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.
Throughout Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s warning against the abuse of power and interference with natural forces permeates through the character of Victor, whose obsession with power taints his moral compass and subsequently causes him to tamper with nature. This is highly influenced by the distinctive 19th century context of Romanticism, as Shelly criticizes Victor’s desire for control over nature by integrating the creative arrogance of Romantic literature into his character as well as Promethean qualities and ‘hubris’ with overwhelming ambition to acquire power. As the 19th century had yet to deal with industrialisation and technologicalisation on a mass scale, Shelly simultaneously ponders the cost of such abuse of power and intrusion of natural force. Victor states that “no one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane”. The use of simile equates Frankenstein’s desire for power over natural order
Throughout the novel Frankenstein, author Mary Shelley defines morality based on a nature and nurture of ones and it plays relevant role on a person life. Shelley explains sometimes a mankind’s morality can be bad and she mentions it through her the characters Victor Frankenstein, the creature and Robert Walden. Frankenstein’s great desire of creating life endanger his family and goes against nature, his careless disregard for a naïve creature turns it into vicious exterminator and Walden’s unachievable fantasy of finding north pole put his crew in deadly
As a result of Frankenstein's reckless ambitions, he commits acts of injustice by casting away the creature and labelling it "wretched and abhorred." The creature's melancholy speech towards Frankenstein is reflective of the suicide note written by Shelley's half sister Fanny Godwin; "The existence of a being whose birth was unfortunate" and the creature "yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me." Not only is the creature's abandonment reflective of Shelley's half sister, but also of her father William Godwin's abandonment of Shelley herself. This creates skepticism, as to who is the real monster; Frankenstein or the creature? Furthermore, Scott highlights the lack of ethical and moral responsibility of the parent in Blade Runner through Tyrell and the replicants, specifically Roy Batty.
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
As exemplified by both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, prolonged estrangement from society essentially rips the lid off Pandora’s notorious Box, prompting self-destruction and magnifying the human tendency to harbor resentments towards a society that has become foreign to them. Our gruesome adventure begins
Frankenstein was composed during the Romantic period; which involved challenging previously accepted, scientific statements, regarding the practical and ethical possibilities arising from human enquiries into the sources of life and human knowledge in general. Romantics such as Shelley held firm views in the rejection of science and rationalism, espousing the sublimity of nature and emotional experiences. This ideology involved the concept that mechanical production, such as seen through the Industrial Revolution, led to the alienation of man from essential human nature. Shelley’s Gothic writing style was heavily influenced by such ideologies; evident through her use of vivid imagery, juxtaposing the beauty of natural elements and the hideousness of scientifically manufactured beings, a symbol of the Enlightenment; “I watched
When these texts are examined comparatively, the contiguity, proximity and associations that can exist between them shape more than just an interesting response but one that is illuminating. Both texts demonstrate man’s relentless pursuit for knowledge as detrimental to humanity’s existence. Shelly recognises the ‘horrors’ and dehumanising consequences of the prolific changes of the early 19th century. She criticises the great promises and progress of the Industrial Revolution using the isolation and destruction of the scientist Victor Frankenstein as a social warning for society. Victor’s egotistic obsession with “unfolding the deep mysteries of creation” forces him far away from nature and society into an isolated and dehumanised existence, ideas reflecting Shelley’s Romantic perspective.
Both Shelley’s novel and Scott’s feature film are examples of texts that transcend the age they are created in – they serve as warnings to humanity about the dangers of scientific alteration of the natural cycle Shelley’s Frankenstein was composed during an era of rampant social and scientific change; although this change was not necessarily progress. Shelley’s novel examines the moral responsibility of the scientist, and offers the consequences of annihilation of nature. During the 19th Century, the environment stopped being a source of beauty and inspiration and largely became another commodity; a casualty of the Industrial Revolution. Shelley continues the Romantic theme of emphasis on nature with her repeated
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.