelley explores the dark side of the human psyche is the suppressed and forbidden knowledge which Victor Frankenstein is hungry for. We can see this when Frankenstein states 'how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge'. However it will ultimately lead to a happier life that the man 'who believes his native town to be the whole world'. This drives Frankenstein to exceed the boundaries of science hence create new life. Shelley portrays the desire of knowledge as lust which, if left unhindered, can drive a man to peril.
Victor represents society intent on pushing the boundaries and themonster represents the product of this curiosity; of technology gone wrong;technology without ethics. “Accursed creator! Why do you form a monster so hideousthat even you turn away from me in disgust?” The monsters constant rhetoricquestioning addresses these ethics and illuminates the monster as a symbol of innocence in the face of corruption. Victor’s relationships also allow insight into themoral dilemma of creation. Victor’s positive family relationship is juxtaposed againsthis spite for the monster, a somewhat child of his.
Frankenstein driven by romantic imagery and set in historic context, that analysis the European divide in society perpetuated by superficiality. Contrastingly Blade Runner is consumed by commercialism that reflects the dystopian globalised world that omits normal societal values and morals. Both texts challenge the morality of artificial creation that is motivated by the characters' relentless ambition. The texts employ techniques such as allusions and tactical characterisation to depict the disconnection to nature and the manipulated visions of the characters as well as introducing the question of 'what it means to be human?' Character is emblematic of the ideas within the both texts.
Both composers exhibit that genuine responsibility is acquired only after the traumatic experiences of paranoia and loss, overturning the underlying presumption that it is universal and easily recognised. Ambition and fallibility are characteristics that both Victor Frankenstein and Eldon Tyrell possess. These concepts are deeply flawed because they form ominous and dystopic worlds. Victor has an obsessive thirst for knowledge and destructive ambition. As he is a product of the Romantic value of egocentrism; he is blind to the consequences of his overwhelming desire to be omnipotent and is driven to discover the “secret of life”.
There are many similarities that can be pegged as relevant between the two. The most relevant being the pursuit of dangerous knowledge, the sublime nature of the world, the connection between creation and creator, and the possibility of redemption. The pursuit of knowledge is at the heart of Frankenstein, as Victor attempts to surge beyond accepted human limits and access the secret of life. Though, in his pursuit he seemed to forsake his soul and everything he loved suffered. Through his pursuit of playing God, he did not realize that his actions would result in the downfall (death) of him and everyone he loved.
He is rejected by the De Laceys and Frankenstein and ponders the question: ‘Am I not alone, miserably alone?’. The monster is represented as the dark side of Frankenstein. Shelley depicts Frankenstein as the real monster of the novel. Frankenstein appears to look like a nice person but Shelley creates him as a blasphemous person whose arrogance and obsessions with science end up costing him dearly. In contrast, the monster appears to be a nasty, unapproachable beast but actually appears to be well-educated and is knowledgeable about the world around him.
This may be deliberate to highlight Walton and Frankenstein character parallel and both their thirsts for knowledge. Shelley warns the reader that by having such adamant ambitions, although you may achieve them, the aftermath may not always be rewarding, such as for Frankenstein who was viewed as a mad man who isolated himself from society. Walton in the opening letters shows “one man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of knowledge.” This could potentially be intended foreshadow Walton ambition and how he doesn’t get to achieve it. Shelley highlights how both characters use
The comparative study of Mary Shelley’s romantic gothic novel, Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scott’s futuristic hybrid film, Blade Runner: Director’s Cut (1991), both significantly demonstrate the personal struggles experienced by individuals due to the loss of nature and humanity as a result of technological advancement. Mary Shelly explores how Victor Frankenstein’s desire to pursue knowledge and power without personal responsibility leads to both the Creature’s and his own struggles in life. Likewise, Ridley Scott show how Tyrell’s unethical actions of creating replicants and a lack of parental responsibility for them result in their personal struggles in a disintegrating society in the near future. In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein’s unethical enquiries into the source of life and the attempt to usurp the role of God cause the Creature to experience various struggles in life. Shelley’s use of Galvanism and Genesis, with the support of biblical allusion to criticise humanity’s disregard for nature during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century is used to exemplify the detrimental consequences of science on individuals.
“Gothic and Romanticism” – David Punter Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus and a Monster’s inevitable doom In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, it appears that Shelley attempts to draw an important analogy between the lone genius Prometheus, the archetypal seeker after forbidden wisdom, and her own protagonist Victor Frankenstein, who also dares to transgress boundaries in order to create life. Thus the subtitle The Modern Prometheus. However, it is crucial to note the invariable difference between both old and modern Prometheus. Whereas old Prometheus suffers alone for his sin, in the case of Shelley’s Prometheus, Frankenstein, the monster involuntarily partakes in the sin, by being its final product, and therefore has to suffer too. To the reader, it seems that Shelly consistently reminds us of the lack of responsibility on the part of Frankenstein, and the monster’s inherent innocence, who is only made evil by his circumstances.
Through the minds of Palahniuk and Stevenson a common ground is reached in the two books Fight Club and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; both the narrator and Dr. Jekyll create their own misfortune in trying to fix the problems of the world, or better yet what they perceive the problems to be. In a sense the doppelganger of Dr. Jekyll and The Narrator create a misery that is eerie. These characters could be considered Byronic heroes; they start off admirable individuals but by the end of their journey we pity them. Another observation than can be made is through the birth of their alter egos Dr. Jekyll is in essence attempting to play God, and Tyler Durden (The Narrator’s doppelganger) believes he is God. The consequences of their decisions lead them to, ceaseless misery,