Man Playing God In Frankenstein
God is defined as the supreme or ultimate
reality: as being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who are worshiped as
creator and ruler of the universe (Merriam-Webster). God created man in his own
image out of the clay and breathed life into his body. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein the reader learns what
happens when man plays God by creating his version of man. Victor Frankenstein as
a young man was sent to study at the university where he was introduced to the
wonder of the sciences. He became intrigued by the human frame and any animal
that endured life. It was here that Victor Frankenstein decided that he too
could create his own version of life.
In order to create his own human being Frankenstein visited cemeteries to collect body parts to create a human being. He chose not to create a mirror of himself, but one that was eight feet tall and rather frightening. His excitement was overwhelming at the thought of creating a being that brought the dead back to life. “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (Shelley 40).
Frankenstein sparked life into his creation of man and at first thought “it” to be beautiful. But after the reality set in he was horrified at what he had created. He had not created the perfect being, but instead he created a monster. Frankenstein’s monster was instead brutal and evil. The monster killed his creator’s bride because Frankenstein refused to make the monster a bride. He also killed his creator’s friend Henry and others that Victor cared about. Dr. Frankenstein’s monster was shunned from the time life was sparked into his being by his creator and everyone else. His outward appearance that terrified everyone that met him lead to the evilness of his being.
Much of the story and deaths caused by the monster was a result of Victor's doing. Had he not created the monster in the first place, none of this would have been inflicted on people. Likewise, had Victor taken care of his own creation instead of expecting praise from his own creature for making him. Many people that Victor loved had died because of the neglect that he placed on his own creature. Henry for the fact that the creature felt hideous and an unbearable sight by his master; Justine to further emphasize the pain that the creature felt about being wrongly accused of being exiled; and Elizabeth for defying the creature's only request of his one true desire to have from him - someone to love him as much he loves them. It was Victor's narcissism that lead to all the deaths of everyone, as well as Victor's own death and guilt that enbedded him throughout the story. Even Victor knew that his mistakes were starting to build up as he could not focus throughout the second half of the book that much, nor could he accept the fact that all of this needed to be faced head on instead of trying to escape it.
In the end, it was Victor's own downfall that lead to the chaos and the main reason to his own death. It was at the hands of his own creation that he mistreated dearly that he perished for it. It was not just nature or nurture that pushed the monster over the boat, but a combination of both.
In order to create his own human being Frankenstein visited cemeteries to collect body parts to create a human being. He chose not to create a mirror of himself, but one that was eight feet tall and rather frightening. His excitement was overwhelming at the thought of creating a being that brought the dead back to life. “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (Shelley 40).
Frankenstein sparked life into his creation of man and at first thought “it” to be beautiful. But after the reality set in he was horrified at what he had created. He had not created the perfect being, but instead he created a monster. Frankenstein’s monster was instead brutal and evil. The monster killed his creator’s bride because Frankenstein refused to make the monster a bride. He also killed his creator’s friend Henry and others that Victor cared about. Dr. Frankenstein’s monster was shunned from the time life was sparked into his being by his creator and everyone else. His outward appearance that terrified everyone that met him lead to the evilness of his being.
Much of the story and deaths caused by the monster was a result of Victor's doing. Had he not created the monster in the first place, none of this would have been inflicted on people. Likewise, had Victor taken care of his own creation instead of expecting praise from his own creature for making him. Many people that Victor loved had died because of the neglect that he placed on his own creature. Henry for the fact that the creature felt hideous and an unbearable sight by his master; Justine to further emphasize the pain that the creature felt about being wrongly accused of being exiled; and Elizabeth for defying the creature's only request of his one true desire to have from him - someone to love him as much he loves them. It was Victor's narcissism that lead to all the deaths of everyone, as well as Victor's own death and guilt that enbedded him throughout the story. Even Victor knew that his mistakes were starting to build up as he could not focus throughout the second half of the book that much, nor could he accept the fact that all of this needed to be faced head on instead of trying to escape it.
In the end, it was Victor's own downfall that lead to the chaos and the main reason to his own death. It was at the hands of his own creation that he mistreated dearly that he perished for it. It was not just nature or nurture that pushed the monster over the boat, but a combination of both.