Similarities Between Frankenstein And Bladerunner
How does a comparative study of Blade Runner and Frankenstein bring to the fore ideas about morality and science?
The comparison of texts Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley allows the reader to explore their retrospective contexts and provides an insight into the values and perspectives that were apparent at the time of composition. Both these texts deal with issues surrounding changing morals and the progression of science. The texts offer us the perspective of the dangers of unchecked scientific progress when it is motivated by greed and glory, and the effects these advancements can have on society and the natural environment. They also provide insights into the moral values that were regarded important in each composer’s eras. These values have been influenced by the contextual issues …show more content…
that enveloped society at the time these texts were composed.
Morals such as what it means to be human and what it means to be monstrous, personal responsibility and the role of the creator are questioned within both texts. Both composers are skilful in how they bring these ideas to the fore in their use of differing forms and styles. Shelley uses narrative structure, characterisation, vivid imagery and symbolism and elements of Gothic and Romantic literature while Scott’s re-imagining of film noir and cyberpunk is filled with potent imagery and symbolism, thoughtful use of lighting, colour and film techniques like camera angles to evoke his futuristic world.
When exploring the texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner, the most dominant similarity between the texts is the questioning of unchecked scientific progress and the limits of these advancements before human nature is threatened. In Frankenstein Shelley presents us with a protagonist who, from a very early age is curious to the basis of life, “The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.” Upon
entering university Victor strives to discover how imbue human life initially for the “benefit of mankind,” however, once finding the secret to create human life he is overcome by greed and glory,-“A new species would bless me as its creator and source.” Overcome by pride in this new found ability to “pour a torrent of light into our dark world” he fails to explore the ethical considerations and moral ramifications of creating life. In the dawning of the Industrial Revolution, Shelley presents her concerns regarding the introduction of industries which were mainly economically driven. Shelley uses intertextuality by posing a character that is typical of her industrial era and one that will mirror the scientific advancements of her day, by replacing the fire of Zeus with electricity which is used to ‘spark’ the man made creature to life. This replacement of the Greek mythological fire with ‘modern day’ galvanism is the purpose of the subtitle of the novel, ‘The Modern Prometheus.’ Shelley uses scientific endeavour to drive her narrative by using the story of her own scientist, Victor Frankenstein who exclaims early in the novel, “I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.” Shelley is critical of these new advancements and her distrust in the Industrial Revolution is reflected in the novel due to her immersion in romanticism which acted as a reaction against the scientific rationalisation of nature at the time she was writing.
Similarly, Scott brings to the fore his concern regarding science and his text serves as a warning to society about of the dangers of advancing technology. While in Frankenstein Shelley links science to morals and ethics, in Blade Runner, there is a complete absence of ethics. This reflects the 1980s context: the US economy was the most powerful in the world ad a portion of society was uneasy about consumerism, multi-nationalism and materialism. They feared large corporations would become more powerful than government and control the world, as seen in Blade Runner through the Tyrell Corporation. Scott is critical of scientific progress by displaying a futuristic society as a sodden, decaying world with an enveloping atmosphere of menace and pessimism. The opening scenes of the film show Los Angeles with thousands of neon lights that pierce the saturated darkness of the city. Giant gas explosions are being released from industries which adds to the polluted, deteriorating look of futuristic earth. The returning shot of the eye ‘overlooking’ society indicates the didactic purpose of Scott’s film. The eye acts as a motif throughout the film and is symbolic of society being questioned as to how much, morally, they have sacrificed for scientific progress. The Tyrell Corporation is initially introduced by a low angle shot panning up the giant pyramidical building. This powerful looking organisation overlooks the city and indicates that commercialism has taken over society. Morality, or a lack thereof, is addressed through Eldon Tyrell’s explanation that ‘Commerce is our goal here at Tyrell. More human than human is our motto.” This capitalism indicates that humans lack morals and society is driven by wealth and greed in pursuit of a commercialist and consumerist society. The luxurious ambience of Tyrell’s offices is juxtaposed with the dirty, decaying ground level of society which reflects the 1980s context where there was little government intervention and there was a growing disparity in the distribution of the world’s wealth. Tyrell, who has perfected the technology that created the replicants, has no comprehension of the suffering or the pain he is causing. Instead he is more interested in his creations and his biochemical marvel. Contrastingly, Frankenstein does understand the suffering he has caused; however he is unaware of his role as a creator.
The two texts address the issue of the nature of humanity and the effects that science has had on the morality of humans. Both texts make the audience question what makes up society as a whole and what aspects of humanity are lost once science has exceeded the natural limitations. In Frankenstein Shelley creates a parallel between Victor and his creation to question whether good and evil can exist in the same character/being. A sense of foreboding through the use of foreshadowing begins to explore the theme about the issue of personal choice versus destiny. Victor’s personal deterioration is hinted at early in the novel when he says “Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.” Victor’s obsession with science results in an entire loss of ethical values and once his creation is complete he exclaims “the beauty of the dream had vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” Victor flees from his creation and denies it any nurturing or protection. Instead he disregards his ‘filthy’ creation and after a sequence of vicious deaths of his relatives, he vows to destroy what he had created. During his work on the creature for “nearly two years” Victor is close to insanity and loses many fruitful human qualities. He admits his obsession to create life ostracised him from human society, “Solitude was my only consolation, deep, dark, deathlike solitude.” Victor’s creation is a product of societal rejection, depicted as a lonely but articulate outcast whose identity exists as a grotesque reflection of his maker. He experiences rejection from society, “they spurn and hate me,” and his treatment arouses the audience to sympathise with him. On many occasions, humane emotions are displayed by the creation, which poses a question to the audience as to which one is more monstrous: Victor or his creation?
Likewise, Blade Runner creates a parallel between Tyrell, Deckard and the replicants which allows the audience to interpret which being contains the most human qualities and morals and Scott brings to the fore what it is to be human compared to a monster. Scott subtly hints at this underlying question throughout the film and skilfully presents the idea that morality has been sacrificed for the advancement of science. The replicants are designed to be perfect and beautiful, unlike Frankenstein’s creation that is hideous and ghastly, yet both are considered at the start of the texts to be monsters and unfit to co-exist with society. Deckard, who is supposedly a human, shows insensitivity towards Rachel after he exposes that she is a replicant and he explains bluntly that “implants. Those aren’t your memories, they’re somebody else. They’re Tyrell’s nieces.” Rachel becomes upset and distraught after hearing this news and flees Deckard’s apartment. Once Rachel kills Leon and realises that she isn’t “in the business… (she) is the business,” her sensitivity is displayed which, contrasted with Deckard’s unemotional behaviour creates a sense of ambiguity throughout the film. In the final scene Scott uses Christian imagery of Roy ‘redeeming’ Deckard to safety. He acts as the saviour and the image of the dove flying upward suggests Roy’s soul has been released. However, humans are only thought to have souls, so ambiguity is again posed at the end of the film. Scott also is suggesting that if souls do still exist on this greed/wealth driven world, then they aren’t in the real humans, like Tyrell, but are in the replicants.
Interestingly, when comparing the two texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner there are striking similarities, despite the lengthy period of time between the composition of both texts. Both texts deal with the enduring issue of limitations of scientific progression, the changing morals and the loss of morals in society over the afluction of time. The texts provide the audience with perspectives which reflect the attitudes of the era of the composers. The moral values held by society have changed over time and this is illustrated in the two texts. This is brought to the fore by the skilful forms and styles that the composers have used to convey their ideas to their audiences. Both dystopic texts act didactically as warnings to society about the progression of science and demonstrate that this advancement can only occur if other important aspects of humanity are sacrificed.
The comparison of texts Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley allows the reader to explore their retrospective contexts and provides an insight into the values and perspectives that were apparent at the time of composition. Both these texts deal with issues surrounding changing morals and the progression of science. The texts offer us the perspective of the dangers of unchecked scientific progress when it is motivated by greed and glory, and the effects these advancements can have on society and the natural environment. They also provide insights into the moral values that were regarded important in each composer’s eras. These values have been influenced by the contextual issues …show more content…
that enveloped society at the time these texts were composed.
Morals such as what it means to be human and what it means to be monstrous, personal responsibility and the role of the creator are questioned within both texts. Both composers are skilful in how they bring these ideas to the fore in their use of differing forms and styles. Shelley uses narrative structure, characterisation, vivid imagery and symbolism and elements of Gothic and Romantic literature while Scott’s re-imagining of film noir and cyberpunk is filled with potent imagery and symbolism, thoughtful use of lighting, colour and film techniques like camera angles to evoke his futuristic world.
When exploring the texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner, the most dominant similarity between the texts is the questioning of unchecked scientific progress and the limits of these advancements before human nature is threatened. In Frankenstein Shelley presents us with a protagonist who, from a very early age is curious to the basis of life, “The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.” Upon
entering university Victor strives to discover how imbue human life initially for the “benefit of mankind,” however, once finding the secret to create human life he is overcome by greed and glory,-“A new species would bless me as its creator and source.” Overcome by pride in this new found ability to “pour a torrent of light into our dark world” he fails to explore the ethical considerations and moral ramifications of creating life. In the dawning of the Industrial Revolution, Shelley presents her concerns regarding the introduction of industries which were mainly economically driven. Shelley uses intertextuality by posing a character that is typical of her industrial era and one that will mirror the scientific advancements of her day, by replacing the fire of Zeus with electricity which is used to ‘spark’ the man made creature to life. This replacement of the Greek mythological fire with ‘modern day’ galvanism is the purpose of the subtitle of the novel, ‘The Modern Prometheus.’ Shelley uses scientific endeavour to drive her narrative by using the story of her own scientist, Victor Frankenstein who exclaims early in the novel, “I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.” Shelley is critical of these new advancements and her distrust in the Industrial Revolution is reflected in the novel due to her immersion in romanticism which acted as a reaction against the scientific rationalisation of nature at the time she was writing.
Similarly, Scott brings to the fore his concern regarding science and his text serves as a warning to society about of the dangers of advancing technology. While in Frankenstein Shelley links science to morals and ethics, in Blade Runner, there is a complete absence of ethics. This reflects the 1980s context: the US economy was the most powerful in the world ad a portion of society was uneasy about consumerism, multi-nationalism and materialism. They feared large corporations would become more powerful than government and control the world, as seen in Blade Runner through the Tyrell Corporation. Scott is critical of scientific progress by displaying a futuristic society as a sodden, decaying world with an enveloping atmosphere of menace and pessimism. The opening scenes of the film show Los Angeles with thousands of neon lights that pierce the saturated darkness of the city. Giant gas explosions are being released from industries which adds to the polluted, deteriorating look of futuristic earth. The returning shot of the eye ‘overlooking’ society indicates the didactic purpose of Scott’s film. The eye acts as a motif throughout the film and is symbolic of society being questioned as to how much, morally, they have sacrificed for scientific progress. The Tyrell Corporation is initially introduced by a low angle shot panning up the giant pyramidical building. This powerful looking organisation overlooks the city and indicates that commercialism has taken over society. Morality, or a lack thereof, is addressed through Eldon Tyrell’s explanation that ‘Commerce is our goal here at Tyrell. More human than human is our motto.” This capitalism indicates that humans lack morals and society is driven by wealth and greed in pursuit of a commercialist and consumerist society. The luxurious ambience of Tyrell’s offices is juxtaposed with the dirty, decaying ground level of society which reflects the 1980s context where there was little government intervention and there was a growing disparity in the distribution of the world’s wealth. Tyrell, who has perfected the technology that created the replicants, has no comprehension of the suffering or the pain he is causing. Instead he is more interested in his creations and his biochemical marvel. Contrastingly, Frankenstein does understand the suffering he has caused; however he is unaware of his role as a creator.
The two texts address the issue of the nature of humanity and the effects that science has had on the morality of humans. Both texts make the audience question what makes up society as a whole and what aspects of humanity are lost once science has exceeded the natural limitations. In Frankenstein Shelley creates a parallel between Victor and his creation to question whether good and evil can exist in the same character/being. A sense of foreboding through the use of foreshadowing begins to explore the theme about the issue of personal choice versus destiny. Victor’s personal deterioration is hinted at early in the novel when he says “Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.” Victor’s obsession with science results in an entire loss of ethical values and once his creation is complete he exclaims “the beauty of the dream had vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” Victor flees from his creation and denies it any nurturing or protection. Instead he disregards his ‘filthy’ creation and after a sequence of vicious deaths of his relatives, he vows to destroy what he had created. During his work on the creature for “nearly two years” Victor is close to insanity and loses many fruitful human qualities. He admits his obsession to create life ostracised him from human society, “Solitude was my only consolation, deep, dark, deathlike solitude.” Victor’s creation is a product of societal rejection, depicted as a lonely but articulate outcast whose identity exists as a grotesque reflection of his maker. He experiences rejection from society, “they spurn and hate me,” and his treatment arouses the audience to sympathise with him. On many occasions, humane emotions are displayed by the creation, which poses a question to the audience as to which one is more monstrous: Victor or his creation?
Likewise, Blade Runner creates a parallel between Tyrell, Deckard and the replicants which allows the audience to interpret which being contains the most human qualities and morals and Scott brings to the fore what it is to be human compared to a monster. Scott subtly hints at this underlying question throughout the film and skilfully presents the idea that morality has been sacrificed for the advancement of science. The replicants are designed to be perfect and beautiful, unlike Frankenstein’s creation that is hideous and ghastly, yet both are considered at the start of the texts to be monsters and unfit to co-exist with society. Deckard, who is supposedly a human, shows insensitivity towards Rachel after he exposes that she is a replicant and he explains bluntly that “implants. Those aren’t your memories, they’re somebody else. They’re Tyrell’s nieces.” Rachel becomes upset and distraught after hearing this news and flees Deckard’s apartment. Once Rachel kills Leon and realises that she isn’t “in the business… (she) is the business,” her sensitivity is displayed which, contrasted with Deckard’s unemotional behaviour creates a sense of ambiguity throughout the film. In the final scene Scott uses Christian imagery of Roy ‘redeeming’ Deckard to safety. He acts as the saviour and the image of the dove flying upward suggests Roy’s soul has been released. However, humans are only thought to have souls, so ambiguity is again posed at the end of the film. Scott also is suggesting that if souls do still exist on this greed/wealth driven world, then they aren’t in the real humans, like Tyrell, but are in the replicants.
Interestingly, when comparing the two texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner there are striking similarities, despite the lengthy period of time between the composition of both texts. Both texts deal with the enduring issue of limitations of scientific progression, the changing morals and the loss of morals in society over the afluction of time. The texts provide the audience with perspectives which reflect the attitudes of the era of the composers. The moral values held by society have changed over time and this is illustrated in the two texts. This is brought to the fore by the skilful forms and styles that the composers have used to convey their ideas to their audiences. Both dystopic texts act didactically as warnings to society about the progression of science and demonstrate that this advancement can only occur if other important aspects of humanity are sacrificed.