Frankenstein Essay Essay, Research Paper

When Mary Shelley started writing the story of

Dr. Frankenstein, she did not realize the true

potential of her work. She was simply writing

a short story to pass the time. Shelley had no

idea her story would evolve and grow as the

years pass. She had no idea it would launch

a whole genre of horror stories and an array

of movies that have captivated the imagination

of every generation including our own. The

story of Dr. Frankenstein taps into the darkest

crevices of the human condition. Our so-called

“quest for knowledge” has lead to many advances;

It is human nature that drives us in our

curiosity, but a lot of the time we do not

take responsibility for our creations, and

that is why many of our species’ endeavors

have resulted in tragedy.

Dr. Frankenstein set out to create a “perfect

creature” when he began his endeavor. But

moments after his creature came to life he

turned away in disgust. He ran away from

his baby if you will.

“Unable to endure the aspect of the being

I had created, I rushed out of the room and

continued a long time traversing my bed-chamber?” (P.56) Compare if you dare: Frankenstein’s actions to those of a mother giving up her child for adoption. What right has the creator to turn on his/her creation? Doesn’t the magic of creation carry the burden of responsibility? Yes of course it does. If you create a living being you have the responsibility to protect and nurture it. That is the very nature of creation. According to the “monster” all he wanted was for Frankenstein to create a companion for him. Was he not, in this case, making the same mistake as Frankenstein himself? What would have become of his companion if HE turned away from her in disgust? Well, unfortunately Frankenstein decided not to create another “fiend” because he saw the potential for evil that existed there. But I, for one, believe that Frankenstein should have created a companion for the fiend. Any human can understand the simple need for companionship and the madness that can come from total seclusion and loneliness. “You may render me the most miserable of men,

but you shall never make me base in my own eyes.

Shall I create another like yourself, whose

joint wickedness might desolate the world.

Begone! I have answered you; you may torture

me, but I will never consent.” (P.138) Refusing

to help the monster was a mistake. Creating the

fiend was also a mistake. A mistake that was

excused by the so-called quest for knowledge

all scientists appear to be on.

Frankenstein was on a quest for knowledge,

one that he thought to be of utmost importance.

He was after the most sacred treasure of all.

He was after life itself. In the end, did

Frankenstein succeed? Well that depends on

your definition of life. Some might say that

a man is just the sum of his parts. Others

might say that a human being is more than that.

I believe a person is not just the sum of his or

her parts. I think a human being requires love

and respect. Without these things, any human

could turn out like Frankenstein’s monster.

Indeed, Frankenstein’s monster did not receive

any of that love in his lifetime and for that

reason, he never knew what it was to be human.

Every scientist has his Holy Grail. The one

goal in his lifetime which he strives for and

pours years of hard work into. “No one can

conceive the variety of feelings which bore

me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first

enthusiasm of success. Life and death appeared

to me ideal bounds which I should first break

through, and pour a torrent of light into our

dark world.” (P.52) Whether it’s curing cancer

or explaining why the universe is the way it

is how far can a scientist go before it is too

far? When J. Robert Oppenheimer was working on

the atomic bomb, he was taking into consideration

how many American lives it would save. He was

thinking about ending the war and bringing peace

to his people. By the time he saw the true

destructive power of his creation it was

already too late; in the months that followed,

a great many people died. In thinking about

the quest for knowledge one begins to think

about how far us humans can take exploration

before it becomes exploitation. “Learn from me,

if not by my precepts, at least by my example,

how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge

and much happier that man is who believes his

native town to be the world, than he who aspires

to become greater than his nature will allow.”

(P.52)

The story of Frankenstein opens up a huge array

of moral and ethical dilemmas. That is perhaps

why it has been so successful. One cannot

presume to judge why Shelley made Frankenstein’s

monster so human, and yet so evil. Frankenstein’s

quest for knowledge created the physical being,

but because he did not take responsibility for

his creation the monster turned out evil.

Maybe the monster really was made in man’s image

and that in itself was the reason behind his

destructive nature.

By Gil Hagi