Oryx And Crake And Frankenstein Comparison Essay

Compare the way in which Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ and Margaret Atwood’s ‘Oryx and Crake’ present the dangers of irresponsibility.

Both Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ (1818) and Margaret Atwood’s ‘Oryx & Crake’ (2004) are novels that seek to provide warning against the pushing of boundaries and pursuit of knowledge in areas of science and technology that are considered morally and ethically questionable, and what were to happen if these advancements were abused and used irresponsibly. The concept of abuse of technology has been considered for centuries, as prevalent in both these novels. Shelley, as a Romantic writer, was concerned about the developments of the industrial era and held suspicion of science while idealising all that is natural.

The novel opens with an image of after the event depicted in the novel. Jimmy is unable to go in direct sunlight, and talks to a genetically modified race called the Crakers. Two other central characters are Oryx and Crake, the titled names. They are seen as kinds of gods by the Crakers, due to their creation by their namesake. The novel shows the lives of Jimmy and Crake as they grew up together, Crake academically excelled, whereas Jimmy didn’t so much. Crake found an interest in bioengineering, later creating a company which released a pill under false pretences that began to kill off humanity. He created what he considered theasking him to “make a female” so that the monster can live out his passions and no longer be alone and rejected by society. He initially had pure intentions with a normal curiosity however is faced with the responsibility that he owes his creation and so considers making a companion to have the sympathy of another monster. This means that, despite facing his creation and the consequences of his original actions, he again acts in the same way to maintain a safe environment, without the consideration of society. The acceptance of the monster’s proposal adds to the irresponsibility of Victor through the voicing of struggles of the monster to get Victor to take some responsibility. However

At Elizabeth’s death he shows to be distraught and attempts to seek out the monster to finally face his actions.Victor shows a personal devastation ”what I now held in my arms had ceased to be Elizabeth whom I had loved and cherished” which creates pity for him, with him not having conceived that his wife could have been threatened rather than him himself. This further adds to the irresponsible line of thought, in that he only considered himself a target, and not those around him. Ultimately, only a few deaths result in the novel, and it is only those who are particularly close to Victor, which creates not only pity but a relatable guilt that allows the audience to connect with him and understand his actions better. Shelley uses this to create a more sorrowful atmosphere that is used to try and make sense of Victor’s irresponsibility, however temporarily allowing for understanding as to why he acted so.‘Oryx and Crake’, however, shows a large-scale and rather devastating event to create consequences that are incomprehensible. The use of deaths in ‘Frankenstein’ that are close to Victor creates a personal connection, an understanding of mourning and a feeling of guilt as he has caused those deaths, which creates a better