Frankenstein Identity Essay

The story of Frankenstein is known to many, but something not known to everyone is that the story that Mary Shelley created, was one written for a competition amongst a small group of her friends to see who could write the best horror story. After presenting this story of hers to her group of friends, it was clear that she had won the competition and had written the best horror novel. Frankenstein is filled with plenty of common horror aspects that one would normally find in a novel of said genre, but one thing she does exceptionally well that separates her from the rest, especially in this time period, is showing off the horror of humanity’s true identity and what it can be. A major theme focused in this book is humanity’s identity and what

In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she tells the reader what humanity’s obsession can look like through showing exactly what state Victor has put his mind, body, health, and wellbeing through, in order to fulfill this idea of bringing back the dead and how it left him after he completed his goal. Victor states “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 44). Victor, assuming he would feel accomplished after succeeding in what he set out to do, was instead welcomed with disgust and repugnance looking at his creation, but also looking at himself realizing the fact that his obsession of life and death had taken him over. Within Henk van den Belt’s article “Playing God in Frankenstein’s Footsteps: Synthetic Biology and the Meaning of Life”, he emphasizes the fact that Victor’s unhealthy infatuation negatively affected his livelihood in ways that he could have never imagined. He states, “The main character of the novel, Victor Frankenstein, ultimately brought disaster upon himself and his loved ones by indulging in the ‘unhallowed arts’ of ‘bestowing animation upon lifeless matter’ (ibid.: 53). He aspired ‘to become greater than his nature [would] allow’ (ibid.: 54). In other words, Frankenstein wanted to play God and was as severely punished for his transgression...” (van den Belt 4). The author here clarifies that ultimately, Victor’s addiction led to his demise and caused his past decisions to come and haunt him, along with those that he loves. Mary Shelley highlights the idea that humanity's obsession with wanting to accomplish