Science And Religion In Frankenstein
VICTOR USURPS THE ROLE OF GOD AND CREATOR
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Victor’s crea,on of the monster from dead ma2er to a living being is approached purely scien,fically and in an empirical manner. Taking his studies of the natural world and philosophers, he creates life and directly challenges the comfortable certain,es of religion.
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By Victor’s example there is no longer just one benevolent God who bestows life, calling into ques,on the natural order of religion.
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Arguably, Victor has enacted the most pronounced form of blasphemy by equa,ng himself with God and blessing himself the monsters ‘creator and source’.
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Shelley suggests that this is his main crime; his presump,on in displacing God as creator.
However, perhaps the crime that Victor is regre2ably most remorseful for is not what he does, but what he fails to do; nurture his crea,on. The resul,ng chaos produced from the monsters crea,on only ensues because he is incapable of bearing responsibility for what he gives life to. Mellor states, “In his a2empt to override evolu,onary development and to create a new species, Victor Frankenstein becomes a periodic perpetrator of the orthodox crea,onist theory. On the one hand, he denies the unique power of God to create organic life. At the same ,me he confirms the capacity of a single creator to originate a new species [yet] only creates
•
Victor’s crea,on of the monster from dead ma2er to a living being is approached purely scien,fically and in an empirical manner. Taking his studies of the natural world and philosophers, he creates life and directly challenges the comfortable certain,es of religion.
•
By Victor’s example there is no longer just one benevolent God who bestows life, calling into ques,on the natural order of religion.
•
Arguably, Victor has enacted the most pronounced form of blasphemy by equa,ng himself with God and blessing himself the monsters ‘creator and source’.
•
•
Shelley suggests that this is his main crime; his presump,on in displacing God as creator.
However, perhaps the crime that Victor is regre2ably most remorseful for is not what he does, but what he fails to do; nurture his crea,on. The resul,ng chaos produced from the monsters crea,on only ensues because he is incapable of bearing responsibility for what he gives life to. Mellor states, “In his a2empt to override evolu,onary development and to create a new species, Victor Frankenstein becomes a periodic perpetrator of the orthodox crea,onist theory. On the one hand, he denies the unique power of God to create organic life. At the same ,me he confirms the capacity of a single creator to originate a new species [yet] only creates