Category: Frankenstein

Published in 1818 (Mellor 05), Frankenstein; The Modern Prometheus is a gothic novel written by Mary Shelley. The novel incorporates aspects of romance with some aspects of horror which is depicted by the character of the monster (Mellor 10).

Mary Shelley wrote the novel at a time when the world was changing very fast in all spheres that are in agriculture, transport industry and technological developments among others. It was the era of industrial Revolution and this era saw the world population increase and people started to earn more.

Coupled with the changes that were occurring in the world due to industrialization, people’s living standards started to improve and this also produced some effects to people’s culture.

The novel therefore was a clear reflection of what some of these advancements that were being invented during the industrial revolution would bring to the human race and perhaps act as a warning to people who were in pursuit of knowledge and inventions, to think of the consequences of their inventions before they brought harm to the human race (Mellor 17).

The milieu in which the novel, Frankenstein; The Modern Prometheus is situated served as a warning to people that the technological developments brought about by the quest for knowledge (Rauch 67) could bring about the very threat to human existence and who are we to question Mary Shelley’s warning.

Since the onset of industrialization, people have continued to talk about population increase to the extent of constraining our natural resources, global warning, pollution from factories and ethical issues related to technological advancements in the study of human beings for instance human cloning.

It therefore should not be a surprise the way Mary Shelley portrays the theme of dangerous knowledge with so much negativity in the novel and also through the way Frankenstein’s monster turned out to be hideous just like the hideous outfit mother earth wears of polluted environment (Stableford 35), lack of ethics to humans, among others due to advancement in the field of knowledge and man wanting to explore fields that are beyond his limit.

To bring out the theme of dangerous knowledge quiet clearly in the novel, Frankenstein; The Modern Prometheus, we can first of all analyze the symbolic title of the novel. Borrowing the word Prometheus from Greek ancient stories, Prometheus was known to be very intelligent and accredited with shedding light to mankind through stealing fire which was hidden from humans by Zeus (god).

Through this act of Prometheus, man was able to cook using the fire and became civilized. Perhaps Mary Shelley inclusion of Prometheus in the title of the novel had a deeper meaning? Perhaps she wanted to illustrate how through Prometheus’s intelligence of stealing fire from Zeus, mankind had been able to do bad and good things with the fire for instance cook and use the fire to sharpen iron tools and thereby kill.

For whatever reasons she gave the novel the title, The Modern Prometheus, it has great similarities with the ancient Greek legends of Prometheus in relation to dangerous knowledge.

Therefore, the theme of dangerous knowledge flows out throughout the novel that is from the first pages of the novel to when Frankenstein would die before he is able to kill his own creation. The creature eventually destroys itself through committing suicide (Shelley 55).

Prometheus can therefore be likened to Frankenstein for Prometheus did the evil of stealing the fire due to his intelligence and Frankenstein created the monster as a result of pursuit of dangerous knowledge which brought sadness through the way it killed people.

To briefly recap the story, Frankenstein recounted to Robert Walton how he had been obsessed with science and created the giant image that Walton had seen though not knowing that it was a monster (Stableford 40). Frankenstein created the monster while he had hoped to create human life (Freedman 100).

After he was through with the creation, Frankenstein was not pleased by his creation (Freedman 89) for the monster turned out to be ugly and he abandoned the monster. The monster becomes bitter for being left by his creator and therefore seeks to revenge through killing the people who are close to Frankenstein. It is prominent human beings may use their knowledge and come up with invention which they would not be happy about later on.

The monster murders William, and Justine who is implicated in the murder of William dies in the process; Clerval also becomes a victim of the monster quest for revenge on his creator and is murdered when the monster sees Frankenstein destroy his female companion whom he had agreed to create for him.

Frankenstein like Justine is also implicated in the murder of Clerval for the body of Clerval was found on Irish Beach where Frankenstein was. As if the monster had not done enough damage, he also murders Elizabeth, Frankenstein’s wife and this shocks Frankenstein’s father who also dies.

The main character Frankenstein has a passion for science and it is this passion that propels him to acquire knowledge which later on becomes dangerous not only to him but to even his family and friends (Holmes 15). From the novel, Mary Shelley depicts Frankenstein as a person who is obsessed with science and what science could do to mankind if utilized (Freedman 69).

In the novel, Frankenstein therefore sees the world around him through the eyes of science and the reason why he created the monster. The danger in obsession with acquiring knowledge eventually turns tragic for Frankenstein when his own creation leads him to his own death (Rauch 60).

This is another sign that quest for knowledge that allows humankind to do things which are beyond his/her control can result to. It also shows that there is no point of man performing the role of God for there are some things that are beyond human understanding.

The theme of dangerous knowledge is first encountered in the first pages of the novel when Captain Robert Walton is exploring the North Pole in search of scientific facts that can make him famous and also help him increase his nest of friends through his scientific discoveries which he hopes to find (Holmes 25).

It is not in vain to note that Captain Robert Walton also was in pursuit of knowledge when he saw Frankenstein. It is also satirical to note that at that time Robert Walton was exploring the North Pole, he finds Victor Frankenstein, a victim of dangerous knowledge. Victor Frankenstein when found by Captain Robert Walton narrates his experiences to the Captain (Shelley 9).

At the beginning of his narration, Frankenstein first cautions Robert Walton against pursuing knowledge to heights that are beyond limit (Shelley 3). Therefore Captain Robert Walton is warned of his pursuit of knowledge, of whether his search for scientific knowledge was going to bring him shame and regret like it had brought Frankenstein or acquaintance and recognition like he was hoping to get.

“Lean from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how happier the man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (Shelley 53).

The two characters, Frankenstein and Captain Robert Walton, share the drive for acquiring knowledge though Frankenstein had gone a little further and created the monster.

On the contrary, we cannot also dismiss Robert Walton, for his desire and quest for knowledge made him sail through the North Pole. The North Pole is a region that is mostly covered by ice and few explorers have managed to explore the whole of the region. It is a region that most explorers who set up to explore always find themselves turning back to the south lest they risk getting lost.

No explorer can be said to have explored the North Pole successfully even in the present day for there are some areas which are unreachable. However, Robert Walton (Holmes 28) is ambitious in exploring the dangerous place so that he could only acquire scientific facts.

What kind of drive would make a man that obsessed with facts if not the drive for dangerous knowledge (Stableford 14)? He eventually risk his life for he ends up trapped in the North Pole and luckily for him, finds Frankenstein who warns him of his pursuit of dangerous knowledge and they head back south.

Drawing from my own conclusion, Robert learns from Frankenstein that pursuit for knowledge can be dangerous and therefore turns back.

The novels is in the context of industrial revolution and therefore caution to the explorers and a cry from Mary Shelley that there should be more cautious when dealing with the technological advancements and inventions in the industrial revolution era brought about by the desire of man to test beyond his limits thereby gaining recognition.

That it would have been better to head back like Walton did than to try and reverse the situation when it’s already too late like in the case of Frankenstein.

The theme of knowledge relates well with the two prominent people who are in search of knowledge in the novel. Both Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton had the passion for dangerous knowledge but for self gain.

To Frankenstein, knowledge was to help him discover things that were beyond humans and likewise for Captain Robert Walton, he was in pursuit of knowledge so he could only gain recognition among his friends. Therefore, the characters only use the knowledge they have for their own individual benefits as illustrated in the novel.

The character of the monster most definitely helps us to decipher the theme of dangerous knowledge. When the monster is talking about itself, a reader can be convinced beyond doubt that the creature is harmless and thus be supportive with it. Even at the early stages after its creation, the creature is harmless and only wanted affection. But as time goes by, the creature even learns how to read, becomes hostile to the humans more so his creator.

The theme of dangerous knowledge as depicted in the character of the monster is that people tend to endeavor in inventions and they are very passionate about them for these inventions are deemed to help them and not to destroy them (Rosenburg 4). Only when time elapses that we see the negative effects created by the consequences brought about by our endeavors of dangerous knowledge (Rosenburg 4).

The society is depicted by Frankenstein’s family and friends and collectively they are used in the novel to show how the desire for dangerous knowledge can influence the society negatively. The society as a whole is affected by the individual’s selfish ambitions for knowledge.

For instance, William, Frankenstein’s father, Clerval and Elizabeth all die as a result of Frankenstein’s pursuit of dangerous knowledge. This is symbolic in that, only few people are in hunt of dangerous knowledge but their inventions affect the whole society.

From the above analysis, it is evident that the theme of dangerous knowledge is approached with so much caution in the novel, Frankenstein; The Modern Prometheus. Starting with the main character; Frankenstein, who is ashamed of how hideous his creation turned out to be and he therefore abandoned it.

“A flash of lightning illuminated the object and discovered its shape plainly to me; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than belongs to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy demon whom I had given life” (Shelley 34).

The fear of pursuing knowledge to heights that are dangerous is further propelled by the damage that the monster caused, that is, the way the monster ended up killing Frankenstein’s close friends and family members in pursuit of revenge.

Perhaps while narrating to the Captain his story, Frankenstein wanted to caution Captain Robert of the consequences of pursuing knowledge while not thinking of the consequences of such scientific discoveries.

We can also draw this conclusion from the fact that when Frankenstein’s monster demanded that Frankenstein create a female companion for him, Frankenstein first agreed but when he sat and thought of what two monsters could do to the human race if only one of them had so far killed his brother and set on fire the De Lacey’s chalet, Frankenstein eventually destroyed the female companion he was creating which of course angered the monster more.

Technological advancement which is brought about by Frankenstein’s pursuit of knowledge to the level that the knowledge becomes dangerous is portrayed as evil through the hideous monster.

The theme of dangerous knowledge in the novel also brings to our attention of the reaction of Frankenstein on finding out the monster was out to revenge on him. Frankenstein preferred to hide from the monster and eventually wanted to kill it after it had killed his family members and friends.

Should mankind therefore fear knowing too much to the extent that he does not put into use the knowledge he acquires to come up with new creations? In the novel, the monster wanted to talk with Frankenstein but it is Frankenstein who is reluctant to negotiate with the monster.

However, after careful thought and a lot of convincing by the monster, Frankenstein agreed to create a female companion so that the two monsters would disappear (Levine 72). Unfortunately, Frankenstein acting on second thoughts destroys the female creature.

This is an illustration that knowledge does not have to be too dangerous. This conclusion is drawn from the fact that the monster was willing to disappear from mankind only if it had a female companion so that it would not feel lonely and would live a normal life just like humans (Levine 72).

This is symbolic in that in as much as the theme of dangerous knowledge is prominent in the novel, Frankenstein; The Modern Prometheus, knowledge does not have to be dangerous and human beings do not have to fear discovering such creations as Frankenstein’s monster (Levine 72).

Its only takes responsibility with dealing with the consequences of advancements brought about by dangerous knowledge rather than running away from our own actions.

“The world was to me a secret which I desired” (Shelley 36). Why then would Frankenstein fail to adore his creativity of bringing a creature to life? After his creation, Frankenstein fails to understand what he has done and therefore his life stops to have any meaning for with all the time he spent creating the monster, he had to spend more time devising ways in which he could destroy his creation.

How then is this pursuit of dangerous knowledge fulfilling? This is a clear pointer that stretching our ambitious to heights that we cannot cope with will bring disillusionments. This is the dangerous knowledge Mary Shelley talks about in the novel, the knowledge which makes our lives meaningless rather than useful.

To analyze the situation in real life position, many scientists spend their time in the laboratories coming up with new inventions that eventually destroy the existence of humans (Idiss 37). For instance, why would man invent green houses which have adverse effects on the environment and spend equal efforts in curbing these negative effects of green houses on the environment?

To say Mary Shelley had an insight of what the future would look like if man continued to pursue his quest for dangerous knowledge would be to understate her for she clearly illustrated the concept in her novel, Frankenstein; The Modern Prometheus.

The theme of knowledge as portrayed in the novel, Frankenstein; The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley brings to our attention the knowledge that society does not accept, that is dangerous knowledge (Shelley 5). By terming the pursuit of knowledge that surpasses human understanding as dangerous, Mary Shelley is referring to that knowledge that is of self gain (Shelley 13).

For instance, Victor Frankenstein created a monster by collecting bones and using science to bring the monster into life. He brought forth a creature that society could not accept as one of its own, as a human being and therefore Mary Shelley’s implication of dangerous knowledge in the novel (Shelley 5).

A classic novel that portrays themes which are even recent in the 21^th century despite the novel being written in 1818 is my ultimate conclusion. Nanotechnology, genetics, chemical engineering, space engineering, human cloning and the list is endless for what we human beings are trying to achieve through science. One is left to wonder whether science equates to the answer of all the problems that human kind experiences (O’Flinn 59).

Whether, it is in the reproduction process, science has taken its toll in solving the problems through test tube babies and cloning or in producing food to sustain the world population (O’Flinn 59), it is the scientific knowledge that humankind is making use of to solve this problems for instance the genetically modified foods (Idiss 57).

Do those people who come up with such scientific developments stop for a minute and think of the consequences before their technological advancements are put to test? Or do they first put the technological inventions to test and face the consequences later? Little is done to research on the negative effects of science and it’s only when there are adverse effects that certain discoveries are deemed as not good (O’Flinn 59).

For instance, during the industrial revolution, people were excited at the recent developments that we happening and scientists were in the mad rush of inventing and discovering new things, but if we closely look at the consequences that expansion of the industrial revolution brought to mother earth the reverse would be the better option, just like Victor Frankenstein wished to kill his creation for it brought him loneliness.

Works Cited

Freedman, Carl. “Hail Mary: On the Author of Frankenstein and the Origins of Science Fiction”. Science Fiction Studies. 2002. 60 – 144.

Holmes, Richard. Shelley: The Pursuit. 1974. London. Harper perennial. 2003.

Idiss, Brian. “On the Origin of Species. Mary Shelley”. Speculations on Speculation. Theories of Science Fiction. Ed. James Gunn and Matthew Candelaria. Lanham. MD. Scarecrow, 2005.

Levine, George & U. C. Knoepflmacher. Eds. The Endurance of Frankenstein: Essays on Mary Shelley’s Novel. Berkeley. University Press. 1974.

Mellor, Anne. Mary Shelley: Her Life, Her Fiction, Her Monsters. New York. Methuen. 1988.

O’Flinn, Paul. “Production and Reproduction: The Case of Frankenstein”. Literature and History. 1983. 199 – 300.

Rauch, Alan. “The Monstrous Body of Knowledge in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”. Studies in Romanticism. 1995 53 – 227.

Rosenburg, Amy. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. Book Review. 12^th October, 2008.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1816. London. Oxford University Press. 1971.

Stableford, Brian. “Frankenstein and the Origins of Science Fiction”. Anticipations: Essays on Early Science Fiction and Its Precursors. Ed. DAVID Seed. Syracuse University Press. 1995.

There was a social bias that pieces of literature in the science fiction genre would never succeed in the 19th century. However, Mary Shelley destroyed this opinion in 1818 by depicting the life of Victor Frankenstein, creating a human-like creature. Frankenstein became a symbol of the danger caused by science that was beginning to develop. The novel begins with letters from Walton, who travels in Russia, to his sister Margaret and continues with the narration from Victor. I predict that from the early moment when Frankenstein creates the creature, he will become the monster in his life, leading to madness, while no one will accept the creature because people are usually afraid of the unknown.

Some would argue that Victor’s enthusiasm and knowledge can lead to the creation of the creature that would become his companion. Even the third chapter overwhelmingly supports that mastering science is like magic, as modern philosophers whose “eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible have indeed performed miracles” (Shelley, 1818). If they are that great in their field, it should be possible to have a kind creature who helps his master and other people. However, regardless of the creature’s traits, creating and controlling him is still an undiscovered phenomenon. Historically speaking, when someone introduces a new thing that can be dangerous, people never take it will calmness. Although there are individuals who believe in the creature’s benevolence, there must be others who oppose it. Therefore, the creature will never be accepted by the public because there is a chance that he will hurt others.

The idea that the creature becomes dangerous for people comes from the narrator’s obsession with the monster to the extent that he neglects his family, house, and himself. He spent all his days doing experiments and ignoring the pain as he said: “My limbs now tremble, and my eyes swim with the remembrance” (Shelley, 1818). Moreover, the fact that he does it to discover the “secrets of heaven and earth” means that the creature will never have a particular goal, such as helping people or serving them (Shelley, 1818). Instead, he probably inadvertently becomes a problem-causing agent for Victor’s family since the protagonist worries more about the monster rather than his loving wife. Such obsession usually leads nowhere because people become mad about their goals, like Victor.

Another argument is that human beings do not just comprise anatomically perfect bodies but also feelings and emotions that usually all monsters are deprived of as they are created, not by nature. Even the narrator admits that “to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful as a man” is a very responsible task. However, the fact that he pays more attention to his body but undermines the inner world hints at the idea that the creature would never be able to feel compassion. If the creature does not possess feelings, he can become a killer.

To conclude, I suspect Victor’s creature harms people and drives him mad instead of being accepted by society. This novel makes people think about the threats of developing sciences and the necessity to create some creatures similar to human beings. It resembles the modern dilemma about robots and artificial intelligence’s utilization when people become afraid of the idea that robots replace humans. Nevertheless, Frankenstein’s creature was never accepted by people in the 19th century. However, if he created it today, the question about his success and obtained support would be answered in another way.

Reference

Shelly, M. W. (1818). Frankenstein. Gutenberg E-book. Web.

Victor Frankenstein is the major character of this novel. He is a ruthless man who stops at nothing in his pursuit for knowledge. He studied in Ingolstadt where he discovered the secrets of life, which he uses to create a monster. Frankenstein narrates his life story to Robert Walton, an arctic sea farer who helps Victor Frankenstein regain full strength and health. Walton records Victor’s stories in letters which he writes to his sister, Margaret Saville who lives in England.

He tells him about his creation that he has managed to perform by assembling dead body parts. He pursues knowledge that is even beyond human’s limits, and in doing so, he ends up hurting everyone, even the people he dearly loves. To me, he is not a likeable character because he does things without considering their possible harm or their consequences. However, I do not mean that pursuing knowledge is bad. Rather, a person seeking for some information should show some restrain and consider the possible consequences. Knowledge pursued without consideration is selfish and irresponsible, that is why Frankenstein’s irresponsible acts lead to the loss of people’s lives.

After creating a monster, he damps it and leaves it lonely and alone. He is supposed to take responsibility for what he has created. Instead, he develops hatred for it and runs away to escape from that monster, and in return, his creation takes revenge on him.

Frankenstein knows the consequences of his actions, but still, he goes ahead and creates the monster. He does this in secret since he is aware of the dangers of his experiment. He knows that if discovered, he can face serious challenges and has to be accountable for his deeds.

In chapter 4, we see how Frankenstein engages himself in unhealthy, disturbing and unpleasant activities that are horrifying (Shelley, 47). It seems that he glorifies death when he talks about the worms (Shelley, 50).

His greed for knowledge leads to his physical deterioration. His cheeks grow pale because of the constant study, and he becomes thin and emaciated because he does not even have time to eat. His obsession and wish to succeed in creating his monster do not even allow him to care for himself. His body begins to decay like that of a dead person. It is shocking that a man can focus on something so much that he forgets to take care of himself.

That is exactly what happens to Frankenstein. He works and toils for several months without eating or sleeping, and his body succumbs to this. Even as the monster begins to come alive, Frankenstein’s own body continues to decay, and he nearly dies.

After achieving a success, Frankenstein is not still happy. Instead, the monster haunts him, thus Victor turns out to be deprived of rest as he has to hide from the monster. In chapter five, when he tries to go to sleep, the image of the monster still torments him. He dreams of decaying bodies, and as a result, he suffers from psychological breakdown.

He is so agitated that Clerval can’t help noticing that something is seriously wrong. His actions are like those of a person who has gone insane. The narrator tells that Frankenstein can barely stay in one place and even jumps over the chairs like a mad man.

Despite the fact that Frankenstein is remorseful about the things that he has done, he still cannot make himself tell the truth. This leads to the situation when everything gets out of hand as the monster continue to wreak havoc, and many people die as a result.

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. New York: Bantam Books, 1981. Print.

Introduction

In many stories that are not based on real events, the authors show evil and good aspects of the character or the general situation. Frankenstein and The Possibility of Evil are no exception to this rule as they have a piece of horror and allow us to learn specific things simultaneously. Every fiction carries an educative message, but the representation of good and bad can be interpreted differently.

Contrast

The main difference between the stories of Frankenstein and The Possibility of Evil is based on the evil aspect and the type of horror represented. While Frankenstein is represented as a horrifying selfish person, Miss Strangeworth sends evil mail without signing it (Jackson, 1965). The main difference between Frankenstein from Miss Strangeworth is in work and the influence on other people (Shelley, 1818). Frankenstein created a more serious evil by building a scientific creature and turning it into a living being.

Comparison

In both stories, the main characters raise social factors based on evil actions. For example, when Miss Strangeworth was writing a letter to Don Crane, she mentioned that some children are idiots but allowed the reader to understand that not all people are ready to have children when they cannot look after themselves (Jackson, 1965). In Frankenstein, the author also presented a parental abandonment to show how difficult it might be to raise new living begins (Shelley, 1818). Additionally, in both stories, the authors presented that people should stay tolerant of others and control their egos to avoid conflicts with their surroundings.

Conclusion

In conclusion, authors of fictional stories usually provide readers with positive and negative sides of personalities, and it is important to be able to retrieve important lessons from the negative experiences of characters. Frankenstein and The Possibility of Evil are different in types and meanings, but they are common in the same lessons aimed at readers, which help to build a general perception of the world.

References

Jackson, S. (1965). The Possibility of Evil. Saturday Evening Post.

Shelley, M. (1818). Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. George Routledge and Sons.

Introduction

It is believed that the novel Frankenstein or Modern Prometheus is the most basic effort in science fiction. It is a gothic novel that incorporates romance in its themes. Victor Frankenstein was very passionate about science subjects and he learned to view the world through science eyes (Shelley, 2004). It is through his passion for science that he created the monster that terrorized people he loved after he refused to create a female companion for the monster who felt alienated. Victor was made to suffer by the monster after the monster killed his brother and ultimately ended up killing his love, Elizabeth. This made victor want to kill the monster to avenge the death of his loved ones (Shelley, 2004).

Argument Against Cloning Technology Given the Novel ‘Frankenstein’

I think Mary Shelley would have opposed cloning technology. My subjective view is based on how Mary Shelley introduces us to the novel. In his letters, Captain Robert Walton talks of the dangers of pursuing our ambition for knowledge. Victor Frankenstein when found by Captain Robert Walton, begins to narrate his story and it is through his letters that he warns us of becoming too over-ambitious. After Frankenstein created the monster, victor abandons the monster for the monster turned out the way he did not expect. The monster becomes a killer and in the end, Frankenstein is left with no option but to destroy his creation (Shelley, 2004). Why would Frankenstein want to destroy a monster he had created through his knowledge of science and hard work? In addition, Frankenstein had agreed to create a female companion for the monster but on second thoughts, he destroyed the parts of the female companion. Frankenstein could not come to terms with what two creatures’ could do to mankind if only one monster had caused the death of so many people (Shelley, 2004). If Mary Shelley was for the idea of cloning technology, I think her novel would have ended up with Frankenstein creating a female companion for the monster to compliment the theme of love in the novel but this is not the case. When Frankenstein refuses to create a female companion for the monster, I think Mary Shelley was trying to educate mankind on the dangers of science technology.

Benefits of Genetics, Reproductive and Disability Research

Not all that relates to technology has negative effects for research done on genetics, reproductive and disabilities have its positive sides. Taking the case of reproductive cloning, the research done can be useful in that dying out species can be repopulated until they have not endangered anymore (Andrews, 2004). This would solve the puzzle that species can be extinct. Disabled persons also will have a chance to improve the parts of the body that they see as not sufficient (Wolbring, 2004). Therapeutic cloning on the other hand could be used to produce cells that can replace the damaged cells in human beings. Imagine a world where people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease can be cured and tissues can be developed for organ transplants. This is one of the many benefits that advances in technology could bring.

Perils of Genetics, Reproductive and Disability Research

According to Andrews (2004), one of the greatest dangers in people advancing in technological innovations and invention is how to control the technology inventions. He asks the question of who will be in charge of controlling the technological inventions for the inventions seems to be changing society and the meaning of life (Andrews, 2004). For instance, according to Gregor, parents can enhance the genetics of their children via a technology called Gemline manipulation. This allows parents to incorporate genes that are not in their partners into their children (Wolbring, 2004). Using technology to manipulate genes is unethical for we will end up having people who are like robots or manufactured without their consent. For instance, parents who manipulate the genes of their children through Gemline manipulation will do so without the consent of the child and the child may later on in life, not like what the parents did to him or her (Wolbring, 2004).

Conclusion

In conclusion, technology raises several ethical issues and at the same time offers solutions for instance to enhance or improve the lives of the disabled. If we can take the example of Mary Shelley’s novel, people should only come up with technology that they can be able to handle and not one that can later destroy them for instance through changing society.

References

Andrews, L. (2004). Living with the Genie: Essays on Technology and the Quest for Human Mastery. Washington DC. Island Press.

Shelley, M. (2004). Frankenstein or Modern Prometheus. US. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.

Wolbring, G. (2004). Living with the Genie: Essays on Technology and the Quest for Human Mastery. Washington DC. Island Press.

The world of fictional literature is mysterious and has many layers. Artistic people such as writers are very sensitive and can particularly see things, they are perceptive, and often their emotional experiences differ from those of other people. This is why writers create their imaginary worlds in the novels. These words are often the reflections of the inner passions and suffering of their creators. In many cases, the readers need to be very attentive and careful to catch the true hidden meaning of the writer’s descriptions.

Mary Shelley was a truly gifted and unusual person who lived a very extraordinary life full of losses and tragedies. Her novel called “Frankenstein” was written during the author’s youth. This outstanding work first saw the world in 1818. Many years have passed since that moment, but the novel is still incredibly popular. Mary Shelley’s creation is often spoken about as a philosophical work telling about the influences of industrialization and technological progress on the society and the ideas about the values of life and death, the argument about god’s existence and people’s ignorance towards the powers of nature.

This novel is often seen as a demonstration of unplanned outcomes of a technological catastrophe and the negative results of scientific experiments. It is often overlooked that the author of this novel was a young woman, who was barely bothered by the industrial future of the planet and the power of god over mankind. Mary Shelley was overwhelmed with her dramatic relationship with Percy Shelley, miscarriages, psychological trauma from losing a child and her mother’s sad history. Regarding all of these facts, “Frankenstein” can be seen as a reflection of Mary Shelley’s fears of childbirth and pregnancy.

Ever since her early childhood Mary Godwin, the future wife of the poet Percy Shelley, was surrounded with Gothicism. Mary’s mother died while giving birth to her. Mary’s father, William Godwin, used to take his little daughter to the cemetery to see her mother’s grave. With the help of her father, Mary learned how to write and read her name by the example on her mother’s tombstone. Being a teenager, Mary developed deep feelings for Percy Shelley, the poet. The young couple soon ran away together as Percy was already married. The society was shocked by what Percy and Mary did, so they immediately became outcasts.

Mary started having babies very early in her life. By the age of nineteen, she already had had two. Her first child was born prematurely and lived only for several days. The young mother was devastated by the loss of her first baby, even though she soon had other children, she never fully recovered from that tragedy. This was the time when the young writer had the idea of “Frankenstein” based on the fear of giving birth to a creature and failing to raise it properly, which would result in a creation of a monster.

For the rest of her life, Mary Shelley was surrounded by death. Out of her four children, only one survived till adult age. Mary’s lived through shocking experiences of losing her half-sister that committed suicide. Soon after that tragedy, another dramatic event happened, Percy Shelley’s wife Harriet, who he ran away from with Mary, also killed herself. Finally, Mary and Percy’s union did not last long because the young poet drowned when Mary was only twenty-four. After his death, she lived alone with her little son, poor and rejected by society.

Mary Shelley’s tragic experiences with pregnancy, childbirth, and the responsibilities of raising a baby are unfortunately not rare in the world of nowadays. Women from all around the world suffer from pregnancy injuries and traumatic experiences, which cause shocks and health damage that often is very hard to cure. It is a well-known fact that pregnant women are exposed to various anxieties and worries about their babies, their future, and their health. Carrying a child can be an emotionally exhausting experience, even if everything goes well.

Women are very fragile during this period; this is why every shocking experience can leave a lot of irreparable damage. When during pregnancy, women experience injuries and bad accidents, which hurt them and their babies; this creates extremely negative impacts physically and psychologically. Women that had traumatic experiences during pregnancies and childbirth develop phobias towards the further child developments, having more children or becoming pregnant again.

In the case of Mary Shelley, her fears of pregnancy and childbirth were based not only on her tragic experience of a very dangerous miscarriage and having a baby that was born prematurely and died soon after that, but also because of the history of her mother that died in labor. Mary Shelley’s fears were what made her write about the creation of the undead monster. The book is a representation of her pregnancy anxieties and worries as to what happens if her child is born damaged if she cannot love her child if she cannot raise her child properly and it turns into a monster if she wishes that her child died.

The relationship between Victor Frankenstein and the creature he made depicts Mary Shelley’s worst fears related to parenting. From the moment when Victor realizes that his creation is alive, he starts to be afraid of it. It turns out that the scientist was so busy with the technical side of his calculations and experiments that he never took a moment to think what kind of responsibility he was going to face after his creature first opens its eyes. Fear and disgust were the only emotions Victor Frankenstein could feel towards his “child.” The “brilliant” scientist failed to think through what he was going to do with his creature after the experiment.

He also failed to care if the being he created was going to want to be alive and how it was supposed to live in human society. From the very beginning, Victor thought of his creature as an object, a result of an experiment, but not a person. This resembles the fact that pregnant women often think of giving birth as of the hardest and scariest thing they would have to do, whereas, in reality, the most difficult experience for them is going to be parenting and responsibility for the child, and the child’s upbringing, health, wellbeing, and future.

Victor Frankenstein was focused on his role as a creator of life, but not his responsibilities for the life and the being he created. Of course, such “parent” failed to teach his creature many essential things about life and society. Logically, the creature soon turned into a dangerous monster, and the “father” started to desire for his “child” to die.

Frankenstein’s monster is often seen as a cruel and aggressive creature, yet in reality, he is a very good and detailed description of a severely neglected child. The author of the novel was perfectly aware of what kind of child can be raised with disgust and hatred, replacing love and care. Nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley understood the importance of giving birth to a healthy baby and raising it properly, as by that time she already was a mother with a tragic and deeply traumatic experience of losing her child and a fear of losing another one.

The anxieties and worries women often experience during their pregnancies are the signals of doubts and insecurities. These feelings are normal for young mothers having their first child, or any other healthy pregnant ladies, but for the women that have been through negative experiences connected with childbirth having the next child can be a serious stress. New pregnancies make women re-visit their past and go through their tragedies all over again fearing what may happen.

The phobias of women that have been through various negative and painful emotional and physical experiences related to pregnancies, childbirth and child development are much more real than the ones of inexperienced mothers, who are simply afraid of the unknown. Mary Shelley’s fears were significant and strong enough to result in the creation of a novel that keeps bothering the publicity centuries after it was first published.

“Frankenstein” can definitely be referred to as the first novel about the issues of childbirth in human history. The analysis of Mary Shelley’s work today brings public awareness of the seriousness of the problems many women have to face due to their traumatic physical and psychological experiences related to childbirth and pregnancy. It is worth knowing that the number of women undergoing this kind of stress is growing every day (Mirza, Devine & Gaddipati, 2010).

Such phobias may be caused by various accidents and injuries as well as illnesses and infections of female reproductive organs (Brown, 2009). These issues often cannot be cured only by gynecologists because after the physical damage heals, there is still deep emotional trauma that can influence the woman’s future decisions about pregnancy and childbirth. After going through bad experiences of this kind, a woman may never want to have children again or find enough courage and faith to become pregnant one more time.

It takes a long while to cure the physical injuries of female reproductive organs, but the emotional and psychological consequences of negative accidents related to childbirth and pregnancy may never go away if they are not addressed or are treated inappropriately (Dailey, Humphreys, Rankin & Lee, 2011). Childbirth is, without a doubt, one of the most miraculous and beautiful happenings in the world, but under certain circumstances, this amazingly magical experience may be turned upside down and viewed as the most stressful and devastating torture.

The novel by Mary Shelley offers the readers an alternative perspective on the author’s deepest personal fears of different stages of the process of having children and being a parent. “Frankenstein” is not only a legendary gothic book admired by many modern readers but also a psychological representation of its author’s inner sufferings related to childbirth and pregnancy.

Reference List

Brown, H. (2009). Trauma in pregnancy. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 114(1), 147-160.

Dailey, D., Humphreys, J., Rankin, S., & Lee, K. (2011). An exploration of lifetime trauma exposure in pregnant low-income African American women. Maternal And Child Health Journal, 15(3), 410-418.

Mirza, F., Devine, P., & Gaddipati, S. (2010). Trauma in pregnancy: a systematic approach. American Journal of Perinatology, 27(7), 579-586.

Introduction

The monster is Frankenstein’s double. Not only do the two beings resemble in terms of their reactions to their circumstances, but their desires and personalities are also quite similar.

Comparison of the Characters

Frankenstein and the monster had comparable personalities; they were both lonesome and sympathetic beings. The monster grew apart from his creator, so he had no person with whom to relate. When the creature tried to forge friendships with other people, he only ended up repelling them by his appearance.

The monster was frustrated by the feelings of disgust and fear that he elicited from all human beings. Society seemed to liken his appearance to his character, and presume that he was an evil being. Therefore, the creature is condemned to isolation and loneliness by factors beyond him.

Things did not start that way in the beginning. The monster loved everything around him; he even compared his feelings about people to a stolen light from the heavens (Stelley 88). However, he found that no one wanted to return his love, so he turned against society.

Conversely, Frankenstein is lonely out of choice. He is overly obsessed with his work to the point of forgetting the goings-on around him.
The doubles also have a thirst and appreciation of education and knowledge. Frankenstein’s passion began as far back as his childhood. He was so eager to learn that he was willing to abandon child-like activities (Shelley 33). Victor came across Cornelius Agrippa’s book and found that an exciting world of chemistry and science existed.

This caused him to master mathematics, chemistry, as well as philosophy (Shelley 43). Frankenstein’s love for education dominated his life and eventually defined him. In certain instances, the night would turn into the day when Victor was still working on his experiments in the lab (Shelley 35).

Similarly, the monster loved knowledge, although his interest was not restricted to the sciences. The creature wanted to know everything it could about human beings. At one point, it overheard Safie’s instructions from Agatha and Felix and decided to use the same instructions to improve its life.

It is quite laudable that a creature that had never interacted with a man was able to learn about man’s languages, habits, history, and ethics. His fascination drove him to accomplish what others in his position would not. The pursuit of knowledge also defined the monster’s character because his worldview reflected ideas from Paradise Lost or some of the other books that he liked to read. Too much of anything is poisonous; both characters let their pursuit of knowledge control them, and this eventually destroyed them (Bennett 200).

The doubles experienced a fate that emanated from their excesses. Victor’s passion could have been used for good had he exercised it in moderation. However, he went too far and thus made a repelling creature. At the beginning of his experiments, all Frankenstein wanted to do was succeed.

He disregarded ethics and the limits of science to complete his project. Nevertheless, after finishing it, he was filled with regret and realized that his sweet dream had become a nightmare. Similarly, the monster should have applied the knowledge it positively acquired about human beings.

However, its excesses drove it to exact vengeance upon innocent victims (Rauch 230).
Hatred and revenge consume Frankenstein and his monster. The monster wanted to exact vengeance upon its creator for failing to give him a counterpart. It swore that it would wait upon Victor until it found an opportune moment to make him pay for his actions (Shelley 129).

This declaration is fulfilled when the monster kills Victor’s friend – Henry, and his cousin Elizabeth. The monster’s life was consumed with feelings of hatred and revenge against other people. When Felix removed him from the cottage, the monster vowed to eliminate all the residents of the establishment. He even asserted that it would give him a pleasure to hear their shrieks of misery (Shelley 121).
Likewise, Frankenstein was also obsessed with the feeling of hatred and revenge. He wanted to exert revenge upon the monster for killing Henry and Elizabeth. Victor endured a lot of hostile external conditions to meet this goal.

The protagonist felt that he would be making it too easy for the monster if he died and left his adversary alive (Shelley 128). Vengeance often turns victims into afflicters, as was the case with the two characters (Behrendt 95). Their life revolved around the pursuit of their offenders who were not even aware that they had caused such strong hateful reactions.

Victor and the monster appear to thrive in nature as they often found solace in natural habitations. In one instance, Frankenstein had just suffered the unfair execution of Justine. He found relief in the mountains and forgot about these predicaments (Shelley 87). Additionally, when Victor was frustrated by the need to create a monster, nature calmed him down. He appreciated the look of the clear blue sky as well as the serenity surrounding the Rhine River (Shelley 138).

Likewise, the monster also found tranquility in nature. When Felix and his colleagues rejected the creature, he retreated into nature. Not only was the sunshine a welcome part of his day, but he also enjoyed the purity of the air around him. The monster’s constant isolation from men likely made him appreciate nature.

Subtle things such as the scent of flowers or the radiance of the woods were quite pleasurable to the monster. It is also likely that this love for nature emanated from the environment’s inability to judge him (Gigante 571). All he had ever known was sorrow and disgust, so it was necessary to have any aspect of life that did not relate to these circumstances.

The two characters’ failed in their respective roles as a nurturer and protégé, respectively. Frankenstein has experienced a relatively happy childhood. His parents had given him everything he needed as a child, so he knew what parenthood was all about. The love and support that Victor got from his parents should have set him up to become someone that other individuals could revere.

Therefore, he was in a perfect place to create a monster and teach it how to live harmoniously with others. Instead, Victor was hateful towards the creature, and thus sowed those seeds into it. Later on, the creature became a reflection of its nurturer because Victor had initially shaped all the things he understood about humanity.

It should be noted that one may even give the monster some leeway because it was not human, so it was not natural for it to have human characteristics. The creator had humanity’s fragments, so it was likely that its character would also be partly human and partly wild.
Nonetheless, Frankenstein’s failures do not excuse the monster from taking responsibility for its actions. Since the creature was quite knowledgeable about life, then it should have known about the consequences of vengeance, hate, and other immoral acts.

It understood that human beings were not perfect, so it was not expected to get any special treatment from them. The creature should have used the knowledge it acquired to exercise discipline and refrain from hurting people who did not know any better. Therefore, the monster failed as Frankenstein’s protégé.

The desire for a family also drives the two beings. They feel that it is necessary to have people around them that love them unconditionally. One can read through Victor’s need for a family when he admired Elizabeth’s beauty. His need to exert vengeance for the death of Elizabeth and Henry proves that he had a desire for a family but chose not to work on it (Mellor 19).
Similarly, the monster wanted a family as evidenced when he requested for a companion. He also thought he could find familial love from his patron, but was disillusioned when he realized that this would not be possible.

Conclusion

Several parallels exist between the protagonist and the monster. First, the two individuals are lonely and isolated. They both have a thirst for knowledge, which became their source of demise.
Frankenstein and his creature were heavily consumed with hatred and revenge, and this eventually led to their downfall. They also found peace and solace in nature and wanted to have families. Lastly, they were poor nurturers and protégés, respectively.

Works Cited

Behrendt, Stephen. Approaches to teaching Shelley’s Frankenstein. NY: MLA, 1990. Print.

Bennett, Betty. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: An Introduction. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. Print.

Gigante, Denise. “Facing the Ugly: The Case of Frankenstein”. European Literature History 67.2 (2000): 565–87. Print.

Mellor, Anne. Mary Shelley: Her Life, Her Fiction, Her Monsters. New York: Methuen, 1988. Print.

Rauch, Alan. “The monstrous body of knowledge in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.” Studies in Romanticism 34.2(1995): 227-253. Print.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. London: Bantam Classics, 1984. Print.

The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is widely regarded as a classic of English literature, which was highly influenced by two major works of literature: the Creation myth “Prometheus” and the epic poem “Paradise Lost.” These two texts heavily impacted the characters and the plot of Frankenstein. Throughout the novel, the characters and plot are shaped by the themes and motifs of these important texts.

Frankenstein is affected by the Creation myth “Prometheus” as it is the story of someone who rebels against the gods and steals fire from them to give to mankind. This is echoed in the novel, as Victor Frankenstein is said to create life against the laws of nature and is punished for it. This is particularly evident in novel’s title, where Victor is described as “The Modern Prometheus” (Ping 255). This comparison to the mythological figure is used to demonstrate the danger of Victor’s actions, as Prometheus was cursed by the gods for his actions.

“Paradise Lost” also influences the novel, as both stories revolve around a being who rebels against a higher power. In both stories, the protagonist is punished for their actions. In “Paradise Lost,” Adam and Eve are disciplined for disobeying God, while in Frankenstein, Victor is punished for “the Satanic revolt” (Ping 256). This is particularly evident in the passage where Victor is said to have “lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit” (Shelley 45). This comparison to Adam and Eve’s pursuit of knowledge is used to demonstrate the danger of Victor’s actions.

“The Prometheus” and “Paradise Lost” not only affect the characters and the plot of Frankenstein but also provide a unique interpretation of the creation myths. In Frankenstein, Shelley uses the “Prometheus” and “Paradise Lost” to explore the themes of ambition, hubris, and the consequences of playing God. Through the use of these two influential texts, Shelley created a timeless and powerful work of literature.

Works Cited

Ping, Tang Soo. “Frankenstein, “Paradise Lost” and “The Majesty of Goodness”.” College Literature, vol. 16, no. 3, 1989, pp. 255-260.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein (Webster’s Thesaurus Edition). ICON Classics, 2005.

Evaluation of Frankenstein

Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley is an exemplary written piece in English literature. The novel is influenced by many movements that were prominent in the period of romanticism.

This paper evaluates the important motifs of the novel with its cultural roots to the concept of prejudice, character sketch of victor Frankenstein and Justine Moritz with respect to their character usage to deliver the thematic concern of the author. Moreover the paper also describes the concept of education and upbringing of child through the analysis of charter of Frankenstein in the novel.

Character Sketch of Victor Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein is the major character and the most important narrator of the story. His portrayal in the novel is more of a person who had always deserted himself in loneliness which could be considered as a dangerous element of his personality. In the beginning his interest was in poetry but after some time science became his obsession. He wanted to discover the secrets of heaven and earth.

He studies the outlawed sciences and become interested about the secret of life. He studies the secrets of giving birth to an inhuman creature. After researching and all of his experiments he forms a monster to life that kills his brother, best friends, wife and everyone close to Frankenstein just because he refuses to create a mate for the monster (Shelley, Panshin, & Cook, 2009)

Victor Frankenstein continues to gain knowledge which blinds him from the effects it may have. His determination causes him to create a creature that is deformed which he instantly rejected. His main motive of creating such a creature was to become the leader of that race.

He soon realizes that he has made a mistake. The monster even kills two other innocents including Frankenstein’s father. After creating a life he regrets his decision and he himself refuses to admit his one scary truth of creating a life. He gets scared of getting the label of bad man or on the other hand, a mad man (Hitchcock, 2007).

Victor was disturbed with the success of Robert that he wanted to achieve his goals at any price. Victor himself knows the danger of his passion that he is ready to sacrifice everything (Shelley, Panshin, & Cook, 2009). The most dangerous sign is that he creates the creature with the method of interpretations through which he was interfering within God’s matter with the passion of creating life.

The danger fact about the Victor Frankenstein which was found by Shelly in the novel was he short tempered. Shelly highlighted in her novel that a double time live was liven by Victor Frankenstein; he was living half demon and half human life (Shelley, Panshin, & Cook, 2009).

Justine’s Role in the Novel

Justine Moritz is a small character who is of main importance in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Justine Moritz is a servant girl for the Frankenstein’s family. She lives with them after her mother’s death. She was adopted by Frankenstein’s. She was living with them since the age of twelve. Victor and Justine were of the same age. Victor’s mother liked Justine Moritz.

The author had not used the personality of Justine in the context of the novel on a level of prominence but it is rather an imperative role in the novel. The prominence had been given to the character with its relative linkage with Elizabeth.

Everyone loved her but Justine Moritz was accused when William Frankenstein was murdered, Justine Moritz gets arrested because of the locket which was given to William by Elizabeth was found in the pocket of Justine Moritz and getting under pressure she blames herself for not protecting him and later she accepts that it was her mistake, however it was never done by her but the monster.

Victor Frankenstein was well aware of the one who killed William Frankenstein but still he was hiding the truth. Victor knew that Justine Moritz’s life was captured by the monster as well. The creature later killed Justine and than victor blamed himself inside. Justine Moritz was an innocent girl (Shelley, Panshin, & Cook, 2009).

Throughout the character of Justine, Shelley concentrates on the issues of equal treatment for domestic aid and the adjustment of those in need of help. Because of all that she tolerates, Justine is a compassionate character who draws out a sympathetic response and understanding from the reader. The character of Justine Moritz in the novel inspects the way injustice takes place to the innocent.

The character develops the imperativeness of acceptance and the concept of upbringing. The creature is disliked by society, but Justine Moritz is loved and respected by the Frankenstein family. The unloved creature turns out to be a monster. Love from the Frankenstein family banned Justine Moritz from becoming the monster her accusers (Walder, 1995).

Shelley: Disciple of John Locke

The plot by Mary Shelley had been tied with the educational theories of her time. On a closer research about the plot of Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, it comes to our understanding that there is a profound influence of the philosophers such as John Locke. While Mary Shelley writes the plot, it is evident that the character of Frankenstein had been written under an influence of the theory by John Locke.

The theory by John Locke states that the upbringing of a child is the major actor of his behavior in his society. The education had been symbolized with the behavior of a person. The character of Frankenstein makes use of the theory by John Locke (Walder, 1995).

The theory of John lock is widely famous under the term of tabula rase. The character of Frankenstein had been projected by Mary Shelley as a child who had always been left alone. Due to his living way of life as an introvert, the concept of John Locke’s becomes easily to understand.

Mary Shelley had worked as a disciple to the educational theory of liberalist John Locke. It is because Mary supports and affirms the idea of education being affected by the upbringing of an individual (Spellman, 1997).

Prejudice: Thematic Aspect of the Novel

The novel centers on the character of Frankenstein with an approach to highlight three themes namely neglect, prejudice, and judgment. All of these themes have there own meaning. Neglect prejudice, and judgment all knot into each other. Frankenstein was a mastermind, genius and intelligent. In various ways, prejudice is a force impartial to being a Frankenstein’s monster; it is a monster which is formed out of fear.

Prejudice is frequently defined as a view shaped without knowledge, but in reality prejudice is frequently forged from fright of misunderstood knowledge. Prejudice comes about not because of the fright of the unfamiliar, but slightly of a misperception of how the unfamiliar will influence an individual (Hitchcock, 2007).

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein can be read as a story full of tragedies in which the terrible events that take position spring from the prejudice that is borne from the fright of the unfamiliar as in material form by the creature.

Psychologically speaking, the monster is a demonstration of the other, and the refusal of the creature by Frankenstein and the added characters is an example of how the fright of difference works to inspire prejudice in opposition to those who don’t reflect the accepted norm (Shelley, Panshin, & Cook, 2009).

Psychological term actually means the same thing as irregular; more particularly it the demonstration of an irregularity that can be viewed as potentially bullying the very communal fabric. Any time the threat of the other occurs, the existing ideological power structure reacts in one of two ways (Hitchcock, 2007).

Moreover the threat is discarded outright and shattered, or its threatening mechanism are thinned until it is rendered safe and secure enough to be absorbed into the mainstream and turn out to be a reasonable imitation of society.

Categorization of the Plot

When one imagines of a horror story then his mind surely draws the images of monsters, terror, and tragedy. Without a doubt the story Frankenstein has a monster, there is terror throughout the book and it finishes in a tragedy. But this truly cannot be considered as a horror movie.

Frankenstein discovers the way people are professed by society. Mary Shelley advises that the treatment they collect as an outcome of social observations will eventually draw out positive elements of their nature such as how the creature detested the human because they avoided him simply on the basis of his look (Shelley, Panshin, & Cook, 2009).

When Victor forms the creature, he regrets his choice to form life the moment he completes it. It seems very low of Victor Frankenstein, because he throw-outs his creature on look or appearance alone, and does not attempt in any way to complete his responsibilities.

This does not provide the reader to empathize with Victor Frankenstein’s quandary for two reasons; one because he permitted his ambition and desires to override reason and second, that because he failed to take responsibility for measures. The story can be regarded as a dogmatic social allegory by the author.

References

Hitchcock, S. (2007). Frankenstein: a cultural history. New York: W.W. Norton.

Shelley, M., Panshin, A., & Cook, P. (2009). Frankenstein. Phoneix: Arc Manor LLC.

Spellman, W. (1997). John Locke. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Walder, D. (1995). The Realist Novel. London: Routledge.

Social and historical contexts surrounding Mary Shelley’s prose fiction text Frankenstein, 1816, and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (Director’s Cut), 1992, influence the meaning and significance of each text as perceived by their audiences, through contrasting mediums of the novel and the film. By employing techniques significant to each medium, such as the multiple plot structure and epistolary narrative of Shelley’s novel, and Scott’s use of mise-en-scene and lighting, the composers convey a provocative view of texts in time. The elements of Frankenstein and Blade Runner are often disparate and distinctive for the reason that values and perspectives are reflected in the context. The contrast of both these texts allows singling out common features of some of their elements which altogether create new contexts and themes. Differences in these texts’ settings, plots, and structural techniques create such themes as human’s usurpation of the power of God, the concerns with science excess, as well as the essence of humanity and duality of mankind.

The texts under consideration picture the events of different periods of time and have absolutely different settings, but both Frankenstein and Blade Runner express the desire of a human to have powers of God. The plot of Frankenstein set in the 1790’s is situated in a broad spectrum of places throughout Europe, much of the action taking place in and around a Castle. Shelley also employs various literary devices, the portent dream, overwrought emotion and metonymy of gloom which together with the castle setting contribute to the Gothic sense of the novel. In contrast, Blade Runner is set in only one location, namely in a bleak, dystopian and postmodern Los Angeles during the year 2019. It is as if this futuristic rendering of Los Angeles exists in a perpetual state of darkness, a common trope of film noirs. This shows that, irrespective of how modern or developed the society is, there are always people who try to stand out and take full control over natural processes. Both Tyrell and Victor try to play God through the creation of life. These characters have different intentions regarding their creations. Victor, for instance, experiments with the revival of a dead because he wishes to learn “the secrets of heaven and earth” (Shelley and Hindle, p. 39). Tyrell, in his turn, creates Replicants as a cheap labor force; moreover, he seems to take much pride in himself for having powers of God because he even tries to control the Sun by polarizing his office window.

In addition, the plots of Frankenstein and Blade Runner reflect the progressive concern of science which is evident in both the texts. In the 19^th century when Frankenstein was composed discoveries were being made in all fields of research; in those times there emerged evolutionary theories of Darwin and various branches of medicine, including the potential for electricity (galvanism) to restore life to dead bodies. Blade Runner, in its turn, was released in the post World War II, the Cold War, and the Holocaust era. In this period, improvements in medical treatment and antibiotics enabled many people to overcome life threatening illnesses, which led to science and medicine becoming immensely valuable for society. This rapid scientific development in both the periods of time led to the excess of science and creation of such beings as the Monster (Frankenstein) and Replicants (Blade Runner) who were “virtually identical to a human” (Blade Runner). Both the texts can be a depiction of what is expected of the modern world in case the use of technologies becomes uncontrollable.

Finally, both the texts utilize structural techniques which emphasize their expression of such themes as the essence of humanity and duality of mankind. In case with Blade Runner, the recurring visual motif of the eyes is significant in the development of the theme of humanity, in the sense that, if a being is able to look at, perceive and interact with the society, then that being may be considered to exist within that society. Scott also employs close-ups on the character in the majority of his scenes; through focusing on the face and eyes of a character the viewer is pressured to ‘see’ and thereby recognize the duality of mankind. Frankenstein achieves the same effect through Shelley’s utilizing a medium, the Monster, to show Victor’s inner corruption, ambition, and hard-heartedness. The Monster turns out to be even more empathetic that Victor, a human capable of emotions. Similarly, by means of the Replicants, Blade Runner induces the audience to reevaluate what it means to be a human. The empathy tests which the Replicants go through annually reveal that quite often these creatures exhibit more compassion than real humans who are impersonal and cold. This shows that Tyrell succeeded in making these creatures even more empathetic than humans for once he told Deckard: “More human than human” is our motto” (Blade Runner).

Thus, to truly grasp an understanding of the purpose and significance of each text, the responder must acknowledge how both texts have been shaped by their respective contexts. Even audience sympathies and the responder’s perception of the creations change from dislike to understanding and compassion due to the context. However, a comparative analysis of Frankenstein and Blade Runner highlights that despite the influence overall context can have on shaping textual elements, some elements such as setting, plot, and structural techniques remain almost identical because of similar contextual concerns.

Works Cited

1. Blade Runner. Prod. Michael Deeley, Dir. Ridley Scott, Perf. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. DVD. Warner Home Video, 2006.
2. Shelley, Mary and Hindle, Maurice. Frankenstein. London: Penguin Group, 2003.