Julia Burky
Period One
Frankenstein 5-10
11 April 2023
Victor goes about creating new life by referring to his areas of study: science and natural philosophy. He wants to manufacture a being without God or women, he does so by theorizing that he may need to use dead body parts.
It takes Victor two years to create a new life, but he stewed on this idea for much longer.
English novelist Mary Shelley chose to use the metaphor of childbirth when relating to the construction of Victor’s creature because she was drawing a comparison between the natural creation of a being and the unnatural manufacturing of a being. Shelley could have made a metaphor that coincides with the time in history that “Frankenstein” was published, 1818; during this time
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Victor has a nightmare, which includes two important women in his life. He takes this as a message that his manufactured creature will have an adverse effect on his family, going so far as killing them.
Justine takes a guilt for Williams’s death, because she was supposed to be the careful eye that was supervising him, her sorrow engulfs her and therefore, she finds herself as guilty in a situation where she certainly wasn’t.
A common trope with scientists is the mad scientist who will do anything for their craft, Mary Shelley could have wanted to further emphasize Frankenstein’s desire for his creation. The idea of Victor falling ill due to his success, or lack thereof regarding his scientific creation, shows how consumed he is by his convictions.
Victor is not justified in this idea that withholding information for self preservation is for the greater good. Horrifying truths, though they may be hard to rationalize, are necessary for justice in human processes. In ethics, there is a rule called the golden rule which is do not do to others as you would not want done to you; however, the want for self-preservation is a natural human tendency, but is not