Literary works serve to trigger more thinking of several timeless questions by transcending their settings and lending themselves to more generic universal realities and meanings. As such, readers can take away many messages and values from a novel that was written more than a century ago and reflect on our contemporary world, which is the case with Mary Shelley’s thriller novel “Frankenstein”. The novel serves to shed light on the potential dangers of excessive unguided knowledge and probes the influence of the new modern scientific school of thought on Man’s perception of God. Further, in a world where loneliness has become a new epidemic, the novel stresses the importance of family, friends, and social integration.
That knowledge can be a double-edged weapon is salient not just in the novel, but also in our modern reality. Victor Frankenstein has a conflict between the wonder of science and the pleasure of intellectual fulfillment on one hand and the inevitable sense of responsibility for the outcomes of discovery and invention on the other hand. To him, the world is a “secret which [he] desire[s] to divine” (23). Since his childhood, he recalls his ardent “curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature” as one “among the earliest sensations [he] can remember” (23).
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Once he follows his passion and creates the monster, there is regret, disgust, and dread: “I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (42). His ultimate sense of pain can be felt when he holds himself accountable for what he had created with his own hands: “when…… I beheld the wretch --- the miserable monster whom I had created” (43).
Mahatma Gandhi once said that “knowledge without character” and “science without humanity” are among the seven dangers that could threaten human virtue. Since the beginning of the modern period in 1492 with all its geographical conquests and scientific explorations, the question of whether modernity has liberated the human mind or further captivated it is still valid. When Alfred Nobel invented dynamite by mixing several chemical elements, he may not have been aware of the havoc and agony he inflicted on the world, the thing that led to his remorse and sense of guilt later. He eventually believed that his philanthropist endeavors would set him free from his remorse and hopefully compensate for such damage. Thus, he designated a Nobel Prize for scientific, literary, and social achievements. Marie Curie, the famous physicist, died of aplastic anemia as a result of prolonged exposure to chemical and toxic substances.
In addition, when she threw herself into her studies and stayed on a low budget which led her to follow a poor diet, her health was adversely affected. On a moral level, the fact that both Nobel and Curie developed theories and inventions that served to assist armies during the World War may further condemn such inventions rather than hail them as a modern advancement for humanity. Thus, it becomes clear that as much as ideas are important for the progress of human civilizations, they could also lead the world to jeopardy and perdition. If the modern era promised a leap of knowledge, it had brought with it a relapse in faith and a state of agnosticism; it has driven humans to ponder new philosophical questions about the relationship between the Creator and His creatures, or more specifically, between Man and God. The monster does not feel loved by his creator and is dismayed by the fact that he is the one who brought him into existence, and yet he rejects him in the end: “Yet, you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us……” ( 80-81). The dialogues Shelly creates between the monster and Victor resemble to a great extent those between Adam and God, and the evil that ensues alludes to Satan and the conflict between good and evil at large in this world: “ Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed” (81). What makes Frankenstein even more relevant to a post-modern world is its portrayal of the human mind as perfectly capable of challenging God’s rationale behind creation and addressing Him no longer as a Superior Being, but as an equal: “How dare you spare thus with life? Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards the rest of mankind” (81). More subtly, there are allusions to Adam’s sin, which was mainly driven by curiosity. It is as if the author’s question were: If curiosity is inherent in us as humans, why are we punished when we search for knowledge? Why did Adam sin when he ate from the apple? If the Creator put curiosity and reason in human nature, why is there punishment?
Scientism and enlightenment gradually led to a new era of atheism in Europe. Though in different types, the motive was the same: there was a hunger for radical social and political change, and a need to find more compliance between the Bible and the modern discoveries and feats of science. The revolutionary dialogues in the novel to a great extent vocalize several philosophical and theological concerns that had gradually started to undermine popular religious certainties in light of the new scientific climate. In 1830, for instance, Charles Lyell published his Principles of Geology in which he argued that the earth’s crust had been older than the six thousand years suggested in the Bible. (Armstrong 234). Thus, he concluded that science and theology were different disciplines that had to be separated, hence the separation of church and state years later. Nowadays, the debate between science and faith is still persistent.
Tackling loneliness as one of the ailments that the characters experience is another significant way Shelly’s Frankenstein is such a relatable work of art today. The letter exchanges between Victor and his family show that he is alone and secluded from social life most of the time due to either his obsession with sciences and knowledge or prolonged periods of illness, whether physical or mental: “Get well – return to us. You will find a happy, cheerful home, and friends who love you dearly” (48). The reader can also sense that Victor does not seem appreciative of the love his family has for him, as he is occupied with his own selfish needs. Likewise, Walton experiences a state of loneliness during his voyage. However, it is not caused by being alone; the intellectual and social gap between him and his companions is what makes him feel estranged: “I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me: whose eyes would reply to mine” (6). Above all, the sense of alienation that befalls the monster may by far be the cruelest form of segregation, as he feels abandoned by both society and his creator: “ You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me” (80). Yet, the dramatic irony here is that the monster is the one who manages to integrate with society by reading, learning languages, and expressing empathy with the villagers despite his repulsive appearance that keeps everyone weary of him. However, he shatters all barriers: “By degrees, I made a discovery of still greater moment. I found that these people possessed a method of communicating their experience and feelings to one another by articulate sounds …… This was indeed a godlike science, and I ardently desired to become acquainted with it” (92). Not only do the monster’s social skills surpass those of Victor, but his inner nature also reflects more goodness than Victor’s selfishness. In other words, Victor is the real monster; thus, the lesson is to never judge a book by its cover, as appearances do not always lead to the truth.
Experts are now calling loneliness the world’s next public health crisis. Loneliness is the silent epidemic of our age that brings depression, anxiety and cardiovascular disease along with it. Researchers find that loneliness kills, just like alcohol, smoking or obesity does. More and more people have been feeling lonely for more than a decade due to their restless lifestyles and overreliance on technology. The wake-up call is to start bonding and connecting with others, for humans are “social beings” by default.
An anonymous writer once said that literature is “philosophy in images”. If Frankenstein offers the reader a certain level of pleasure, one must not forget its didactic value. At large, the novel embraces longed-for values in a world plagued with moral decay caused by scientific arrogance, human greed, alienation, and a loss of faith. The biggest lesson is that the only way to redeem mankind is through a reconciliation between science, nature, social values, morality, and faith.
Cited Works
- “Alfred Nobel – His Life and Work.” NobelPrize.org, https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/alfred-nobel-his-life-and-work/.
- Eschner, Kat. “The Man Who Invented Nitroglycerin Was Horrified By Dynamite.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 12 Oct. 2017, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-who-invented-nitroglycerin-was-horrifieddynamite-180965192/.
- “Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 29 Aug. 2019, https://www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie. “{{Meta.ogTitle }}.” SBS On Demand, https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1449607235659/loneliness-the-silent-health-crisis-thefeed.
- Armstrong, Karen (2009). The Case for God. London: The Random House Group Ltd.
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