Frankenstein is one of the most famous books in humanity, which presents a diversity of topics, from finding meaning in life to finishing with feministic movements. The story is about a village man, Victor Frankenstein, who developed a living creature and tried to make it like a real human through language and actions. “I began a creation of human beings,” says Victor, but the result has shown that the scientific development was more like a living being rather than a human (Shelley 54). The author addresses the topic of human growth well by showing the changes in different aspects of life, like science, communication, and feminism. In these areas, people express sympathy or anger, while the creature of Frankenstein does not show emotional changes.
The main characters of Frankenstein are Victor and Robert, who constantly seek adventures and want to discover the unique parts of the world. Robert Walton is an explorer, and their long-lasting journeys are the key meanings of his life. Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with achieving his goals and making scientific breakthroughs (Shelley 31). In the novel, he is a risky character who is prepared for unexpected journeys. Victor and Robert do not have similar personalities, but both of them want to become famous. Walton’s idea to travel to the north became interesting for Frankenstein, but their aims were different. Shelley believed that the northern part of the world was magical, and both characters could find what they were looking for (Spencer 7). While Robert wanted to see the lands which are not populated, Victor tried to observe others to give a scientific explanation to the death.
This drive for traveling continues today and can be transferred to the readers. Since Shelley elaborated on different topics, people of different ages can find relevant ideas to their personal lives and discover new ideas. The characters’ motives can be related to the modern world as many scientists are trying to study the human being and the mentality of people from a scientific point of view. Moreover, the drive for risk did not change over time, and individuals continued traveling to gain more world experience.
The topic of unknown geographical locations is actively discussed in Frankenstein, people throughout the times might find more places to be added to the world’s map. According to Gregory, with the invention of Geographical Information Systems, every location of the part was located on the global map (1). However, the geography of distant locations can be studied in more depth. New technologies can capture the lands from the air, but weather conditions might be unpredictable over time, and such phenomena as Bermuda Triangle make the studies of lands in this territory more unclear. Technological development should not stop, and the lands of the ocean can be studied more accurately.
Science continues studying the meaning of life and how people build their relationships with death. Frankenstein and Walton started discovering this topic several centuries ago, and nowadays, progress can be seen. The most common finding of the sense of life in the scientific interpretation is the need to eat, sleep, and rest. Based on the Ward and King study, work is an additional component that meets people’s meaning of life, allowing them to earn money and maintain communication (62). In the past, many individuals tried to understand how death could be avoided. However, these days with the development of medicine, people can live longer, and immortality rarely stays the main aspect of the sense of life. More methods like observations and brain studies are used to find the scientific explanation for life’s meaning.
During the times of Frankenstein and Walton, the discovery of new and unknown locations was one of the greatest achievements, and they tried to use all possible resources to explore new horizons. By traveling, they could spend a lot of time staying alone and thinking about the sense of life. During these periods, the characters could make more breakthroughs in this area. Nowadays, experts can use innovations and complete their studies more advanced. Consequently, due to the fact that all resources are used properly throughout time, no better way could be adjusted to accomplish the goal of character and modern scientists.
Today’s motivations for the discoveries of new lands and the sense of life are the ability to make the lives of the planet’s population more convenient. The education of new lands may help to find the dwindling resources like oil and coal, which are needed for the further development of innovations. Moreover, communication with strangers who do not live according to global standards may boost the observation process to find the sense of people’s daily actions.
In conclusion, Mary Shelley managed to show the reality of many generations through the novel Frankenstein. The spirit of adventure, risk, and goal achievement is close to people nowadays. Consequently, scientists worldwide take the experience of characters like Victor and Robert to find the meaning of life and adjust their techniques to modern ways of studying. The experience of ancestors helps to observe their living conditions and boost medicine based on previous studies.
Works Cited
Ian, Gregory. The Virtual Representation of the Past. Routledge, 2017.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Penguin Classics, 1818.
Spencer, Jean Li. “True North, The Intertextual Dialogue of Frankenstein’s Polar Pilot.”Wellesley College Digital Repository, 2021, pp. 1-80.
Ward, Sarah J., & King, Laura A. “Work and the good life: How work contributes to meaning in life.”Research in Organizational Behavior, vol. 37, 2017, pp. 59-82.