Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein

Geneticists are the modern-day versions of Victor Frankenstein, maverick scientists who, in pursuing their personal dreams and ambitions cross over ethical lines. Mary Shelley was deeply concerned about the potential of science to blur humanitarian issues. In her classic novel Frankenstein, Shelley depicts a driven scientist who, for the love of knowledge and power, creates life. The ramifications of what is commonly called "playing God" include an inhumane mistreatment of the creation. In fact, one of the main concerns over cloning today is the real possibility that cloned human beings would certainly be treated as inferior to naturally born humans. Worse, clones human beings who can think, feel, and cry could be used simply for harvesting organs. Therefore, science clearly has the potential to overstep the boundaries of morality, and Mary Shelley saw this far before the human genetic code was solved. In this light, Frankenstein served as a warning signal to any overly rational scientist who pursues professional or personal glory at the expense of compassion. Like many scientists, Victor Frankenstein is not a malicious man. But like all scientists, he is obsessed with the acquisition of knowledge and the pursuit of truth. Seeking to understand and master the laws of nature, Victor Frankenstein learned how to re-animate dead flesh. However, Dr. Frankenstein did not adequately contemplate the consequences of his work for the creature, let alone for the general public. Shelley shows that not only does the creature have genuine human emotions, but that his emotions were deeper and more profound than those of his creator. Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein, while admirable in his ambition and accomplishment, embodies the modern concern about the scientist whose work lacks sufficient concern with human values.

Victor Frankenstein cultivates a fascination with the natural world and the mysteries of life, but ultimately neglects to place his scientific pursuits within an ethical context. In early chapters of the novel, Shelley outlines the early life of Victor Frankenstein, from his childhood in Italy with his family to his friendship with Clerval. Establishing Victor's character early in the novel helps establish an ethical context for the rest of the story, showing that Victor grew up in a good family and was well-educated. His interest in the sciences is inspired by stalwarts like Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus. Frankenstein later discovers more modern theories that include explanations of electricity. When he commences studies in Ingolstadt, Victor expands his horizons through mentors and role models like Krempe and Waldman. Through his teachers, Victor Frankenstein develops a keen interest in the life sciences and the human body in particular. Combined with his earlier readings from more esoteric and outmoded theorists like Agrippa, Frankenstein develops a nuanced worldview that, though appreciative of the wonders of nature, lacks a solid ethical or moral framework. When Frankenstein sets out to create life in Chapter 4, he does so with admirable dedication and single-mindedness of purpose. However, Victor's enthusiasm lacks ethics, or any consideration for the ultimate consequences of his actions. Ironically, he denounces slavery toward the end of Chapter 4, but his treatment of the creature shows that Victor Frankenstein is more passionate than compassionate.

Immediately after he brings the creature to life, Victor Frankenstein learns that his actions indeed have dire consequences; and yet throughout the novel Frankenstein is mainly concerned for himself. First, because his creature was physically deformed and ugly, Frankenstein is nothing more than visually repulsed: "A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch," (Chapter 5). His reaction is doubly as reproachable considering that Frankenstein fashioned his face and body on his own. He selected the creature's appearance and then hypocritically rejects his "child" based on appearances alone. Frankenstein also did not care at all for the well-being of the creature when it came to life, thinking that because it is ugly it must automatically be evil. Fearful not for the creature's fate or feelings, but for his own life, Dr. Frankenstein passes a sleepless night before running away. In running off, he shirked his responsibilities as a father and as a scientist. Frankenstein also failed to foresee what would happen if the creature wreaked havoc on others. Abandoning his creature proves that Frankenstein's moral code is questionable. He was more concerned with the single act of creating life than what that act would mean for humanity. Scientists are supposed to be concerned for the advancement of human knowledge through experimentation. Victor Frankenstein accomplished his goal of animating dead flesh but he failed to provide anything useful for the human race. Therefore, Victor Frankenstein is depicted as unscrupulous and unethical. He is scientist more concerned with personal achievement than for the advancement of humanity, and a man more concerned with his own well-being than for the well-being of others.

The psychological differences between Victor and the creature illustrate the severe problems with Victor's blind pursuit of knowledge and power. In Chapter 11, Shelley allows the creature to speak. His narrative is compelling, and is deigned to evoke compassion in the reader. Clearly, the creature is sensitive and has the potential to be kind and caring. Yet longing for love and human contact, the creature meets only with fear, hatred, and disgust. One of the key ways Shelley shows that the creature is an ethical sentient being is through his experiences with the family in the woods. For instance, when he realizes that he had been stealing food from a poor family, the creature resolves to stop. The monster is shown to have more compassion than Frankenstein through his observations of the family. The creature cultivates an understanding of love and intimacy as he witnesses a close-knit family in action. On the other hand, Dr. Frankenstein, for all his scientific acquisitions, has failed to develop an understanding of human emotions. Even after he has heard his creature's despair, Frankenstein fails to feel anything more than fear. When the creature begs for a mate, Dr. Frankenstein is understandably hesitant. At the same time, Frankenstein knows that the only thing the creature wants is love, and that his father's love would be more than sufficient. Dr. Frankenstein created a living being, one capable of the full gamut of human emotions. To deprive his own creation of love or even basic kindness is a sharp illustration of the scientist's lack of ethics.