Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein

According to Shelly’s tale should human beings use reason or science to understand or manipulate the natural world? What Shelly believes humans should use depends upon the definition of reason one desires to employ. For instance, is reason in the form of science? Knowledge? Or Compassion? Shelly would be very careful to answer this question for the definition used can lead to different conclusions.

If humans use reason in the form of science, this type of reasoning sources the pursuit of thinking based on what is discovered scientifically. Many theories have been “proved” and later “disproved” through the measurement of science. So how valid is science? Mary Shelly would argue that science might have many advantages but to understand the world one must use more than science alone. In the story of Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein builds a creature he is unable to be in command of. For even while victor creates this so-called “masterpiece “his science falls short in creating a human. He could never come close to creating a natural man or woman.

Knowledge is what humans often use to answer questions about their world around them, but without the right guidance knowledge may not be the best source of discovery. By seeking education Victor Frankenstein, learns about Alchemy instead of real science. He also, finds that even though he has vast amounts of knowledge he is still unable to grasp some things. Victor strives to make this wonderful creation but his plans aren’t well laid out, because after his creation is built he doesn’t know what to do with it. After achieving all he has longed to achieve he knows nothing else ...

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If compassion and consideration are not present knowledge and science are useless. After the monster is completed Victor can’t stand him, he says he is a hideous beast, he describes him as having a “shriveled complexion and straight black lips”. But what does he expect for he created this being, he was aware of the skin texture, eye color, down to the very last detail it took to make this monster designed by his own hand. Victor should have known the reaction from society after seeing what he created but he did not for he lacked an essential ingredient, which is compassion.

He created a monster with very limited chances to be a functioning member of society. First the monster is defined by society by his very nature as an outcast, unacceptable to join in because he is not human, created by God, only a creation of man; not to mention Frankenstein was given the appearance of a monster, unbearable to gaze upon. So instantly he is shunned from society, destined for a lonely existence, no mate or friend, because no one would or could love someone like him and he could never find anyone who is like him. He has little chances of functioning socially, and even as a compassionate individual himself for since “birth” he has been treated with nothing but cruelty. Victor Frankenstein has treated this monster, which he strived to create as a mistake, a defect and even refers to him as demon and never once embarks on him with an ounce of compassion or dignity. This is the essence of what human beings need in order to function successfully. For once we are robbed of our capacity to be kind to one another we have lost the very thing that makes us human.

Mary Shelly tells us in her writings that we all need to be compassionate and of course compassion is not all we need, we must balance our views with knowledge and reasoning to see the world in it’s true perspective. For with out one of these essential ingredients the point of view we choose can be tainted.