FRANKY Essay, Research Paper
Main Theme
Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, gains increasing significance in the
modern world with its relevant theme of “man playing God.” Creation
lies in the hands of God/Nature, but man tries to interfere in this process.
Shelley shows Frankenstein, the young scientist, questioning the
principle of life: “Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life
proceed?” Frankenstein is an idealist who believes in his goals and will
go to any lengths to achieve them. “It was a bold question, and one
which has ever been considered as a mystery, yet with how many things
are we upon the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or
carelessness did not restrain our enquiry.” His intention is to rid the
world of death, to “renew life where death had apparently devoted the
body to corruption.”
By examining the consequences of Victor’s ambition, Shelley questions
the goal of science itself: is science a way of improving life, or does it
threaten life? Victor’s creation comes back to haunt him and ultimately
tries to destroy him. His plan backfires, and his “progress” remains on
paper. The experiment he attempts turns into his own enemy.
Minor Themes
Frankenstein’s creation is unnatural. The monster is nothing but an
assemblage of body parts which belong to dead people. This contrasts
with the natural process of procreation through which life begets life.
The monster never has a mother or a father.
Nevertheless, like man, the creature is basically good. This “creation”
turns into a “monster” only after his love is not reciprocated. Shelley
shows that monsters are made by their environment and their
experiences in life.