While one could view the dangers of science to be the prime message of this book, and I agree that it is an important idea within the novel, responding to the scientific climate of the time, they are not as intrinsic to the novel as the moral issues of rejection and how we judge people based on their appearances.
Within the novel several ideas concerning the dangers of science are explored, in particular we see the way in which Victor uses science to try and become an almost god-like, glorified figure. Victor says, “A new species would bless me as its creator and source;”, the verb ‘bless’ and noun ‘creator’ have religious connotations, normally being reserved for God, however Victor also describes himself as a “Disciple”, to the scientists …show more content…
The novel in the context of the Romantic movement looks at the power of nature over humanity often by using pathetic fallacy, Walton’s ship being rendered powerless against the “vast, irregular plains of ice” in the initial letters showing from the outset humanity’s impotence against nature, the adjective vast emphasizing the scale of nature's power in comparison to that of humanities. As Victor tries to harness the powers of nature for personal gain, through the monster we see the irreparable consequences. In this effect, the whole novel could be a metaphor for the dangers of science, with the monster representing the misuse of science and the destruction he causes, that of the destruction science will cause in society. However, to further this interpretation, in the novel, Shelley portrays science as being masculine and nature as being feminine, referring to nature as a ‘Her’ to be “dissected, anatomised and given names,” by ‘He’, “the most learned philosopher”. While these harsh, scientific verbs emphasize the unnatural nature of Victor’s pursuits, the use of them against the gendered ‘her’ of nature, suggests again the idea of science usurping …show more content…
As Bond says, “Frankenstein could equally have been a philosopher with some personal theory or a Romantic poet, and the dominant themes of the novel would have remained the same.” Many of the themes associated with science, such as that of over ambition are still applicable without the scientific context and I believe the moral issues explored by Shelley surrounding humanities prejudices and shortcomings are of equal importance if not more to the novel, forcing the reader to consider their own judgements against other
Within the novel several ideas concerning the dangers of science are explored, in particular we see the way in which Victor uses science to try and become an almost god-like, glorified figure. Victor says, “A new species would bless me as its creator and source;”, the verb ‘bless’ and noun ‘creator’ have religious connotations, normally being reserved for God, however Victor also describes himself as a “Disciple”, to the scientists …show more content…
The novel in the context of the Romantic movement looks at the power of nature over humanity often by using pathetic fallacy, Walton’s ship being rendered powerless against the “vast, irregular plains of ice” in the initial letters showing from the outset humanity’s impotence against nature, the adjective vast emphasizing the scale of nature's power in comparison to that of humanities. As Victor tries to harness the powers of nature for personal gain, through the monster we see the irreparable consequences. In this effect, the whole novel could be a metaphor for the dangers of science, with the monster representing the misuse of science and the destruction he causes, that of the destruction science will cause in society. However, to further this interpretation, in the novel, Shelley portrays science as being masculine and nature as being feminine, referring to nature as a ‘Her’ to be “dissected, anatomised and given names,” by ‘He’, “the most learned philosopher”. While these harsh, scientific verbs emphasize the unnatural nature of Victor’s pursuits, the use of them against the gendered ‘her’ of nature, suggests again the idea of science usurping …show more content…
As Bond says, “Frankenstein could equally have been a philosopher with some personal theory or a Romantic poet, and the dominant themes of the novel would have remained the same.” Many of the themes associated with science, such as that of over ambition are still applicable without the scientific context and I believe the moral issues explored by Shelley surrounding humanities prejudices and shortcomings are of equal importance if not more to the novel, forcing the reader to consider their own judgements against other