There was a social bias that pieces of literature in the science fiction genre would never succeed in the 19th century. However, Mary Shelley destroyed this opinion in 1818 by depicting the life of Victor Frankenstein, creating a human-like creature. Frankenstein became a symbol of the danger caused by science that was beginning to develop. The novel begins with letters from Walton, who travels in Russia, to his sister Margaret and continues with the narration from Victor. I predict that from the early moment when Frankenstein creates the creature, he will become the monster in his life, leading to madness, while no one will accept the creature because people are usually afraid of the unknown.
Some would argue that Victor’s enthusiasm and knowledge can lead to the creation of the creature that would become his companion. Even the third chapter overwhelmingly supports that mastering science is like magic, as modern philosophers whose “eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible have indeed performed miracles” (Shelley, 1818). If they are that great in their field, it should be possible to have a kind creature who helps his master and other people. However, regardless of the creature’s traits, creating and controlling him is still an undiscovered phenomenon. Historically speaking, when someone introduces a new thing that can be dangerous, people never take it will calmness. Although there are individuals who believe in the creature’s benevolence, there must be others who oppose it. Therefore, the creature will never be accepted by the public because there is a chance that he will hurt others.
The idea that the creature becomes dangerous for people comes from the narrator’s obsession with the monster to the extent that he neglects his family, house, and himself. He spent all his days doing experiments and ignoring the pain as he said: “My limbs now tremble, and my eyes swim with the remembrance” (Shelley, 1818). Moreover, the fact that he does it to discover the “secrets of heaven and earth” means that the creature will never have a particular goal, such as helping people or serving them (Shelley, 1818). Instead, he probably inadvertently becomes a problem-causing agent for Victor’s family since the protagonist worries more about the monster rather than his loving wife. Such obsession usually leads nowhere because people become mad about their goals, like Victor.
Another argument is that human beings do not just comprise anatomically perfect bodies but also feelings and emotions that usually all monsters are deprived of as they are created, not by nature. Even the narrator admits that “to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful as a man” is a very responsible task. However, the fact that he pays more attention to his body but undermines the inner world hints at the idea that the creature would never be able to feel compassion. If the creature does not possess feelings, he can become a killer.
To conclude, I suspect Victor’s creature harms people and drives him mad instead of being accepted by society. This novel makes people think about the threats of developing sciences and the necessity to create some creatures similar to human beings. It resembles the modern dilemma about robots and artificial intelligence’s utilization when people become afraid of the idea that robots replace humans. Nevertheless, Frankenstein’s creature was never accepted by people in the 19th century. However, if he created it today, the question about his success and obtained support would be answered in another way.
Reference
Shelly, M. W. (1818). Frankenstein. Gutenberg E-book. Web.