Social Responsibility In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Our generation has grown up in a world with developed technology. We couldn’t imagine a world without iPhone’s, computers, television, etc. Our oldest generation is concerned about our blinded trust in technology. These fears have always haunted mankind and we’ve communicated these fears through literature. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she shows us through Victor that our trust in technology will ultimately destroy our morality.

Vonnegut says that if everyone is equal, unique beauty would be destroyed. Therefore the society would become lifeless and boring, now that creativity is restricted. Vonnegut is also able to demonstrate a dystopian society. In this case, he shows a society where competition is no longer allowed because the government has decided what is "normal" and what is not. In Harrison Bergeron, the lack of freedom is also acknowledged to be one of the main themes.

On the other hand, the antagonist, his monster, is first seen as Frankenstein sees him, hideously terrifying, but, as the reader gathers more information on how he came to learn of society and humankind, he can be more easily understood, and even pitied. In reversing the roles of these two, Shelley shows the reader that even the most brilliant humans can be monstrous, and, oppositely, the most horrifying creatures can have humane aspects. She rails against notions of “good” and “evil” in proving that inherently good intentions can result in destructive actions. As Shelley plays with traditional archetypes, Frankenstein shows the reader that not all devils are inherently bad. Perhaps Frankenstein is the true hero, as he scrambles across Europe to put an end to the terror he believes he’s created.

We would essentially think humanity only consists humans in this story but ironically Frankenstein makes an effort to create life considering that it will experience responsibility and consequences of his actions. A key question in the story Frankenstein is whether Victor Frankenstein or the creation is more human ? The creation is human because he shows responsibility and compassion considering that he was pretty much raised up on his own. “ So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein-more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world deepest mysteries of creation”(Shelley). this quote is explaining how he gained knowledge of the

However, the Romantics saw a hero in Prometheus. A figure who does not give up, and helps mankind, even with the knowledge of having to face consequences. The relationship between the myth and Frankenstein however, is ambivalent. Certainly, just like the myth it can be read as a tale of caution, like Mary Shelley already said in her ‘waking dream’ Frankenstein’s creation would be horrifying because “supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world.” As far as Victor Frankenstein is regarded, he certainly is punished for his actions, he witnesses the murder of his family and friends, which shortly after is followed by his own tragic death. The mentioned ambivalent relation, is for example put into play when Frankenstein is read as celebration of ambition and

Mary Shelley, author of the book of Frankenstein, she writes “Yet, when I considered the improvement which every day takes place in science and mechanics, I was encouraged to hope my present attempts would at least lay the foundations of future success”(Shelley 73). The goal for Frankenstein to work hard in science is to gain “future success” and glory instead of doing this for the purpose of benefiting the society. In addition, Alan Rauch, professor of English at the University of North Carolina, he states that “Haraway's advocacy for ‘situated knowledges,’ which ‘are about communities, not about isolated individuals’(590)” (Rauch 236). Frankenstein’s creation of the creature does not give any value to the society, but more destructions to the society. Frankenstein’s scientific discoveries mislead him to the blind pursuit of self-glory, and ignorance of the meaning of the inventions.

When you’re obsessed, your mind is so hell-bent on making sh*t happen that it doesn’t matter what gets in your way: You’re going to make it work. That is the power of obsession (Anne Dorko). Having an obsession can be thought to be a negative thing, but as Anne Dorko explained, it can be a useful instrument to fulfill what we want. Victor Frankenstein and the monster both used their obsession as their instrument. Victor wanted to create life and the monster wanted to learn everything from humans to be accepted by society.

The Tides that Turned Mother Nature is disrupted when Victor Frankenstein attempts to “...Pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation” (Shelley 28) . In the novel, Frankenstein’s interest in alchemy and natural philosophy form an irreversible desire to change natural order. Over time, we are able to see the life altering effects of altering life, and how characters who stick to nature 's path are more successful. In Shelley’s Frankenstein, a foil between Victor and Henry is developed to demonstrate that romanticism results in authentic joy, whereas altering the natural world leads to fatal repercussions. Shelley uses hopeful imagery of nature in reference to Henry Clerval, revealing

The nature versus nurture debate may be the debate of the century in the psychology world. Both sides hold very plausible theories and reasoning as to why they are right and because of that they are starting to accept the fact that both nature and nurture may play a key role in the development of personality. As the times change and technology becomes more advanced it becomes significantly easier to do long term studies with biological and emotional data being cross referenced. When applying the nature versus nurture debate to the story Frankenstein one can argue that the monsters lack of proper nurturing and upbringing caused him to act out negatively towards the humans he encountered throughout the story. The book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the novel as a means to convey her attitude on certain scientific and moral issues of the time. She utilizes the plot of the novel to express concern surrounding scientific achievement, to put forward the notion that God should not be a passive being, and to iterate the concept that beings are not born “good” or “bad”, but rather become “good” or “bad” based on their interactions with their surroundings. In Victor Frankenstein Shelley creates a character driven by his pursuit of scientific discovery. He can be seen as an allegory to the industrial revolution that was changing the world in which Shelley lived in radical ways. Victor makes himself ill in his chase to create his monster, never stopping to think of