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Essay / Analysis of Hidden Messages in Frankenstein
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein is a story with many clear and hidden messages. Throughout the book, we see the creature from its creation until Victor's death. We see what the creature is doing and what drives it to do it. It is clear that Shelley is sending us messages like: science can go too far, men should not play God, and monsters are not born, they are made. But if we were to look between the lines, we would notice that its most important messages are: we must be attentive to certain goals and we must be wary of forbidden knowledge. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Throughout Frankenstein, there are many examples of the messages mentioned above. The novel explains to us the process by which Victor creates the “monster” and how Victor abandons him and leaves him to fend for himself. Because he was left alone, the Creature is angry and leaves Victor's apartment. He enters society and is rejected because of his appearance. The creature is furious and begins murdering people close to Victor so that Victor will notice and treat him better. Even after the Creature kills everyone close to him, Victor still doesn't learn from his mistakes. In Frankenstein, one of the clearest messages Shelley conveys is that man should not play God. After the Creature reads Paradise Lost, she compares herself to the character Adam. Then he gets angry with Victor and says: “Cursed creator! Why have you formed such a hideous monster that even you turned away from me in disgust? God, out of pity, made man beautiful and attractive, in his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, even more horrible by its very resemblance. (Shelley 93). There can be many interpretations of “playing God.” For example, when a patient in a hospital must be placed on life support to stay alive, no one sees this as "playing God." The article “The Problem of “Playing God” raises the fact that we, as humans, are playing God through the process of organ transplantation. This is because there is a list of organ transplants that allows some people to survive over others. But according to Frankenstein, playing God is interpreted as creating life. Victor played the role of God throughout the process of creating the creature. He fused parts of corpses and was horrified by his own creation. Another message from Frankenstein is that monsters are not born, they are made. After the creature was created, it was incapable of receiving love and compassion. He was an outcast in society and was enraged. The article "Monsters Are Made, Not Born" states that in the beginning, the monster was essentially a child. The only reason he looked like a man was because he was made of the body parts of grown men. After his creation, all he wanted was to fit into society and be accepted. “Inflamed by pain, I swore eternal hatred and vengeance to all humanity.” (Shelley 101). This is just one example of how a monster is made, not born. It's a question of nature versus nurture. There is also a message that science can sometimes go too far. When Victor creates the monster, as readers we can see that Victor must have some sort of restriction on his scientific abilities. He succeeds in creating a life that should set off alarm bells. When reading the novel, we see that Victor was quickly becoming a mad scientist...