The influence of Christianity has familiarized the world with the many parables of the bible that teach us the importance of striving for good and resisting evil. Literature, art, and film often reference widely familiar bible stories through characters, plot, and symbolism in order to teach a similar lesson as the original story but with a modern setting, making a message more impactful for the target audience. In Frankenstein, one of the most infamous works in Victorian literature, Mary Shelley compares and contrasts her own characters to biblical ones to create her own Genesis story, warning man against seeking god-like power, during a time of profound scientific discovery and expansion.
Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist of the novel,
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After surviving in the woods alone, the monster finds solace in the daily lives of a family residing in a small cottage. His days watching the family from afar and replenishing their firewood provide the creature with comfort and momentary bliss, much like Adam’s Garden of Eden. But he begins to realize that the circumstance of his existence differs greatly from Adam’s, as he had not “come forth by the hands of God” who is good, but rather by a flawed man who is more like Satan than a loving God (92). The monster’s anguish over his own existence and the betrayal of his creator along with the rejection from man, lead him to him committing a series of murders out of rage and frustration. Like Adam, the monster’s sins cast him from a life of innocence and bliss to hardship in misery, increasing his hatred for his maker. The creature’s only request for Frankenstein to make him his own Eve, a “companion…of the same species and… defects”, serve as the final chance for the creature to have a life worthy of living (105). But Frankenstein destroys the monster's partially finished female companion, solidifying his creator’s fate as Frankenstein vows to hunt the creature down after killing his wife. While the monster resents his creator, as he himself is a reflection of Frakenstein’s sins, the cursed relationship between creator and created remains the only connection he has to another being. So when Frankenstein dies, the monster decides to “no longer feel the agonies which consume” him, and he fatefully jumps from Walton’s ship into a watery grave