Comparitve Paper of Frankenstein and Angels and Demons
December 5, 2004
Comparative Analysis: Frankenstein and Angels and Demons
Science and religion have been at odds since back in Galileo 's day and maybe even before. The battle rages on even today with debates on cloning and stem cell research. These issues can be seen not only today 's literary works but also in the works from the years past. Two great examples of the past and present are: Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein and Dan Brown 's Angels and Demons. Both deal with the issue of the roles that science and religion play. Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein is a horror story written in 1831. It tells a tale of Victor Frankenstein 's obsession with playing God and creating a man and the consequences that come with it. Not only does the book reflect on Victor 's life and but also on the monster 's life and how it deals with the situations at hand. Angels and Demons is a suspense thriller written in 2000. Robert Langdon has been asked to help solve a murder mystery because it is believed that a secret society that he has studied called the illuminati are behind it. The story takes a ton of twist and turns that involve a container of antimatter, the Catholic Church and a dead priest 's secret. Even though both of these books were written in different times and with totally different plots they still both bring to light the battle between science and religion that may never diminish. Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with his to attempt to create a human. He works on it constantly alienating friends and loved ones. His obsession is finally rewarded with success; he manages to create a monster. This is where Mary Shelley starts to bring in the lesson of playing God. When Victor looks at his creation, he sees what a horror he has created and how hideous a creature it is. "No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch" (Shelley 44). Shelley shows that man cannot create things without
Comparative Analysis: Frankenstein and Angels and Demons
Science and religion have been at odds since back in Galileo 's day and maybe even before. The battle rages on even today with debates on cloning and stem cell research. These issues can be seen not only today 's literary works but also in the works from the years past. Two great examples of the past and present are: Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein and Dan Brown 's Angels and Demons. Both deal with the issue of the roles that science and religion play. Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein is a horror story written in 1831. It tells a tale of Victor Frankenstein 's obsession with playing God and creating a man and the consequences that come with it. Not only does the book reflect on Victor 's life and but also on the monster 's life and how it deals with the situations at hand. Angels and Demons is a suspense thriller written in 2000. Robert Langdon has been asked to help solve a murder mystery because it is believed that a secret society that he has studied called the illuminati are behind it. The story takes a ton of twist and turns that involve a container of antimatter, the Catholic Church and a dead priest 's secret. Even though both of these books were written in different times and with totally different plots they still both bring to light the battle between science and religion that may never diminish. Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with his to attempt to create a human. He works on it constantly alienating friends and loved ones. His obsession is finally rewarded with success; he manages to create a monster. This is where Mary Shelley starts to bring in the lesson of playing God. When Victor looks at his creation, he sees what a horror he has created and how hideous a creature it is. "No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch" (Shelley 44). Shelley shows that man cannot create things without
Cited: Brown, Dan. Angels and Demons. Pocket Star Books. New York, 2000. Mazur, Allan. Science three, religion zero. Society. May June 1996 V 33 No.4. P 20-28. Nelkin, Dorothy. Genetics, God and sacred DNA. Society. May/June. 1196 V33 no.4 pg 29-43. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Bantam Classics. New York, 1818. Silver, Lee. Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein. www.princeton.edu/wws320/films/Frankenstein/Frankenstein%20essay.htm