Examples Of Occult In Frankenstein

The occult is a strange phenomenon in human society. Every culture has its taboos and forbidden practices, most of which fall under the umbrella term: occult. In essence, the occult represents the strange, the fringe, and the aspects of reality we cannot understand, which is why it always exists; the occult represents the boundaries of our knowledge, beyond which science and reason are insufficient. This dichotomy can be seen in literature and other media, as the occult is often used in opposition to science and technology to illustrate the dangers of passing the borders of our knowledge too quickly.
An early literary example comes from Mary Shelly’s novel, Frankenstein, in which the protagonist, Victor, uses the occult science of alchemy

Lovecraft’s short story, The Dreams in the Witch House. The story follows Walter Gilman, a mathematics student who moves into a haunted house after becoming obsessed with the occult. While there, a witch’s ghost reveals to Gilman that geometry can be manipulated to travel between dimensions. After several nights of traveling to different worlds and times, the witch brings Gilman to the Center of Chaos, where he signs away his soul, and later aids in the ritual sacrifice of a child. The prevailing theme of this story is how unchecked curiosity can lead to unforeseen consequences; how our desire to discover can be disastrous. Take, for example, the transistor. William Shockley and his lab’s original intent was to create a smaller, more efficient alternative to vacuum tubes; however, Shockley couldn't predict the device’s downstream effects. The Internet for instance, which has revolutionized communication, economics, and politics, while also providing a haven for drug trafficking and pornography, would not be possible without the transistor. With this in mind, we can see how Lovecraft uses the occult, witchcraft, and human sacrifice to illustrate how our unbridled curiosity, especially on the technological front, can lead us down a path of regretful

According to the game’s narrative, Hell is home to an immense generator that produces Argent energy, a clean and renewable fuel source. However, Argent energy can only be manufactured by torturing human souls, thus, the army of Hell is bent on slaying as many humans as possible. It is no coincidence that amid the climate crisis, when the world is searching for clean energy, Id decides to identify the pursuit of renewable fuel with Hell and the demonic. This does not mean that renewable energy is evil, but rather, DOOM: Eternal asks: how many people are we willing to sacrifice in pursuit of renewable energy? Further, this shows the main metaphor present in DOOM: Eternal: when we deify technology, we will inevitably sacrifice people, physically or psychologically, in pursuit of it. A chilling example would be the United States’ human plutonium experiments, in which the US Atomic Energy Commission secretly exposed citizens to radioactive material without their consent (Moss and Eckhardt, 19). While the studies were meant to examine the effects of radiation on the body, many test subjects later suffered from cancer, neurodegeneration, or, in the case of the unborn, birth defects (Stockton). All of this is to say that, as DOOM: Eternal points out, elevating technological advancement to the highest good, e.i. idolizing it