Victor Frankenstein's Downfall

Having not known the full effects of the dropping of the atomic bomb prior to its detonation, the United States crossed a line that will never be able to be uncrossed. The atom bomb was praised by many for bringing an end to World War II, yet the war was nearly over at that point anyway. By dropping the bomb on large, metropolitan, civilian areas the United States made clear that they were willing to do whatever it took to both end the war and display their substantial power. However, the development of the bomb went nearly unchecked, and when it was dropped, civilian casualties were far higher than many would have anticipated. The full effects of the bomb were neither properly examined nor tested, and the resulting large-scale massacre of

Although written in 1818, the protagonist’s plight in Shelley’s classic displays numerous similarities to the circumstances surrounding the atomic bomb. Victor Frankenstein’s brash overconfidence and blatant disregard for the consequences of his creation prove to be his downfall. Fueled by transfixing stories of the power of science, Frankenstein creates a monster that even he cannot control. The ancient teachers of this science […] promised impossibilities and performed nothing. The modern masters promise very little […] but these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses of nature and show how she works in her hiding-places. They ascend into the heavens […] They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows (Shelley 28-29). This dangerous attitude towards the power of science is not only a common theme in Shelley’s novel, but it also shone clearly through the creation of the atomic bomb. By purely wielding their excessive power and not considering the full extent of their destruction, the American government and the

“Never again […] should the nation’s “science explorers…be denied anything needful for their adventures”” (Boyer 266). The American public, energized by the supposed success of bomb, became dangerously overconfident in the abilities of science. The alarming amount of support for such a destructive power became a staple of postwar America. Many did not want the scientific advancement to stop there, and they promoted even more atomic development. The unquestioned power of atomic science began to grow even more, and despite ample warning, the public continued to be misled by the copious propaganda. As the government disguised the thinly veiled weapon development with large scale propaganda efforts, restrictions on nuclear weapon research were nearly nonexistent. As W.E.B. DuBois put it, “we have seen…to our amazement and distress, a marriage between science and destruction….We have always thought of science as the emancipator. We see it now as the enslaver of mankind” (Boyer 269). The intensity and authority of scientific advancement continued unhampered, and the perils were left in the periphery of the public eye. Instead of being only a positive force on global society, the dark side of science took the limelight, and many were none the