Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1992) both draw upon their rapidly changing eras to contextually explore mankind’s ability to inherit hubristic ideas for forbidden knowledge. Frankenstein examines irrational behaviours and immoralities of Romantic Prometheanism within the realms of science, ideology and politics. Meanwhile, Blade Runner presents a similar cautionary tale of a dystopian future and its contemporary excess from the 1980’s era of economic hedonism. Hence both Scott and Shelley explore the loss of human morality due to a rise in technology and science in their texts.
Shelley’s Frankenstein warns the audience of how man’s desire for forbidden knowledge can lead to the loss of our morality and emotional
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empathy, through the dehumanisation of Frankenstein’s creature. The creature is a metaphoric representation of the consequences of the unrestrained, intrusive science that was so despised by the Romantics; an embodiment of Locke and Rousseau’s tabula rasa, pure and virtuous. This is observed through the creature’s expression of emotion during its readings of Plutarch’s Live, “I felt the greatest ardour for virtue rise within me”. However, it is when the creature discovers the hatred and fear expressed by his creator, Victor, that begins to transform it into the “horrendous fiend” that kills William, “’I too can create desolation” expressing the loss in emotional empathy and morality. This transition from being emotionally on par to humans to the degraded “animal” that the creature has become is further emphasised in its reflection, “once my fancy was soothed with dreams of virtue and fame […] now crime has degraded me beneath the meanest of animal”. Thus it can be perceived from Shelley’s expression of the Romantics’ humanist tradition and from the creature’s loss of morality, passion, and emotional empathy that transforms it into a beast. The loss of human emotions and empathy is also evident in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and is demonstrated through the dehumanisation of the replicants.
The values of Scott’s context were based upon an obsession for profit, where globalisation and consumerism had reduced individuals down to a resource or a statistic. This is depicted through the characterisation of man vs machine. One of the motifs in the film is “more human than human”, expressed through the cross edited sequence of Holden interrogating Leon, where Leon is portrayed as having a greater capacity for human expression than Holden. Throughout the interrogation, Leon responds with a strong sense of curiosity, anxiety, and facial expressions that are varied. This is juxtaposed against Holden, a ruthless and un-empathic man, reinforced by his machine aids and synthetic voiceover. The idea of replicants being “more human than human” is also further indicated in the close up shot of Tyrell patting Roy’s head, similar to what a father does to his son. Tyrell’s words to Roy, “the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long […] you are the Prodigal Son […] quite the prize”, conveys oxymoronic terms as he refers to Roy as a son, yet changes this meaning to be a prize – something that he owns. The light metaphor also refers to Roy as a product, hence expressing Tyrell’s emotionless bond, or lack thereof, with his replicants, thus portraying him as a heartless and conceited creator. Thus, Scott clearly communicates …show more content…
the erosion of capacity for empathy, due to the overwhelming desire for wealth and profit, reflecting the 1980’s corrupted economy. Shelley warns the audience about the abuse of science in exceeding human limits and how this results in “misery and destruction”.
This is based on the 1800’s Romantic ideology of nature as a divine trinity of creation. This is demonstrated by Shelley’s acknowledgement of man’s place within nature, “Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking up shells beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth”. The simile and extended metaphor of knowledge as the seashell and man as mere children reflects the Romantic ideology of a great, pantheistic nature. Therefore, when Victor attends Ingolstadt, Shelley demonstrates the dangers of modern science through “penetrated nature’s secrets” and “acquired unlimited powers”. The hyperbolic description of natural philosophy undermines the relationship between man and nature as described by Newton. The corruption and misery caused by the irresponsible use of technology is evident through Victor’s earlier promise of “light” when it results in destruction. This is displayed through the change of “illumination” to “nothing but a dense and frightful darkness, penetrated by no light”. Hence, Shelley clearly validates through the fate of Frankenstein that disruption of natural order within human knowledge will only result in the destruction of
man. Similarly, Blade Runner communicates the observable consequences of the excessive misuse of technology in which man is a slave to the futuristic world of globalisation and commerce. Through the portrayal of the dystopic futuristic world, Scott connotes the 1980’s era of globalisation where many companies abuse the rights of their workers through the industrial complex. This is portrayed through the opening scene of the film, as well as through the absence of nature throughout. As the scene opens, a wide angle shot pans across LA 2019, a dystopia of darkness “penetrated by no light”, illuminated only by artificial electricity (for example, the light from the billboard advertisements). The bursts of fire also suggest to the audience that the cityscape is comparable to hell as all natural life is destroyed. This depiction of devastation and destruction is cleverly utilised by Scott to warn viewers about the impact of irresponsible expansion of commercial technology. This is emphasised through the replicant, Pris, who is dehumanised by the authorities as a “basic pleasure model”. Accordingly, Scott draws upon the visual irony of Pris disguising herself under a veil as one of many life size dolls that Sebastian possessed when she attempts to kill Deckard. Cold, mechanical lighting in this scene aids Scott in depicting Pris as an object rather than a feeling, emotional being. Her death, too, reveals this fact, with a cropped shot of her legs kicking vigorously, similar to a malfunctioning machine. Therefore, Scott implies the dehumanising effect of abuse of technology and commerce by drawing upon his own context for inspiration. Although composed two centuries apart, both Frankenstein and Blade Runner operate as cautionary texts, warning their respective audiences of the dangers that arise from overriding Promethean hubris which transgress natural and moral bounds, and in spite of technological advancement, mankind still has a tendency to repeat their previous mistakes.
Although the texts show a difference in societal values, both explore similar aspects of humanity to show that human nature is perpetual regardless of context. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley scrutinizes the Enlightenment era’s pursuit for progress and knowledge as it is seen as morally chaotic for overstepping the natural order idealised by the Romantics. Victor F’Stein’s ambition to overpower the boundaries of nature by attempting to take up God’s role as the creator is enunciated in the metaphor “many excellent natures should owe their being to me”. Victor’s hubris and ambition reflects aspects of the Enlightenment – Shelley criticises the attempts of the age to control and empower natural processes, embodied in Galvani’s experimentation with animal electricity. Victor F’Stein represents humanity’s hubristic ambitions and fondness for knowledge.
As society changes around us, we spot things we never noticed before: high divorce rates, murder rates, and drug use just to name a few. James Riddley-Scott and Mary Shelley noticed and had a fear of child abandonment. In Frankenstein, Shelley explores this subject through the viewpoint of a man, Victor, who creates a child so hideous that he cannot bear to look at it, and consequently deserts it. In Blade Runner, Scott explores this matter through a businessman, Tyrell, who makes replicants of humans, the Nexus 6, gives them only four years to live, and sells them as slaves. The children of these creators turn out to be smarter and more human than expected, and revolt against the way society treats them, giving us all a lesson in parenting and child development.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is ‘one of the pioneering works of modern science fiction’, and is also a frightening story that speaks to the ‘mysterious fears of our nature’. Mary Shelley mocks the idea of “playing God”, the idea that came from the Greek myth of Prometheus, of the Greek titan who stole Zeus’ gift of life. Both the story of Frankenstein and Prometheus reveal the dark side of human nature and the dangerous effects of creating artificial life. Frankenstein reveals the shocking reality of the consequences to prejudging someone. The creature’s first-person narration reveals to us his humanity, and his want to be accepted by others even though he is different.
Comparing the Novel and Film Adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. “Horror and science fiction tend to present radically opposite interpretations of what may look like comparable situations.” (Kawin, 1981.) Bruce Kawin helps the reader to understand how a story in the genre of science fiction could be adapted, or bastardized if you like, into a horror. This is similar to the film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
In conclusion, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein shows readers how irresponsibility and the excessive need for knowledge can cause suffering among others as well as oneself. Victor never intends to cause such harm; however, he is not cautious and observant with his actions, which ultimately leads to his classification as a tragic hero. The desire to learn is most definitely a wonderful trait to have, as long as one’s knowledge doesn’t reach the extent that Victor Frankenstein’s unfortunately does.
Mary Shelley’s novel arises several questions relevant to the present day. A question that arises from the novel is whether man is born evil or made evil from his life experiences. The debate on whether how far man should pursue knowledge exists today as well as other questions challenged in the novel therefore “Frankenstein” is a popular novel at present as much as it was in the past.
To begin our analysis, I will look to how Mary Shelley positions Victor Frankenstein's motivations to create life against natural laws within the ideas of individualism, as Victor can correlate directly to the educated human at the center of Enlightenment, Industrialism, and Romanticism values. With the burgeoning interest in scientific discovery during the Industrial Revolution "transform[ing] British culture" and "changing the world"(Lipking 2065), many concepts of society were also changed, which Shelley looked to explore through Victor's actions. Rooted in the scientifically curious spirit of Industrial England, Victor's attempt to create life can show many examples of how an importance of the individual acquisition of knowledge and accomplishment can disrupt society. Victor's...
Frankenstein is a fictional story written by Mary Shelly. It was later adapted into a movie version directed by James Whales. There are more differences than similarities between the book and the movie. This is because, the movie is mainly based on the 1920’s play, other than the original Mary Shelly’s book Frankenstein. A text has to be altered in one way or the other while making a movie due to a number of obvious factors. A lot of details from the book were missing in the movie, but the changes made by Whales were effective as they made the movie interesting, and successful.
Victor Frankenstein, blinded by pride, remained unaware of how his experiment would affect not only him, but the world around him as he formed his new discovery. His secret to creating life only caused more life to be lost. Because of Victor’s reckless behavior, he caused the depressed and lonely world around his own creation, one who, in the end, Victor did not want to take responsibility for making, no matter how remarkable. The Creation, a being of unfortunate circumstance, exemplifies how knowledge has dangerous and everlasting effects if not used safely or for good intentions. Unfortunately, The Creation leaves his own damage behind as well, again showing how knowledge is harmful, by killing Elizabeth, Victor’s wife, Henry Clerval, his dearest friend, and other members a part of Victor’s family and friends. This demonstrates how knowledge, if not used wisely, can lead to death and suffering. The power of knowledge, in Mary Shelley’s writing, is a gift bestowed on those who can handle the power responsibly, as opposed to using it for selfish boasting. In contrast, she uses these two characters to show the importance of being knowledgeable in both science and responsibility and the unforgivable mutilation that comes if you fail to overcome
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a nineteenth century literary work that delves into the world of science and the plausible outcomes of morally insensitive technological research. Although the novel brings to the forefront several issues about knowledge and sublime nature, the novel mostly explores the psychological and physical journey of two complex characters. While each character exhibits several interesting traits that range from passive and contemplative to rash and impulsive, their most attractive quality is their monstrosity. Their monstrosities, however, differ in the way each of the character’s act and respond to their environment. Throughout Frankenstein, one assumes that Frankenstein’s creation is the true monster. While the creation’s actions are indeed monstrous, one must also realize that his creator, Victor Frankenstein is also a villain. His inconsiderate and selfish acts as well as his passion for science result in the death of his friend and family members and ultimately in his own demise.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, explores the monstrous and destructive affects of obsession, guilt, fate, and man’s attempt to control nature. Victor Frankenstein, the novel’s protagonist and antihero, attempts to transcend the barriers of scientific knowledge and application in creating a life. His determination in bringing to life a dead body consequently renders him ill, both mentally and physically. His endeavors alone consume all his time and effort until he becomes fixated on his success. The reason for his success is perhaps to be considered the greatest scientist ever known, but in his obsessive toil, he loses sight of the ethical motivation of science. His production would ultimately grieve him throughout his life, and the consequences of his undertaking would prove disastrous and deadly. Frankenstein illustrates the creation of a monster both literally and figuratively, and sheds light on the dangers of man’s desire to play God.
In the gothic novel Frankenstein, humans have a bottomless, motivating, but often dangerous thirst for knowledge. This idea was clearly illustrated throughout the novel by Mary Shelley. The three main characters in the novel shared the thirst for knowledge that later led to their downfall. In the novel, knowledge is a huge theme that led to atrocious life for anyone that tried to gain it. Knowledge is hazardous; therefore, I support Dr. Frankenstein’s warning about knowledge being dangerous and that knowledge shouldn’t be gained.
Mary Shelley uses Victor Frankenstein’s and the creature’s pursuit of dangerous knowledge in Frankenstein to question the boundaries of human enlightenment.
This paper will concentrate on the definition of human nature, the controversy of morality and science, the limits to scientific inquiry, and how this novel ties in with today’s world. Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein expresses human nature specifically through the character of the “Creature” and its development. The Creature has an opportunity to explore his surroundings, and in doing so he learns that human nature is to run away from something so catastrophic in looks. The Creature discovers that he must limit himself in what he does due to the response of humans because of his deformities. I feel that Mary Shelley tries to depict human nature as running away from the abnormal, which results in alienation of the “abnormal.”
... may result in the imbalance of that which sustains us and our subsequent destruction. While Victor can control nature and bend it to his will in unnatural ways, once confronted with the natural elements, none of his science and ingenuity can save him. Throughout the novel Victor goes to nature for solace, expecting nothing but return, and expects the same throughout the novel, right to his own demise. This lesson is not only applicable to when Frankenstein was written, at an explosively progressive period during the Industrial Revolution, but also to all generations and their relationship with human progression and nature preservation.