Environmental Constraints In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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As humanity has continued to evolve, science fiction has been a byproduct of human advancement. Culture, history, technological and philosophical advancements, social turmoil, and wars have greatly influenced literature on a profound scale. Works of advanced rhetoric are mere reflections of human culture and societal constructs; Whether they critique or idolize, these muses depict, down to an even subconscious level, the shared thoughts and perceptions that people have regarding societal construct and human evolution.

Through reading a series of nonfiction pieces which varied in its epoch of creation, I have been able to discern how certain environmental constraints shaped the way science fiction is written. More archaic literature …show more content…

This story, being ahead of its time, still did not elucidate when it came to the creation of the monster. Likewise, the creation itself is an act of pure fallacy and is done in secrecy. Such a creation of synthetic life is perceived as a monstrosity. The creator, Victor Frankenstein, has a forbidden desire to animate a sapient creature, but with positive intent: “No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success. Life and death to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world.” Unfortunately, the moment the animated being is brought to life, he is perceived as a beast rather than an equal:”Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch.”

Unlike Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, The story Robbie by Isaac Asimov (1940), paints a glorious picture of synthetic, roboticized life. The Rhetoric is far less abstruse, yet it paints a very clear picture. Robbie the robot, is a great service and value to a little girl named Gloria in the story. ““Robbie!” Her shriek pierced the air… Gloria went almost mad with Joy.” Likewise, Robbie is a lucrative creation that does not defy societal morals. Unlike Frankenstein's monster, the robot it one of many that is manufactured by industrial