1984
Allen Medina
English 12
Credit 3 & 4
Literary Analysis
Frankenstein is the story of a man whose ambition conducts him to seek for supernatural powers. In his attempt to reach a God-like level, he acts basically for his own interest and wants to see his name glorified by humanity. Power and Glory—two of much-discussed human ambitions—are his primary aims. To achieve this goal, he makes an extensive use of knowledge and science. The whole scientific knowledge he acquires through his research and his experiments will lead him to desolation, loneliness and will result in a complete failure.
The two following main themes are in my opinion the novel’s principal interest: on the one hand, the so-called ‘myth of the modern Prometheus,’ with Victor being pictured as the one who steals the fire form the Gods; and on the other hand, the problem of science, of scientific knowledge: can science find solutions to all human problems? Is it only matter of time, or are there clear borders that cannot be trespassed? I will discuss both themes, pointing out what still makes them popular today and explaining how they relate to Frankenstein.
First, let’s talk about Prometheus. Prometheus is so closely related to Victor that it’s even the subtitle of the novel: The Modern Prometheus. Prometheus stole fire from the Gods to give it to humanity; he was cursed by Zeus and made to endure an eternal torture. As far as Victor is concerned, his own glory was basically a goal for him. With his mother’s death and his strong feeling that this death was unjust, Victor finds a way to achieve his goal, namely: create a new species which would ignore illness and disease, which would be strong and beautiful. He even talks about getting rid of death entirely. With his experiments he finally manages to bestow life to a dead creature: he has taken over God-like powers.
By trying to create life artificially and to destroy death itself, Victor rises against...
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