Frankenstein Critical Analysis Evaluation Essay

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Name Affiliation Date Ethics and Science in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Ethics and science have created a debate in the society with the religion disagreeing with any scientific research that is destructive and morally corruptive. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein also addresses the same issue and uses a destructive experiment in human physiology to prove how science can be unethical. More specifically, the novel presents Victor Frankenstein, who is an arrogant scientist that is focused on achieving what he wants regardless of the overall outcome. In fact, he creates a monster that ends up killing his family members and friends too. He ends up living a stressful life since he wonders how he will correct the mistakes that he had already created earlier. Mary Shelley cautions the society against ignoring ethics during the scientific advancement, and she provides evidence to support that. She proves that some research might have a potential to destroy and morally corrupt the society instead. Shelley also believes that human brilliance should be fused with ethics to protect the society from any harm. Frankenstein’s creation is one of the manifestations of scientific advancement that lacks the ethics that guides the society. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein illustrate that ethics is one of the elements that will act as a limit of the scientific inquiry in the society and proves that through the inability of Frankenstein to control the monster after he had created it. Mary Shelley shows how Frankenstein was blinded by his ambitions and never considered the safety of the society. Frankenstein showed how irresponsible he was, and he never consulted anyone or even considered the morality of the act. He even reveals that “so much has been done, far more will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new

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way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation” (Shelley, p. 49). Clearly, he was focused on his ambitions and creating something extraordinary; but, he never considered the morality of the research. Apart from that, anyone that advised him against proceeding with the research was considered as an enemy. For instance, Frankenstein insists that “the professors’ words enounced to destroy me … my soul was gripped by a palpable enemy” (Shelley, p. 49). Indeed, his ambitions had blinded him from the morality that should be considered before undertaking such research. In the process, he failed to consider the limit of scientific inquiry since he wanted to prove the professor and the society wrong. To some extent, he wanted to achieve a divine status, which is totally unethical. In fact, such a decision is in contrast to the way the society works since God is the only one with the ability to create beings. Instead, he creates the monster, and he fails to nurture it into being a responsible creature (Hogsette, 542). All in all, Mary Shelley is trying to prove that ethical science is the appropriate way to achieve the required advancement. Clearly, unethical science has shown that a scientist can work on ideas that will even destroy the society if they are not controlled. Hence, the ethics will be one of the things that will act as a limit to scientific inquiry, and prioritize the safety of the society. Frankenstein insists on the dangers of separating science and the society since it amounts to the scientists lacking ethics that everyone should possess. The novel illustrates how Frankenstein preferred staying alone and away from the society in the name of intensive research. More specifically, Frankenstein believed like the society was a distraction from his research and staying alone was the only way to achieve the perfection he wants. He even insists that “natural philosophy … became nearly my sole occupation” (Shelley, p. 51) and that took him away from his family and the entire society. In the process, he developed an inhumane

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personality, and he could not understand what human nature entails. For instance, he believed that human nature was about creation and development; but, he forgot about socialization that instills morals in a creature. The lack of compassion and morals led to the death of his brother William and his friend Henry. Instead, being closer to the society and his family would have given Frankenstein a chance to understand the socialization and what human nature entails (Burkett, 586). Instead, he could have restrained from creating a creature that lacks a soul and ended up being a murderer. Mary Shelley was vouching for morality since it asserts on the importance of life and the need to obey nature as well. However, Frankenstein believed that he had the ability to reanimate other creatures and still nurture them into being responsible people in the society. He forgot that morality is an important part of creation and people are supposed to abide by such guidelines. His entire research did not consider the safety and the wellbeing of the society since he did not contemplate the dangers of the monster staying in the society (Cameron, 184). In fact, he destroys the second monster that was supposed to be a partner of the first monster. In this case, he had seen the danger associated with the creatures and he was unwilling to create another one. In conclusion, Mary Shelley proves that ethics is one of the elements that will restrict scientific advancement in the society. Frankenstein’s arrogance blinded him from the ethics, and he was only focused on achieving the unreasonable ambitions he had. Such ambitions pushed him into creating monsters that turned out to be destructive. Besides that, he even failed to control the same monsters, and he ended up being stressed since it creates more harm than he had expected. Apart from that, the fact that he had stayed away from the society also turned him into being have an inhumane personality that also resulted in the creation of the monster. All in all, it is clear that ethics will be important in controlling scientific advancement.

Insert surname Works Cited Burkett, Andrew. "Mediating Monstrosity: Media, Information, and Mary Shelley's" Frankenstein"." Studies in Romanticism 51.4 (2012): 579-605. Cameron, Lauren. "Mary Shelley's Malthusian Objections in The Last Man." NINETEEN CENT LIT 67.2 (2012): 177-203. Hogsette, David S. "Metaphysical intersections in Frankenstein: Mary Shelley's theistic investigation of scientific materialism and transgressive autonomy." Christianity & Literature 60.4 (2011): 531-559. Shelley M. Frankenstein. Harmondsworth: Penguin Classics, 1816.

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