Significance
In order to understand the process by which the creature was made, it is vital that readers first familiarize themselves with galvanism and its influence on the text. Although the creation scene in the novel is short and lacks detail, it is clear that Shelley is referring to galvanism when Victor reports, “I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet” (Shelley 83). The fact that the creation of the Monster is rooted in a real scientific phenomenon gives the novel more of an air of reality, and also strengthens Shelley’s warning against the use of science in a thoughtless manner.
In addition, it is extremely important that the readers are acquainted with John Milton’s poem Paradise Lost in order to understand the critique to the single-minded quest for knowledge.
In both texts, knowledge leads to death – Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden, and Victor Frankenstein experiences the death of all his loved ones and eventually his own. Victor conveys this message loud and clear when he says, “Learn from me, if not by precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how 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” (Shelley 80).
Moreover, it is important that first-time readers of the novel are contextualized with Milton’s poem in order to understand why the creature identifies himself with Satan rather than Adam. Like Satan, the creature shapes his moral compass around solipsism making reality reflect his own feelings and desires. This is extremely troublesome since the creature’s reasoning is self-centered, and many times inaccurate.
The sublime also plays a major role in Frankenstein. There are many descriptions of Victor’s feelings upon observing nature throughout the novel, for instance he says, “I remember the effect that the view of the tremendous and ever-moving glacier had produced upon my mind when I first saw it. It had then filled me with a sublime ecstasy that gave wings to the soul, and allowed it to soar from the obscure world to light and joy” (Shelley 116). If one does not have background knowledge of the sublime, one may overlook the importance of such details to Shelley’s criticism of finding solace in nature and ignoring social ills such a poverty and violence. The greatness of nature compared to the smallness of the human race helps emphasize Victor’s excessive pride in attempting to violate its laws.
Another item that is essential to the understanding of the text is Prometheus. The influence of the Greek myth of Prometheus on Frankenstein goes far beyond the title of the novel. The moral of the story is that there are consequences for crossing boundaries that should not be crossed. It is important for readers to associate Victor’s obsessive search for power to that of Prometheus, and the many consequences associated with it.
The laws of nature are described as a secret that Victor is determined to learn through science. “It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or in it highest sense, the physical secrets of the world” (Shelley 67). Victor wants to occupy the highest position of all – the place of the giver of life. It was Victor’s excessive hubris that led to his downfall.
The materials previously presented are crucial to the understanding and interpretation of the Frankenstein since each one of them highlight the warning within the text. “We might compare Victor to some modern scientists who have stopped their work to consider its potential for harm, such as those who gathered at Asilomar in the mid- 1970s to consider the implications of research on recombinant DNA or those who recently called for a moratorium on germline gene editing” (Johnston 202). In her novel, Mary Shelley conveys a powerful message to her readers, including scientists and engineers, about repercussions of our actions, and the need to plan and act carefully.