Frankenstein Research Paper.docx

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Ashaka Mali English 100 Prof. Cheatham 8 December 2015 An Outcome of Defying Nature As humanity makes great strides in the fields of science and technology, it is grueling to figure out where to draw a line and make ethical choices. The advancement of technology is possible by the attainment of knowledge in various fields. People say knowledge is power, however it is power as long as man knows what facts not to tamper with. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this power of knowledge is tested as the doomed protagonist, Victor Frankenstein defies the laws of nature and creates the Monster that leads to Frankenstein’s downfall. Frankenstein’s self-destructive tale of the thirst for knowledge caused Robert Walton, a seafarer who wants to “confer on all mankind... a passage near the pole” (Shelley 2), to retreat. In Frankenstein, the Creature, Victor Frankenstein and Captain Walton face tough choices as they gain worldly knowledge which mainly corrupts and seldom improves them through the perspectives of science, Gothic horror and Shelley’s life events. First, the knowledge the Creature obtained corrupted his perspective about life through his experiences. The Creature faces fear and rejection from his creator and the society as he says that he is the worst kind of scientific experiment gone awry. Frankenstein created the Creature to be eight feet tall and his yellow skin scarcely covering his muscles and arteries. The Creature represents the conscience created by Frankenstein, the ego of Frankenstein's personality - the psyche which experiences the external world, or reality, through the senses, that organizes the thought processes rationally, and that governs action. It mediates between the impulses of the id, the demands of the environment, and the standards of the superego. This serves as the corruption of the Creature at a scientific/psychological level. The Creature’s biggest problem is his

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appearance, which was a science experiment gone wrong. Victor Frankenstein wanted to create a beautiful, eye-pleasing, human look-alike; instead of the monstrous beast he created. Due to his appearance, society always assumed that he was the villain. Even when he saved a little girl from drowning, it was assumed that he attacked her, and as a result, a man shot the Creature. However, he is driven to fulfill basic bodily needs and to save himself from suffering: oppressed by cold, for instance, he is forced to seek shelter in a blind shepherd, the De Lacey’s, hut. He describes the hut as being “as exquisite and divine a retreat as Pandemonium appeared to the demons of hell after their sufferings” (Shelley 122), comparing himself to Milton’s Satan, another outcast from John Milton’s Paradise Lost. The Creature’s respite in the hut is very brief as he is spurned from the potential fellowship of the De Lacey’s and treated as a transgressor, long before any malevolent action on his part. Thus, “[o]ver the course of events, Frankenstein’s Creature explicitly describes a sense of his body as the root of his isolation” (Bernatchez 208). After facing this harsh rejection from the shepherd’s family, he goes on a killing spree to murder Frankenstein’s loved ones. Hence, his appearance, determined by science, led to the corruption of an innocent creature and turned him into a monster. The “birth” of the Creature was the first element of Gothic horror in the story. The setting of the novel is morbid and frightening. The lab in which Frankenstein creates the Creature is peculiar and eerie. The Creature’s monstrosity results not only from his grotesque appearance but also from the unnatural manner of his creation, which involves the secretive animation of a mix of stolen body parts and strange chemicals. He is not only a product of collaborative scientific effort but also of dark, supernatural workings. Shelley employs the supernatural elements of raising the dead and macabre research into unexplored fields of science unknown by most readers. She also causes the readers to question their views on Frankenstein’s use of the dead for scientific experimentation. Another frightening example of Gothic horror is when the monster kills Frankenstein’s younger brother, William Frankenstein in cold blood. He recalls to

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Frankenstein, saying, “I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph; clapping my hands, I exclaimed, ‘I too can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him, and a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him’” (Shelley 171). Furthermore, the Creature frames Justine Moritz, the housekeeper, of William’s murder, indirectly causing Justine’s death. He also kills Frankenstein’s dear friend, Henry Clerval and Elizabeth Lavenza, Frankenstein’s wife, on her wedding night to seek revenge. The fact that Victor Frankenstein did not want to nurture his creation and is, in fact, horrified by the Creature, compels the Creature to commit numerous murders. Hence, the attainment of knowledge that his creator doesn’t want him corrupts the Creature as he is responsible for the death of various individuals. It is highly possible that Mary Shelley used Frankenstein as an outlet for the stress in her life, which led the story to have such a dark theme. Frankenstein initially focuses only on the negative facts about the monster. Its ugliness, its inability to communicate, as well as the mere unnatural circumstances surrounding its existence caused Victor Frankenstein to reject the Monster. Shelley creates the character of the book at a young age, when she is seeking acceptance from her father. Similarly, in the book, the Creature wants to be accepted by his only parental figure, Victor Frankenstein. Looking back at the timeline, Shelley had experienced a miscarriage that almost killed her. Later, she gave birth to a son. Both pregnancies were prior to her writing Frankenstein, and it is possible that she suffered through some form of postpartum depression, and is drawing from experience. Frankenstein mirrors the difficulties in Shelley’s life at the time of writing. Since Frankenstein was a way to let go of the anxiety in her life, she created a gruesome monster, corrupting him. Second, Victor Frankenstein is the classic mad scientist in Gothic literature, transgressing all boundaries without concern, leading to his corruption. Gothic novels are mysterious and supernatural. Frankenstein is nothing but that. Shelley uses mysterious circumstances for

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Frankenstein to create the Creature. He gathers body parts as he “dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave” (Shelley 55). The idea of raising people from the dead sends chills down the reader’s spine. Shelley expertly used this to her advantage and she did not raise people from the dead, but infused life into inanimate body parts of various people, using science. As if this isn’t frightening enough, when the Creature came to life, Victor Frankenstein ran out of the room as “breathless horror and disgust filled… [his] heart” (Shelley 59). The Creature, which was supposed to be beautiful, turned out to be a grotesque monster with skin that barely covered his muscles and arteries. Mary Shelley skilfully creates vivid images in the reader’s mind to give them the full effect of a Gothic horror literature. Hence, Frankenstein’s attempt to surge beyond accepted human limits and access the secret of life ended up in the creation of something so frightening that even he couldn’t face. “Frankenstein offers an early science-fiction creation myth that describes a creature who comes into being in an attempt to assert himself despite a social world that is as structurally antagonistic to his efforts” (Bernatchez 205). Hence, the Creature, when faced with abandonment by his creator and the rest of the world, sought revenge and went on a killing spree. Frankenstein’s obsessive hatred of the monster drives him to his death. Thus, Frankenstein’s attainment of Gothic knowledge and tampering with nature was not only disastrous for him, but also for his loved ones. Furthermore, Frankenstein was so inclined towards the field of science, that he basically represented science in the novel. So, during his time at University of Ingolstadt, he isolates himself from the rest of the world. Isolation results in disaster as Frankenstein, prioritizing his scientific ambition above his friends and family, creates the monster, who in turn suffers isolation and alienation. He learns about modern science from his professor, Waldman, who sparks Frankenstein’s interest in science. The creation of the monster was entirely determined by Frankenstein: he uncovered the precise scientific procedure underpinning each step up to the Monster’s creation. Frankenstein worked to combine the best of old and new science to create a

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new being. Frankenstein uses galvanization, the effect of the application of electric current pulses through body tissues that causes muscle contraction, to give life to the Creature. He said,“I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation” (Shelley 46). Ergo, he becomes obsessed with the idea of creating the human form and acts upon it. “Frankenstein’s innate, internally compelling thirst for knowledge about human nature summons his tragic destiny” (Waxman 14). Frankenstein’s entire obsession with creating life is shrouded in secrecy, and his obsession with destroying the Monster remains equally secret until Walton hears his tale. This ruthless pursuit of knowledge proved to be perilous for Victor Frankenstein and his loved ones. Moreover, Mary Shelley’s feminist ideas, which stemmed from her mother’s feminist thinking and writing, led to the creation the Monster. As mentioned earlier, Victor Frankenstein was the only parental figure in the Creature’s life. Hence, “by having a male protagonist experience psychologically both pregnancy and the ‘birth’ of the Creature, Shelley is breaking down the usual distinctions between the male and the female psyche, the emotional perspectives that western culture has erected over centuries” (Waxman 16). Additionally, Mary Shelley wrote the book right around the beginning of Industrial Revolution, when the world was obsessed with innovation and advancement. Hence, Shelley created the Creature using Frankenstein’s scientific intellect and technological advancement. Also, when Shelley wrote the book, she had experienced a miscarriage and had one healthy child. Hence, Frankenstein portrays Shelley’s shadow self which led to the creation of the Monster, symbolizing the birth of a child. Shelley wanted to write a book that would “speak to the mysterious fears of our nature… [She wanted] to make the readers afraid to look around… If it did not accomplish these things… [her] ghost story would be unworthy of its name” (“Frankenstein”). It seems like Shelley projected her suppressed feelings in real life and incorporated them into creating the Monster, who led to the corruption of Victor Frankenstein.

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Finally, Captain Walton’s pursuit of knowledge leads him to a path of corruption, as well as improvement, as he meets Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. Science plays a vital role in corrupting Walton. He is an ambition driven scientist on a quest to go where no man has ever been, and wants to be known by the world. He led an isolated life and strives for fame. He is on his on his way to the North Pole when he encounters Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein narrates his story of the creation of the Monster and how his ambitious dreams became his nemesis. Hence, when Walton informs Frankenstein about his pursuit of knowledge, Frankenstein’s immediate reaction is profoundly negative. Hence, his desire to excel in the field of science corrupts him. Furthermore, the first instance of Gothic is seen when Captain Walton expresses his desire to make a mark in the world. “Gothic abides by fairytale… rules; it is only that the Gothic individual who crosses over… is no real hero” (Aguirre 11). Captain Walton abides by the basic principles of fairytales: seeking a happy ending, which in his case is exploring the unknown and gaining stardom. However, what he failed to realize was that the journey to a happy ending is full of hardships. He wanted to be a hero for his own selfish reasons, to subdue his isolation and curiosity. He writes to his sister, “I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path” (Shelley 5). Moreover, one of the most common themes of Gothic literature is that there are two characters of exceptional, and often scientific ability who meet and befriend each other. Captain Walton found a companion who shared the same passion for science and discovery, in Victor Frankenstein. The friendship between Frankenstein and Walton serves as an ideal example to the theory that in Gothic literature, two scientists usually find solace in each other. Captain Walton, discussing his voyage of discovery to the North Pole, talks about how “with all the favor that warmed me, how gladly I would sacrifice my fortune… to the furtherance of my enterprise. One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought” (Shelley 29). This statement exemplifies the pursuit of knowledge,

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and parallels can be seen between Walton’s enthusiasm and the enthusiasm of Frankenstein towards his own scientific quest, when he sealed his fate by creating the Monster. To sum up, Walton’s longing for fame was the first step towards his corruption by the attainment of knowledge. However, Captain Walton does improve by the attainment of knowledge as seen through the perspective of science. Victor Frankenstein’s tale of self-destruction served as an eye-opener to Walton. Similar to Frankenstein, Captain Walton wanted to excel in the field of science and exploration. Although, when Walton realizes that scientific discovery and knowledge is inherently neutral but corrupted by human society, he quits his ambitions and hunger for fame and turns back with his crew. Additionally, he realizes that it is the responsibility of a scientist to prevent the misuse and abuse of the knowledge he obtains by his voyages and exploration. Also, he becomes aware of the fact that it is a scientist’s duty to accept responsibility for his experiments. So, when Frankenstein asks Walton to discard the Creature, Walton disregards the request of his sole friend and becomes the father figure that Frankenstein never was. Hence, by rectifying his friend’s mistakes, Walton improves. Although the passion he shares with Frankenstein corrupts him, his compassion for the Creature, and his responsibilities as a scientist improve him. In conclusion, scientists must be responsible with their creations and discoveries, and if they are then the disastrous consequences seen in the events of Frankenstein won’t occur. The attainment of knowledge can be interpreted in different ways. For some, it means discovering the unknown passages, which was Captain Walton’s initial goal; while for others, it could be defying nature, like what Victor Frankenstein did by bringing the Creature to life; or it could also be the choice life compels them to make because of their horrific experiences, similar to what the Creature had to face. However, obtaining knowledge isn’t always the ideal ending, as is seen in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The attainment of knowledge corrupts all the characters and only

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improves one, i.e, Captain Walton. It is rightly said that knowledge is power. However, with power comes great responsibilities, which Victor Frankenstein failed to follow as he mercilessly abandoned his creation.

Works Cited Aguirre, Manuel. “Gothic Fiction And Folk-Narrative Structure: The Case Of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.”Gothic Studies 15.2 (2013): 1-18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. Bernatchez, Josh. “Monstrosity, Suffering, Subjectivity, and Sympathetic Community in Frankenstein and ‘the Structure of Torture’”. Science Fiction Studies 36.2 (2009): 205– 16. JSTOR. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. “Frankenstein’s Monster- The Real BBC Documentary 2014.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 13 Feb. 2015. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.

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Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. London. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones. 1818. Kindle AWZ file. Waxman, Barbara Frey. “Victor Frankenstein's Romantic Fate: The Tragedy Of The Promethean Overreacher As Woman.” Papers On Language & Literature 23.1 (1987): 14-26. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.