Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein as Science Fiction and Allegory Literature Essay Example

Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein as Science Fiction and Allegory Literature Essay Example of Romanticism. By seeing a creature as Victors double, it is possible to consider their differences and similarities. While Frankenstein is initially a purely rational person, a man of science, the creature is rather a child of nature. Rejected by society, the monster seeks retreat in nature, which is his only resort. The author demonstrates what can happen if a person is not willing to accept all parts of his personality and tries to oust any of them. Another way to treat Frankenstein is mythology, but in this context it is close to science fiction. Frankenstein is a secular myth, with no metaphysical machinery, no gods, the creation is from mortal bodies with the assistance of electricity, not spirit; and the deaths are not pursued beyond the grave (Levine 4). So, this kind of mythology is based on science, because the author tries to use scientific inventions as the main media of the story. In fact, the monster is the only supernatural element of the novel, because his creation is surrounded by mystery despite the use of human corpses and electricity. At the same time, the behavior of the monster has nothing beyond rational reality. He kills people but he has no supernatural powers. In fact, he is a supernatural creature which lives and acts in a purely rational world and does not have any touch of magic. This absence of magical features makes the tragedy of the monster even deeper, because he is not perceived as a wizard but just as an alien or outcast. Indeed, the tragedy of the monster is that he is very human in all ways but his own race does not accept him. The author demonstrates how loneliness and despair lead to gradual loss of humanity, thus blaming society for creating monsters. Cruelty and indifference are thus shown to be moral ground for monstrosity, so in this sense the novel is a story about the environment shaping an individual. In conclusion, it is worth saying that the novel Frankenstein is one of the pioneers in science fiction genre. The epoch of industrial revolution contributed to this genre emergence as a reflection of societys concerns and expectations. However, one cannot claim that the novel is a pure example of science fiction because it has elements of the supernatural and gothic, and is also influenced by the aesthetics and ethics of Romanticism. Science looks ambiguous in the novel; it is a forbidden fruit of knowledge that can bring both blessing and curse. Knowledge is power, indeed, but humans may appear to be not strong enough to deal with that power properly. In fact, the issue of responsibility is a crucial message in the novel and remains up to date for further generations.