Mary Shelley’s work of literature, Frankenstein, conveys her negative attitudes towards scientific issues of her time. With the use of Victor Frankenstein and the monster, Shelley is able to depict that the curiosity of science leads to negative impacts in society. Frankenstein is portrayed as a man full of interest in natural philosophy. Although his eager learning and experimenting for science is unlimited, he builds a monster that causes low credibility, betrayal and conviction for Frankenstein and those surrounding him. Fame being one of Frankenstein’s prime motive for creating a superhuman portrays that he does not realize his motive will cause low credibility.
Another aspect that is interesting is the turn in behavior for the monster. Perhaps the best quote to represent this idea comes from the actualization of the monster to himself in front of Victor’s dead body “My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love...it did not endure the violence of change without torture” showing how evil nature overcomes the good nature in human beings (Shelly, 158). Initially the monster is very amicable, however, due to continuous rejection, he seeks revenge upon all human beings. Is Shelly saying that even though even nature is good, evil eventually overcomes this good nature? Or Is Shelly saying that human nature is bad and full of rejection and isolation?
Texts reflect the social, economic and historical contexts of which the author compose their work in. Both Mary Shelley’s 19th century gothic novel “Frankenstein” and the science fiction film “Blade Runner” directed by Ridley Scott propose similar concepts even though their work were compose during different era. As a Romanticist, Shelley put down the idea of man playing ‘God’, Scott’s responds to Shelley warning is also condemn man’s thoughtless ambition. However the context of greed and mass industrialisation shifts the criticism onto the pursuit of commercial dominance. Both texts have used many language techniques and features to describe similar dystopian visions result from man’s abandonment of nature.
During Shelley’s time period, females were considered to be inferior to men, but Shelley shows how men actually feared a woman’s power. For example, when Frankenstein was creating the female mate for his monster, he started thinking about the consequences of having a female version of his monster in the world. He thought that she can create a whole new race of them and that she would not listen to the male monster and do things her own way. These were horrifying to Victor and all of these were thoughts of fear. Frankenstein feared the power of the female and her capabilities.
‘Frankenstein’ and the so called ‘Monster’ Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ examines human nature. A first time reader may be used to the unfaithful Hollywood adaptions of this timeless masterpiece but can find profound levels of depth and meaning in the art of Shelley’s storytelling. The creature in the story is a creation of Victor Frankenstein who is obsessed by "a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature" (Shelley 21). It is the creatures treatment by society and his creator Frankenstein that leads him to indulge in vengeful and evil behavior. Although this behavior is horrible and not at all sane or acceptable, it does not mean that the creature is an animal or ‘monster.’ Some people, legally and illegally, commit and enjoy
The Evil Created By Frankenstein In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein animates a being made of grotesque human body parts. The hideous appearance of his creation gave the creature no chance of fitting into society or ever being accepted. Throughout the story, the monster who has a “natural tendency to kind feelings” (Bloom 100) becomes violent and aggressive after being rejected and isolated. The creature is wronged many times by his irresponsible creator who abandons him within the first seconds of his life and then refuses to provide him with a friend. These mistakes of Victors, among others, are what cause the creature’s evil actions in the end.
The monster also always runs away from him leaving some traces for Frankenstein. The reason why the monster leaves some marks would be that he didn’t want to break the relationship with Frankenstein because he was the only person who knew and proved the existence of the creature himself in the world. And also the creature thought Frankenstein as a God or father even though he really cursed the Frankenstein who made him to live in the harsh world without any help. We can see this with the tears and ejaculation of creature at the moment of death of Frankenstein. I think this is the most sorrowful part in the whole story.
Mary Shelley demonstrates this concept through Victor’s pursuit for knowledge, caused by the change of values between the Romantic Era and the Age of Enlightenment. As electricity was discovered, Victor’s admiration for the subject of Galvanism provides him a “thirst for knowledge”, reinforced by his “longing to penetrate the secrets of nature”. This sexual allusion emphasises Victor’s loss of Romantic values which ultimately leads to an extremely arrogant attitude where he “bestows animation upon lifeless matter” and creates the “hideously deformed” monster that metaphorically represents the greed that blinds him. Its horrific actions, namely the killing of people closest to Victor, force him to finally realize that they “died by my hands”. Thus, Shelley warns that the destructiveness of Man’s intrinsic desires for knowledge stems from the change in values.
Although through the attempt to do so, and creating human life, as God did, leads to Tyrell’s death. Once again proving that noble intensions have ignoble results, and one should never attempt to take on the role of God. | Therefore through Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, the fundamental questions of humanity transcend time. Although each text represents a unique perspective that is a direct result of a change in context, the exploitation of the natural world and man’s attempt to take the role of God is still able to be seen through the effective use of literary and film techniques, which enables both composers purpose of a cautionary warning about the consequences of playing God to be portrayed. Leaving responders with the question, how do we stop technology from ruining humanity?
Shelley evidences this theme through Victor stealing the Gods gift of life, alluding to Prometheus stealing the Gods gift of fire, epitomised in Victors dialogue “A new species would bless me as its creator”. ( can also add from here the domino effect/ notes taken from book, consequences of playing God) Victor becomes a lost soul when he tries his ghastly experiments on the dead and loses his moral compass when he becomes obsessed with animating the dead. Victor's overindulgence in science takes away his humanity, and he is left with the consequences of these actions without having reasoned out the reality that his experiments may not have the desired effects. (can also talk about loss of parental duty/abondment) Rejecting and not naming his invention makes the reader feel a sense of prejudice against the monster as it is given titles such as the ‘monster’ or ‘creature’, words that linger on a negative aspect. This initial reaction of Victor was an indirect means of Shelley showing how humans would react to side effects or catastrophes caused by scientific