Frankenstein is a diverse novel that confronts the reader with many different ideas and themes. Critics have described the text in many different, depending on their reading of the book. These include as a political allegory, an observation of human accountability, feminism, social prejudices and alienation, and even a narrative of the nature of human life itself. Some of these themes may be in part due to the influence of Shelley's parents: Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, both very influential and radical political activists in their time. Around the period of its publication, new science was breaking down the barriers of old and the work and findings of scientists were challenging the steadfast ideas of religion and as such caused much controversy in general society.
Elements of this conflict can be seen in Shelley's novel in the character of Viktor Frankenstein. As a student of both the old science, which was based largely around the discovery of the elixir of life, and the theories of chemistry and bio-science engaged by new science, Viktor seems to be the embodiment of the society divided over knowledge. His desire to gain the glory of discovering the capacity for creating life and thus its continuation is founded in the idea of elixir. This, coupled with his interest in modern techniques that give him the ability to undertake such a task, give Viktor the motivation for such an colossal and divine mission.
At a time of industrial revolution, when electricity is an exiting new technology being harnessed by man, it is perhaps apt that it is a spark of electricity that brings Viktor's creation to life. 'I collected the instruments around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing'. The monste...
... middle of paper ...
...ult of his own, evokes the sympathy of the reader. Such a circumstance could never have come about had it not been for the growth of science and it's mix with religion and myth. The idea of fire and science in Mary Shelley's great gothic novel are used in a reproachful manner. The combination of these two things along with glory result in the conception of the creature, who at society's injustice, was turned into a monster. Frankenstein can be seen as a rhetoric against science the quest for knowledge and the threat they pose when exercised with undue consideration. Fire is used as the symbol of knowledge, which, under control can be creative but destructive when out of control. The potential of inventive power to be devastating is one of the themes at the heart of Shelley's novel and was also a concern in the age of the developing industrial revolution.
1311 words
In Lisa Nocks article appropriately titled “Frankenstein, in a better light,” she takes us through a view of the characters in the eyes of the author Mary Shelly. The name Frankenstein conjures up feeling of monsters and horror however, the monster could be a metaphor for the time period of which the book was written according to Nocks. The article implies that the book was geared more towards science because scientific treatises were popular readings among the educated classes, of which Shelley was a member of. Shelley, whose father was wealthy and had an extensive library, was encouraged to self-educate, which gave her knowledge of contemporary science and philosophy, which also influenced Frankenstein as well as circumstances of her life.
Furthermore, when Victor finds out the mystery of rising life, he said that, “[a] sudden light broke in upon me -- a light so brilliant and wondrous"(Shelly, 52). The light stands for his insight of life; he is cheerful and astonished with what he has discovered about life and death. He wants to discover and halt the secret of life that was hidden in the dark. Then again, Victor becomes thoughtless and fails to realize or think through the perilous effects of his searches for enlightenment because of the brilliant light or knowledge that make him preoccupy with making another life.
In this novel, Shelley focuses on the debate between scientific discoveries, religion and the moral ethics of how far man should pursue his desire for knowledge, which reflects the society of the 19th century’s concern of where the scientific advancements were going similarly to the present day debate on whether stem cell research is valid.
The desire to discover and to comprehend the obscure concepts of life is one of our timeless dreams. Many literary works present some of these dreams and demonstrate their result on individuals.. Mary Shelley’s novel , Frankenstein, follows the adventures of a scientist with divine ambitions which ultimately lead him to pursue miraculous capabilities of God. Victor, the protagonist, attempts to attain a status higher than God in order to control life. Dignity, Victor’s primary motivation, emerges throughout the novel along with his exorbitant use of science. The knowledge Victor obtains through his observations and lessons ultimately result in his solitude and defeat.
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 discusses many important themes in her famous novel Frankenstein. She presents these themes through the characters and their actions, and many of them represent occurrences from her own life. Many of the themes present debateable issues, and Shelley's thoughts on them. Three of the most important themes in the novel are birth and creation; alienation; and the family and the domestic affections.
Mary Shelley, with her brilliant tale of mankind's obsession with two opposing forces: creation and science, continues to draw readers with Frankenstein's many meanings and effect on society. Frankenstein has had a major influence across literature and pop culture and was one of the major contributors to a completely new genre of horror. Frankenstein is most famous for being arguably considered the first fully-realized science fiction novel. In Frankenstein, some of the main concepts behind the literary movement of Romanticism can be found. Mary Shelley was a colleague of many Romantic poets such as her husband Percy Shelley, and their friends William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, even though the themes within Frankenstein are darker than their brighter subjects and poems. Still, she was very influenced by Romantics and the Romantic Period, and readers can find many examples of Romanticism in this book. Some people actually argue that Frankenstein “initiates a rethinking of romantic rhetoric”1, or is a more cultured novel than the writings of other Romantics. Shelley questions and interacts with the classic Romantic tropes, causing this rethink of a novel that goes deeper into societal history than it appears. For example, the introduction of Gothic ideas to Frankenstein challenges the typical stereotyped assumptions of Romanticism, giving new meaning and context to the novel. Mary Shelley challenges Romanticism by highlighting certain aspects of the movement while questioning and interacting with the Romantic movement through her writing.
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.
Mary Shelley expresses various ethical issues by creating a mythical monster called Frankenstein. There is some controversy on how Mary Shelley defines human nature in the novel, there are many features of the way humans react in situations. Shelley uses a relationship between morality and science, she brings the two subjects together when writing Frankenstein, and she shows the amount of controversy with the advancement of science. There are said to be some limits to the scientific inquiry that could have restrained the quantity of scientific implications that Mary Shelley was able to make, along with the types of scientific restraints. Mary Shelley wrote this classic novel in such a way that it depicted some amount of foreshadowing of the world today.
...Frankenstein and the creature. The situations that each character experience are lessons about how seeking prohibited intelligence comes with extreme consequences. Frankenstein is a Gothic novel which means it involves the supernatural; however, because it contains religious qualities it is more appealing to the common people’s idea of knowledge. Mary Shelley achieves her goal of informing the audience that man should not seek or possess the level of knowledge that God acquires. One should learn from the situations present in the novel because life comes with an enormous amount of knowledge; going after the unknown is an act of rebellion against God.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic science fiction novel written in the romantic era that focuses on the elements of life. The romantic era was sparked by the changing social environment, including the industrial revolution. It was a form of revolt against the scientific revolutions of the era by developing a form of literature that romanticize nature and giving nature godliness. This element of romanticized nature is a recurrent element in Frankenstein and is used to reflect emotions, as a place for relaxation and as foreshadowing. Frankenstein also includes various other elements of romanticism including strong emotions and interest in the common people.
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley highlights on the experiences her characters undergo through the internal war of passion and responsibility. Victor Frankenstein lets his eagerness of knowledge and creating life get so out of hand that he fails to realize what the outcome of such a creature would affect humankind. Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, highlights on how Frankenstein’s passion of knowledge is what ultimately causes the decline of his health and the death of him and his loved ones.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has become almost a myth in our culture; it so deeply probes the collective cultural psyche and our fear of science and progress. “Frankenstein is our culture’s most penetrating literary analysis of the psychology of modern ‘scientific’ man, of the dangers inherent in scientific research, and the exploitation of nature and of the female implicit in a technological society” (Mellor, 1988:38). The interesting thing about Frankenstein is that there can be multiple readings of the text. It can be seen as a conservative criticism of science, a Promethean belief of the unlimited progress of science, the feminist anti-female principle angle to the story, even a religion versus science story. What I will explore through this essay is each of these readings and shed some light on this wonderful novel. “The value of Mary Shelley’s novel lies not in presenting a clear morale but encouraging the readers to make up their own” (members.aon.at.htm).
Change is scary, leading many people to meet it with a slow and cautious approach. This fear for change often leads others to push against the incoming innovation and instead fight for the way things have always been. Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, hated the switch of her society that she saw during the second half of 19th century when the Industrial Revolution hit the United States. The Industrial Revolution replaced the ideals Shelley believed in, and instead pushed scientific knowledge upon people. Shelley felt the strong fear of change. To express her feelings towards this horrible new scientific society, Shelley wrote her argument about the danger of scientific knowledge throughout Frankenstein. By having scientific voyages
Throughout history, humankind has been obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge. Especially in this day and age, exciting discoveries occur almost regularly, specifically in scientific fields. Today, remnants of water are found on Mars, and extraterrestrial life is seriously debated, pushing the boundaries of basic knowledge. Focus on populace’s thirst for intelligence is hinted at in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, through the two main characters: Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton. Frankenstein and Walton are similar on many levels, with defined parallels in their desire to find more. Through these characters, Shelley suggests a theme of knowledge and its potential dangerous aspects.