Society today is greatly affected by science. Cell phones, computers, and social media are just some of the many facets of technology that we use in our everyday lives. To most people, this technology is wonderful, but Mary Shelley provides us with a caveat. In her novel Frankenstein, science and the pursuit of knowledge are recurrent themes. The novel starts off with Walden trying to make a discovery in the North Pole, and follows with a story about how Victor Frankenstein deals with his creation.
While Victor is at college he makes the decision that the best and only way for him to gain glory is to be the first man to create life. After Victor “had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body” (45) in order to gain glory and fame he claims that “[he] imagined that the monster seized [him]; [he] struggled furiously, and fell down in a fit” (48). Victor remains mentally ill for a long period of time while his creation dangerously goes out into the world with minimal knowledge to fulfill his own needs. Victor believes that he falls ill because of his fear of the creature making it out to be a monstrosity when it is actually his own ambition that scares him the most. Virginia Brackett comments on the way Victor continues to shift blame and makes the creature out to be a monster because he begins to regret the decisions that his ambition lead him to
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley has been an American classic for almost 200 years, which contains both philosophical and moral themes in the text, making the reader question the limits of humankind and its desire for power. For every character presented in the story their independent desire to overcome their intentions becomes so intense that the future that lies upon them is nothing close to what they can imagine. Victor Frankenstein´s desire to quench his thirst for power ends up clouding his judgement and making him elude the future that awaits him. As Victor´s intention to succeed in natural sciences grow to an abnormal point, his judgement about what to do with that knowledge didn't let him contemplate the future consequences
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein examines the moral dilemmas brought on by scientific advancement. Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist in the story, uses science in unnatural ways to create a creature. Shelley poses questions about the ethics of science and the potential effects of unchecked scientific ambition through the lens of Victor's experiences. Through the use of imagery, characterization and foreshadowing, Shelley is able to convey the potential consequences of neglecting ethical consideration.
Destruction Through Knowledge in Frankenstein Knowledge can be redeeming or atrocious; it all depends on how it is used. Knowledge requires a responsible mind to use it for the greater good. In the novel Frankenstein, knowledge was given to a mind that was not ready for it. Victor, the man with the knowledge, was not in a healthy state of mind to be able to use it responsibly. As a result of this, global destruction was unleashed and people’s lives were changed forever.
Thus, the constant rejection the creature undergoes is the cause for his malicious acts, ultimately suggesting that those who reject the creature, Victor and society, are monsters. To begin, the creature resents Victor for abandoning him, which causes the creature to kill Victor's brother. Science fascinates Victor, and the desire to discoverer consumes him. He uses his scientific
The hunt for the creature was caused by Victor’s realization of how his power in science and creating life causes impractical behavior and horrific
In the world today, technology is being used to save people and to better the lives of the citizens on planet Earth. There are some people who take technology too far, such as Victor Frankenstein, the main character in Mary Shelly’s book. Victor Frankenstein created the unknown; he brought the dead back to life as if he was a God. In Mary Shelly’s point of view, she exaggerates how we abuse technology by playing God. In my point of view, I see that we are taking advantage of things, for example, Human Engineering, cloning, and abortion.
As shown in the book Victor's obsession leads him to gather body parts, using science and his quest for knowledge to help create a creature of his design, therefore Victor's desire to act as God by creating new life. With creating a new life with an unknown creature there are severe consequences against the creator, Victor, and against the creature. Victor's desire to act as God has ruined his life not only for his quest for knowledge but because of the creation he so desires to create. The monster destroys many innocent lives, the creature goes on a rampage killing many people. Some of the murderers that the monster killed were Victor’s family like William, Justine, and Henry.
The creation was abandoned by Victor and set out to the world on its own. The creation becomes vengeful towards Victor and does everything in its power to get back at him. The creation kills and harms many people in Victor's life. Throughout the novel Shelly displays the ideas that the creature is drawn to evil because of society’s prejudices
In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, she was supporting the ideas of the Enlightenment by her use of scientific reasoning throughout the text. Walton informs Victor that acquiring too much knowledge is dangerous and his experiments will only end in disaster. However, Victor refuses to listen, goes against this advice given to him, and instead creates a monster. Victor went above and beyond to create a living human being unaware of the consequences that would soon follow. He got ahead of himself when it came to his new invention.
After roughly two years of studying science, Victor decides he wants to make life from the non-living. “Life and death appeared to me in ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world.” (Shelley 42) It is at this point in the story that he brings the monster to life and can feel nothing but fear and disgust for his creation. He says, “now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.”
Victor creates the Creature, but there are many situations throughout the novel where the Monster displays as the victim. He seeks love from different people, but everyone treats him bad. His anger towards his father drives him to kill Victor’s family. The Monster later feels devastated for the murders he commits. All the monster wants is love.
“Do we evade the full consequences of our advances: denying the ugly while claiming the beautiful...ignoring the impoverishment while squandering the wealth”(Vargish)? Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein projects an underlying message that the rapid advancements of knowledge and science are truly monstrous. This tale illustrates a man’s dangerous, unbridled thirst for advancing science and researching a new field yet to be discovered; and questions advancements in technology, science, and the nature of humanity. Mary Shelley’s argument is more relevant today than it was during the gothic era. Our culture’s evident addiction to electronics and personal devices is taking away all forms of intuition and initiative.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Critical Analysis About the author Naomi Hetherington is a member of the University of Sheffield, the department of lifelong learning. She is an early researcher in sexuality, religious culture, the 19th-century literature, and gender. She holds a BA in Theology and religious studies, an MA and a Ph.D. in Victorian Literature. She currently teaches four-year pathway literature degree at Sheffield University for students who have already attained foundation degrees. Among the books, she has written the critique of Frankenstein.
