The gothic novel Frankenstein released in 1818 and written by Mary Shelley reflects the changes of society in the time of which in which it was written. Europe at the time was going through a revolution of science or “enlightenment”. Many new and amazing ideas concerning philosophy, science, medicine and the origins of human kind were being questioned and realised. People were in search of knowledge. However some believed that some branches of science pushed the natural limits with which humans should tamper with. The idea Galvanism (belief that electricity could be created within the flesh of animals and humans) and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution scared traditionalists and some factions believed these “new” sciences could be detrimental. The Romantics of which it was believed Shelley had close ties within, where people who believed in freedom, human’s connection to nature, imagination and individualism allowed artists freedom, experimentation and creativity. Shelley’s contrasting beliefs of romanticism contrasting…
Composed during the Industrial Revolution at a time of increased scientific experimentation, Shelley warns and forebodes her enlightened society of the consequences which come about from playing god. She uses Victor Frankenstein as her platform, whose self-exalting line “many excellent natures would owe their being to me” represents a society engrossed with reanimation. Recurring mythical allusions to Prometheus, “how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge” portray Victor as a tragic hero; a noble character whose “fatal flaw” of blind ambition ultimately results in his own downfall and dehumanization, “swallowed up every habit of my nature”. In addition, Victor’s impulsive rejection of his grotesque creation, leads to the Monster’s rebellion (“vowed eternal hated and vengeance to all mankind”).…
Written during the Industrial Revolution and in the Age of Enlightenment- Shelley’s Frankenstein can be interpreted as a warning to the technological curious. This curious nature leads Shelley to…
Scientific experiments are performed to reach a specific goal, yet a reverse affect is nearly always evident. Just as science can end up creating dual reactions, electricity holds this same power, that of magnetism. This duality can be applied to many aspects of Frankenstein. In fact it can be understood as the struggle between good versus evil. One may also view the duality of electricity as a metaphor representing two parts of the same entity. This in turn forms a doppelgänger relationship. However, it is difficult to decipher who represents good and who represents evil -- the man or the monster. One would initially assume the monster is the villain, yet it is the doctor, who upon seeing his hideous creation runs away from his responsibilities. Due to such neglect and monstrous appearance the monster is misunderstood and sets it upon himself to take revenge upon his creator and haunt him endlessly.…
In many novels throughout literature, enemies often share striking similarities. They push and pull at each other to the point where they lead to the each others undoing, yet they share tremendous likeness. In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly Victor Frankenstein and his creature are two sides of one person. Both despise each other, and in doing so they are despising themselves. There is a power struggle between the two adversaries, which leads to both Frankenstein, and his creature ending up alone. Shelly’s novel christens the era of romanticism and successfully merges these ideas with those of gothic style. The infatuation with discovery and creation is evident in the main character, Victor Frankenstein, and his pursuit of knowledge…
Shelley’s Gothic novel, Frankenstein, explores the complex nature of mankind by considering the consequences of an unrestricted pursuit of science. A rise in scientific experimentation with Galvanism during Shelley’s time is reflected through the protagonist Victor as he uses it to bestow life. Shelley portrays Victor and the Creature as complex beings, demonstrating both inhuman and human qualities. Despite this, the subsequent rejection by his creator and the De Lacy family drives the Creature to ‘eternal rejection and vengeance of mankind’. Victor’s initial response when meeting the creature, demonstrates his savage, cruel treatment and lack of responsibility towards his creation.…
Cultural, religious and scientific influences are deeply intertwined in Frankenstein. The novel’s cultural aspect is introduced at the beginning of the novel when Victor’s drive for knowledge is introduced, which leads to the introduction of the science aspect, in which Victor animates lifeless matter. The birth of his monster establishes the religious aspect the nature of evil becomes questionable. In this essay, Shelley’s manipulation of the religion, scientific, and cultural aspects of the novel will be analyzed. Throughout the novel Frankenstein, Shelley manipulates…
This passage is one in which Victor Frankenstein describes the birth of his creature. Frankenstein’s words and memories reflect his feelings towards his newborn child. This essay will examine Victor Frankenstein's words, feelings and attitude towards his new companion and also his creation.…
Contextual influences shape our values and way of life just as those of us living at that time challenge the values of that time. Shelley wrote Frankenstein during the Scientific Revolution not long after Galvani’s discovery of so-called ‘animal electricity’, sparking her idea of the possibilities of generating new human life. The power of the creative imagination was also a major influence on Shelley, a Romantic herself, and very influenced the renowned Romantic poets, husband Percy Shelley and friend Lord Byron. Shelley used the character of Victor Frankenstein in order to question the scientific and industrial revolutions wherein industrialists and scientists were increasingly focused on the thirst for knowledge at the expense of nature. In her text she has the obsessed Victor comment that he “did not watch the blossom of expanding leaves” and here…
When considered together with Blade Runner, Shelley’s early 19thC novel Frankenstein reveals ongoing social anxieties regarding unrestrained scientific growth in a context of unprecedented advancements. As Victor Frankenstein vows to “unfold the deepest mysteries of creation...to infuse life into an inanimate body”, the mythological allusion to the Greek Prometheus establishes the calamities of valuing scientific hubris as he transgresses his limits and annexes the divine authority of giving life. The recurring motif of light in the description of his insatiable desire to “pour a torrent of light into our dark world” symbolises the knowledge that 19thC scientists arduously desired in the fields of Galvanism and reanimation, paralleling Victor’s attempts to recreate the “spark of life”. In Blade Runner, Tyrell also attains knowledge of “nature’s secret hiding places”, and this reflects the ‘knowledge is power’ ideology of our era, seen in the semiotics of his palatial office which expounds his god-like stature. With Shelley thus making use of the Gothic genre to alert us of the potential consequences of “penetrating the secrets of nature”, we appreciate that texts are shaped by their contexts as they attempt to warn us of pertinent issues.…
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she attempts to bring to light the dangers and the amount of responsibility a then new-found age of scientific exploration and discovery could bring to the table. When Technology and Power are used for self-beneficiary reasons, the process in which man tries to move forward with their pursuit of knowledge becomes complex, ending in the corruption of the self. In his attempt to make life, Victor unleashes a ‘Monster’ unto the world, oblivious to the responsibility it comes with. Being ignorant to this, and believing it to be a mere monster, he rejects any responsibility, sealing their fate in death.…
With the future progress of scientific technology, there is a concern of whether or not individuals or businesses are attempting to play God and obtain the power to give or take away life. Progress in science causes people to question if scientific advances really do help the common man or can it harm them. The main character of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, wants to defy the laws of life and science by attempting to bring back the dead. The book follows Victor’s progress on creating the creature to show that using science to play God can lead to horrible consequences.…
In fact, she also critiques reason. Since science is a product of reason, Shelly uses it as the theme of critique and shows how it is dangerous. Victor tampers with the dangers of science by vitalizing the creature. During the Romantic era, the heavy industrial development left reactionary resentment, creating a wave of writers like Shelley who thought science to be dangerous. Rather than looking at the world through rational eyes, Romantics embraced the beauty of nature and the world with love. They argued that scientific machinery like factories will ultimately destroy the world. In Frankenstein, the creature is angry with the world due to social prejudice. "Remember that I have power..You are my creator, but I am your master..!" (Pg.224) By inventing a scientific creature that is uncontrollable even by the master, people's lives are jeopardized. Victor had created the monster with benevolent intentions. "I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation." (53) Just as scientists start out with optimism, experiments go wrong and the world has to suffer the consequences. Instead of discovering a method to fight death, Victor has killed everyone around…
He ends up getting in Victor’s mind until he ultimately dies. He spent the rest of his life trying to get away from the monster and then trying to track it with clues. There are some similarities and differences between the monster and Victor Frankenstein. The similarities are that they both possess physical power. Victor has the ability to put a life together by putting body parts back together and has power over science. Likewise, the monster has the physical capability to have ability over life in the fact that he can kill. The difference is that Victor is bringing life back and the monster is killing. Another difference shows that Victor realized he had power and felt guilty and the monster has never felt any remorse. A similarity is that the monster and Victor are both self-centered. The monster wants a mate for himself and does not think of the outcome it may have. Victor is self-centered because he created the monster because he originally wanted to have the power over science and life. He sooned learned that power was not all that he thought it was. Victor was also self-centered when he did not turn the monster into authorities when it started killing people. If he would have done this originally, he would not be in trouble or feel guilt and remorse. They both are similar because they are not very intelligent. Victor might have brains to build a body back but he was too arrogant and stupid to realize what could possibly happen. Likewise, the monster had the brain capacity of a baby and did not know anything socially or mentally at all. He just knew he wanted to get back at Victor for not building him a…
It is proved that his mental state is unbalanced when he states, “My internal being was in a state of insurrection and turmoil” (Shelley 36). As his mental health becomes unstable, he then becomes obsessed with science, making it his highest priority, even above his own health and family. Victor then suddenly became consumed with the concept of creating life artificially, and of the elixir of life. Although Victor does succeed in his dream of creating life, he is soon horrified at the sight of what he has created. He is not proud of the Creature, but disgusted at the sight of it, stating, “the beauty of the dream had vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 57) Victor abandons his creation and leaving it to fend for itself, indirectly causing the murders of loved ones on account of his own shallowness, selfishness, vanity, and disregard of moral…