The Boundaries Of Science In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein tells a story of an obsessive man who allows his pursuit of science to take over his ability to think about the consequences of his actions. By playing god to satisfy his intellectual curiosity, Victor Frankenstein gives life to a monster that he cannot properly deal with and that leads to his ultimate demise. By illustrating this tragic affair, Mary Shelley shows that just as an unfettered flame can both illuminate a room and burn it down; science can be a positive influence on the world but the boundaries of science must be approached cautiously and thoughtfully. Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with natural philosophy and chemistry began in his childhood and only grew fiercer as he became a young adult. It is …show more content…
He does not have a plan for what he will do after his experiment is successful because he only concerns himself with the process itself and not the aftermath. It would be akin to a parent only being concerned with the act of having a child than thinking about what to do with that child once he or she is born. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble one, but what is done with that knowledge is what separates a worthy cause from a foolish one. By that measure, Victor Frankenstein could be considered criminally negligent because he unleashes what he believes to be a monster into the …show more content…
In the end, he warns that ambition should be avoided whenever possible. He acts as though fate was cruel to him and that no one else should even attempt to be ambitious in their lives. This is an overreaching conclusion on his part because ambition in healthy doses is not what led to his demise, it was his obsession with pushing scientific boundaries and becoming a god at any cost. It was his ego and narcissism which doomed him to continue making the same