Comparing The Cost Of Playing God In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The Cost of Playing God in Frankenstein

“What can stop the determined heart and the resolved will of man?”

Mary Shelley posed this rhetorical question through the character of Robert Walton in her novel Frankenstein (Shelley, 24). In this day and age, almost 200 years after Shelley published Frankenstein, anything seems to be possible, with advances and discoveries in the fields of science, technology, and medicine breaking new ground every day. From the invention of the computer to stem cell research, the human race has become more and more aware of ways in which it can improve the way of life and, in some cases, expand the average life span. As a species, humans strive to move forward, to keep progressing and pushing boundaries previously

set forth by previous groundbreaking advancements. However, this same drive manifests itself into a young Victor Frankenstein, prompting him to attempt to create life, ending in disastrous results. Shelley’s novel was not meant as encouragement to any aspiring scientists of her time to try and push the boundaries of nature. Rather, Shelley uses both Frankenstein and Walton to explore the dangers that come with extreme ambition and the act of “playing God” while also warning against such endeavors.
In order to fully understand why Shelley would warn against testing the limits of the natural world, one should first look at the people in her life with whom she probably wished to impart the message. For practically all of her life, powerful and knowledgeable figures surrounded Shelley. William Godwin, Shelley’s father, made a name for himself with his political and moral ramblings, however the passion he held for academic pursuits lacked in other areas of his life, such as raising his own children. In her introduction to the novel, Maurice Hindle noted that Godwin preferred to provide “life proposals and solutions in the abstract” rather than actual hands on experience with the children (xv). Despite this, Shelley still held her father on a pedestal, even going so far as to write to friends and admit that Godwin “was her God” until she met her husband, Percy (xvi). In addition to his brilliant philosophical mind, which was not unlike Godwin’s, Percy also thrived in the field of science, particularly fascinated with experimenting with electric currents (xxv). Shelley goes on to say that although her father held high expectations for her to “be something great and good” when she was younger, Percy reiterated this decree after she met him (xvi). In a cruel bit of irony, Percy died while sailing his boat during a storm, essentially losing his life to the power of nature well beyond man’s control. Between these two men, Shelley had the perfect inspiration for both Walton and Frankenstein’s defining characteristic: a desire to become legends, no matter what the cost.
Walton’s desire to “tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man” drives his journey to the North Pole as well as his quest to conquer nature and achieve glory (16).

He wishes to stand literally on top of the world, not unlike the gods of Greek mythology who reside on Mount Olympus, overlooking all that they command. Paul Sherwin sums up Walton’s visions of grandeur, saying that “to be there would be to capture the heavens in a glance, to tap earth’s central power source, and to stand within the magic circle of poets he once sought to emulate but whose sublimity he could not match” (Sherwin 88). Walton sees this journey as a not only as a service to mankind, but also one that will allow him to “obtain a niche in the temple where the names of Homer and Shakespeare are consecrated” (16). Shelley introduced Walton early on as a character who will do whatever it takes to reach the goal he set forth in his early years, having him admit in his letter that he would rather have the glory that came with the discovery more than “every enticement that wealth placed in [his] path” (17). With these statements, readers begin to perceive Walton as an arrogant man who thinks his plan is too big to fail. Having gone through all the necessary preparations as well as having a strong mix of ego and determination, it appears Walton will very likely reach his goal by the last letter to his sister at the end of the novel. Only a serious matter of persuasion could deter him from his

quest.
Frankenstein tests the boundaries of man’s capabilities not with a dangerous journey to unknown parts of the world, but by challenging what it means to create life.

Jürgen Barkhoff said the want of man to play God is “as old as man himself,” so it makes sense that, much like Walton, destiny set Frankenstein’s path at a young age (Barkhoff 39). He becomes interested in studying the ways in which the world worked, first with alchemy, then later on in life a curiosity blooms in the fields of both mathematics and natural sciences. His unmatchable interest in learning leads him to declare, “natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate,” setting forth the events that would lead him to attempt and create life (40). In doing so, Frankenstein hopes that he will be looked up to, not only by society at large, but mostly by his creation, who he believes will “bless [him] as a creator and source” (55). The thought of possible disaster does not cross his mind, that by creating life, he would actually court death. A surprising fact, due in part that he has seen such a thing happen in his lifetime. When his Elizabeth falls ill and is on her deathbed, Frankenstein and the rest of his family attempt and stop his mother from visiting Elizabeth’s bedside. Caroline ignores the warnings and visits her dying child. Elizabeth returns to full health, but Caroline is not so fortunate, as “the consequences of this imprudence were fatal” (44). Had Frankenstein been a bit more

perceptive, he would have seen this as foreshadowing, that no good could come from attempting to upset the course of nature. However, as the “central misreader,” the lesson goes over the young scientist’s head, and he continues his pursuits for usurp God (Sherwin 883).
In order to fully possess a God complex, one usually must have an inflated sense of ego as well as infallibility, something both Walton and Frankenstein possess, however the severity differs between the men. Walton’s self-importance comes through strongly in his letters to his sister, Meredith. He declares to her “success shall crown my endeavors. Wherforenot?” as if he is owed such a reward due to his sense of discovery (23). Walton also thinks of himself being above others, stating “there is a love for the marvelous, a belief in the marvelous, intertwined in all my projects, which hurries me out of the common pathways of men” (22). It should come as no surprise that he and Frankenstein end up getting along so well, considering they both tend to skate through life alone. Yes, Frankenstein did have friends and family who care about him, however he ignores and neglects them and his own health in pursuit of his goals, saying he “lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit” (55). This perfectly demonstrates one of the cardinal differences between the two men. Walton, even in his pursuit of fame and discovery, puts the needs of others before his own. His letters to his sister that frame the novel demonstrate his need for companionship, for someone to share the adventure with. Alison MacWilliams pointed out that, ““Unlike Frankenstein, [Walton’s] arrogance is tempered by the need to maintain the support of his crew; when they vote to turn back, the potential results of his drive for knowledge go untested” (MacWilliams 82). Meanwhile, Frankenstein refuses to allow the people in his life to know the danger he has put them in. The creature explicitly warns Frankenstein he will be with the scientist and Elizabeth on their wedding night, however Frankenstein refuses to share this information with anyone. The night of his wedding, Frankenstein explores the house for any possible signs of the creature after leaving Elizabeth with the comforting words, “Oh! Peace, peace, my love” (198). Frankenstein’s ego and belief that he himself could take care of the situation got in the way of him admitting to his family that he had made a grave error and preventing death.
By the novel’s end, Frankenstein and Walton’s quests for glory both have tragic, albeit different, endings. Frankenstein’s aspiration of divinity ends with his own destruction, something he willingly admits by saying, “all my speculations and hopes are as nothing, and like the archangel who aspired to omnipotence, I am chained to eternal hell” (214). Frankenstein realizes far too late that his actions in animating the creature have serious consequences and that the blood of the creature’s murders stain his hands as well. Although he has conquered the challenge of creating life, it is the success that ended up being Frankenstein’s downfall. Had Frankenstein taken responsibility for the creature and assisted it in getting acquainted into society, he would not have arrived at his death close to the North Pole. MacWilliams raises the same point, saying “had Frankenstein been a better father, nothing bad would have come of his presumptuous scientific deed” (MacWilliams 86). By the end of the novel, the final success Frankenstein can achieve would be to kill the creature, in repentance for everything that has happened. When Walton announces the ship’s intent to return to England, Frankenstein, despite being near death, fails to recognize the limits of his body and declares he will not join them, as his purpose to kill the creature was “assigned to [him] by Heaven” (219). Immediately after this decree, he passes out and later perishes before he and the creature can reunite. Due to Frankenstein’s tragic ending, Walton reconsiders his quest. He writes to his sister to confide his fears of holding the crew’s lives in his hands, saying, “if we are lost, my mad schemes are the cause” (215). Walton gleams a sense of responsibility from Frankenstein’s tale, and ultimately decides to turn back instead of venturing further into danger. He does not want to suffer the same fate as Frankenstein, destroyed by his own arrogance. Sherwin said that although this makes Walton the wiser man, he “will be embittered by all he has failed to achieve” (Sherwin 902). In this case, Walton recognizes the abilities of man, no matter how determined he might be, compares poorly to the full power of nature.
Although Shelley’s novel has been adapted for stage and screen multiple times, the warning to man against playing God remains constant. Even in some instances in which Walton’s narrative is removed entirely, Victor still remains a tragic character so caught up in his pursuit of glory that he manages to completely desolate his own life in the process. The message remains relevant to this day even 200 years after original publication due to the fact that humankind will continually push the envelope for science and nature to see if something new can be discovered or tamed. As a species, the thought of being remembered long after death is tempting and glorious, however one should read Shelley’s novel as a warning before striving for greatness.