Introduction
Mary Shelley’s world-famous magnum opus, “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus,” is a masterpiece of literature in many ways. The author introduced into this field of art an interesting conceptual structure that contains a fascinating narrative with a relatively unusual form of delivery, unique characters, and several philosophical themes. One of the most captivating elements of Victor Frankenstein’s story is his ethical journey towards understanding the dangers of ambition in science and changing his goal setting. This essay will discuss and analyze Victor’s moral self-reflection and emotional progression.
The Danger of Ambition in the Minds of Powerful and Capable Persons
Ambition is a character trait that makes people make scientific discoveries and drive technological advances. It was the sociocultural paradigm of the Western Hemisphere’s nineteenth-century scientific and artistic communities, and Shelley decided to critique it in her book. In the first quarter of the story, the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, is a young and highly motivated scientist who believes he can bend the laws of the universe to his will (Shelley 21).
However, the lack of internal and professional ethics and zero self-reflection give rise to an unfortunate creature that brings death to all the people around Victor. Before his death, the protagonist realizes it and shares his newfound truth with Walton and the readers. He says, “Seek happiness in tranquility, and avoid ambition, even if it be only the innocent of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries” (Shelley 182). This metaphor is a perpetual admonition to the scientific community to be rational and humane in pursuing progress.
Victor’s Goal Setting in “Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus”
Victor changes his goals and plans drastically several times in the book. His primary objective is to find “the philosopher’s stone or elixir of life,” a metaphor for a great scientific discovery (Shelley 22). He believes that he will achieve these by creating an artificial life form.
According to Aprilyandi and Ismiyati, Victor often displays enthusiasm in the story (103). This feeling of the protagonist turns to horror after the monster’s creation. It then transforms into fear, grief, determination, and acceptance with each new death. From a philosophical perspective, Victor’s rapidly changing behavior can be explained by the emerging and swiftly developing personal and professional ethics in him.
Foresight in Shelley’s Work
Interestingly, Shelley predicted and described how the global scientific community would develop over a hundred years ahead using Victor Frankenstein. Like the main character, it ruined many lives in the last century to gain consciousness and tranquility instead of ambition and insolence. Victor’s revelation and short life path became a lesson for scholars, experimenters, and researchers. According to Nagy et al., “the Frankenstein myth serves as a social and ethical reference for scientists and a mediator between scientists and the society” (1). However, this book was not enough to prevent the horrors the scientific world brought to the real one during the World Wars.
Conclusion
This paper analyzes Mary Shelley’s captivating, visionary, and philosophical work “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus.” Victor Frankenstein’s character, emotional growth, and goal-setting pattern have been explored. Shelley criticized the ethical paradigm in the academician circles of her time using the image of Victor. Moreover, how these aspects of the narrative manifested in the real world and affected it was discussed.
Works Cited
Aprilyandi, Byrendra, and Yanti Ismiyati. “An analysis of moral values from the characters in the novel ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shalley.” Journal of English Language Teaching, vol. 3, no. 2, 2020, pp. 95-104, Web.
Nagy, Peter, et al. “Facing the Pariah of Science: The Frankenstein Myth as a Social and Ethical Reference for Scientists.” Science and Engineering Ethics, vol. 26, 2020, pp. 1–28, Web.
Shelley, Mary. “Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers, and Creators of All Kinds.” Edited by David H. Guston, Ed Finn, and Jason Scott Robert, The MIT Press, 2017.