Frankenstein: Moral Delusion

Leonel Gutierrez
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Essay

“A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles. Structurally, there's no discernible difference. Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts.”

In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, she attempts to bring to light the dangers and the amount of responsibility a then new-found age of scientific exploration and discovery could bring to the table. When Technology and Power are used for self-beneficiary reasons, the process in which man tries to move forward with their pursuit of knowledge becomes complex, ending in the corruption of the self. In his attempt to make life, Victor unleashes a ‘Monster’ unto the world, oblivious to the responsibility it comes with. Being ignorant to this, and believing it to be a mere monster, he rejects any responsibility, sealing their fate in death. As Victor prepares to “bestow animation upon lifeless matter," he begins to defy nature and reality. He begins to raid morgues and graveyards, "Dabbling among the unhallowed damps of the grave ... collecting bones from charnel-houses and disturbing... the tremendous secrets of the human frame. ... The dissecting room and slaughter-house furnished many of my materials", starts his slow descent into madness and insanity. Even though he states that "Often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation," he continues to expose himself to the wretchedness of dead matter. His corruption, generated by his pride and ego, he gets ahead of himself, claiming "A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs," Victor soon reaps the bitter fruits of his labor. With the creation of the Creature, a figure so rejected by society, he longs for companionship and acceptance. He was born a neutral being, into his abandoned state; “Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing?” It’s completely apparent that the creature is in deep isolation, and after being rejected by the De Lacey family, it makes a gruesome impact on his disposition on life “Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge.” It was because of his hideous form did human-kind reject the Creature; after living in exile and loneliness, the Creature becomes full of spite and corruption, realizing that “I too can create desolation; my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him.” He kills little William, and Victor completely lets Justine take the fall for his creations action. A prominent theme in the book is the responsibility a creator has towards their own creation, and even though Victor takes “infinite pains and care” in selecting beautiful features for the creature he was attempting to bring to life. In spite of this care, he produced a hideous, oversized, “miserable monster,” rather than a well-formed human being.” The only reason he rejects his creation is because of his horrid complexion. Victor leaves the house and procrastinates in dealing with the issue. He uses his sickness to bide him time in handling the issue. After the murder of William and Justine’s death, he tries to convince himself that he couldn’t have done anything in saving Justine’s life as “a declaration would have been considered as the ravings of a madman and would not have exculpated her who suffered through me” When it came time to act up and declare his sins, does he continue to procrastinate and hold off, showing Victor to have decision paralysis in a time of crisis: A coward. Even the basic request of giving the Creature a companion is denied, with a flimsy argument that “she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate and delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness.” Even after the Creature threatens to ruin his wedding day, Victor causes the death of Elizabeth; The Creature has completed the best form of revenge, killing off those that Victor loves. In the end, Victor comes up with the most selfish reasons possible to justify his actions. He dies in that deep dark hole he buried for himself by denying his responsibilities as a creator, by making his creature ugly, and letting himself get corrupted with his crazy talk of being god-like. In his effort to create life, he isolates himself and pushes away all human contact, something that the Creature longs for. He is the truly isolated Monster; becoming so tied up in his selfish desires, quick to abandon his friends and family, then his Creature, for his benefit. Shelley shows that there is a fine balance between ethical considerations and scientific power/ progress.