Chemical Tools In Frankenstein Essay

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Tools: The Creator or the Creation Itself?
With the progression of scientific achievement, the enhancement of tools has paralleled. First there were instruments simply for survival; as time went on, the tools became exponentially more complex and powerful. However, as seen in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, when these aids come into the wrong hands, disaster strikes, and downfall of the creator or the created initiates. Throughout the novel, Victor Frankenstein utilizes chemical tools to create life rather than to better it, disregarding the consequences of such an action; thus, the motif of assorted instruments consistently appears, showing how tools can either aid in the construction or the collapse of survival. As stated in the Oxford English …show more content…

Frankenstein becomes preoccupied with natural philosophy, enthralled by the fact that “in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder” whereas in the past he has felt his ambition quelled by outside forces (Shelley 29). As a result, Victor “improved so rapidly that at the end of two years [he] made some discoveries in the improvement of some chemical instruments, which procured [him] great esteem and admiration at the university” (30). Not only does this mark Victor’s first relationship with his instruments of creation, but it also kindles the spark of glory he craves, beckoning him to continue down the path of creating his own …show more content…

Thus, Victor bestows life into one of such a species, created from humanity but so utterly inhuman. This singular being, he believes, will answer his prayers of glory and act as a catalyst to his exaltation. However, Victor could not be more incorrect, since by only focusing on his vehicle to fame he fails to recognize that this creature will be a living, breathing, sentient being rather than an object. Upon this horrific realization, “the beauty of the dream vanished, and the breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart” (35). As a result, Victor falls victim to nervous breaks and panic attacks, and “when [he] was otherwise quite restored to health, the sight of a chemical instrument would renew all agony of [his] nervous symptoms” (43). Even by associating tools with his ultimate yet malicious tool, the creature, Victor experiences agony, and therefore dissociates from his chemical instruments for the majority of the book until his creation appears again with a unique

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