Frankenstein "The Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley in 1817 and published in 1818. It was first conceived with friends (the likes of which included Lord Byron) as a ghost story to scare a small group of people. But through the encouragement of her husband, Shelley elaborated on the story and published it.
She recounts her struggle coming up with a sufficient tale to equally scare and entertain her friends.
But soon, she's inspired by a conversation between her husband and Lord Byron on the art of galvinism and whether or not a corpse could be reanimated using such means.
That night, she's kept awake by her imagination and soon she goes to work on her ghost story.
What follows is a brilliant work of fiction.
Its secondary title is The Modern Prometheus and from there we get our first clue as to what the whole of the story is about.
Prometheus, in mythology, is a titan and known for being an intellectual trickster, he not only forms mortals out of clay but he then steals fire from the gods and gives it to the mortals. He's credited as being the author of human arts and science.
He's punished to eternal torment by Zeus for stealing fire and has his liver eaten every day by an eagle, the liver grows back every night and the torture begins anew.
This is a theme we're going to see revisited a lot throughout the novel.
Frankenstein is, of course, our young modern Prometheus but the tale does not begin with him so much as it begins with someone else seeking glory by traveling as far north as he possibly can against the best wishes of his loved ones. He dreams that the great wide north will give him access to every sort of discovery possible, he wants to tread where no man has ever gone. He needs it, he will not be turned away from his passion. It is through his account in letters to his sister that we first learn of Frankenstein.
Walton, our narrator, a character who has been wholly cut out of all modern retellings of Frankenstein, is doing well. He's hired a crew, he's gotten a ship, he's really pleased with his progress and happy with it but he wants for one thing. A friend. He wants someone who feels a passion and zeal for discovery and going where no man has gone before. He appreciates the people he's hired but he has no one who really shares the same spirit he has. And he prays ardently for a friend. In icy no man's land, he wants a friend. And wouldn't you know it, he finds one.
They're trapped for a few days in the ice, unable to move their ship when there's a huge crack and the ice breaks apart. A few days before this, they'd witnessed what seemed to be a giant of a man riding in a sled pulled by a team of dogs across the ice in front of them and Walton was excited to continue onwards and follow him.
The day after the ice has broken apart, Walton's crew finds a man floating on a piece of ice, emaciated and dying. He had a sled at one point in time but it's badly broken and he only has one dog remaining. Just to get this out there- no, we never know the fate of this dog. It's never mentioned again. Sorry, guys.
They bring the man aboard and Walton goes to work on bringing him back to vitality so that he may discover why this man, a European, was this far north and in this bad of shape.
As Frankenstein recovers, they begin to bond and Walton shares with him his passion for the unknown and traveling farther and farther north, regardless of the consequences. He thinks that Frankestenstein will accept him at his core and speaks more openly than he ever has before but instead of acceptance, Frankenstein almost rebukes him.
This is where we get that first iconic line you always see when you're reading quotes from the novel, "We are unfashioned creatures, but half made up, if one wiser, better, dearer than ourselves- such a friend ought to be- do not lend his aid to perfectionate our weak and faulty natures. I once had a friend, the most noble of human creatures, and am entitled, therefore, to judge respecting friendship. You have hope, and the world before you, and have no cause for despair. But I- I have lost everything and can not begin life anew."
This is where he decides to divulge his tale to Walton, as a cautionary tale to turn him away from his pursuit of glory at all costs.
Frankenstein is a young man, at the time he meets Walton, we're unaware of his actual age but Walton is 28 and we're lead to believe they're about the same age.
He reveals he was born in Geneva to a respected family that everyone loved. They were kind, generous, wonderful people. There is never any remark is regards to cruelty or ignorance so the reader is to assume that they're the best humanity has to offer.
He's raised with a kind girl who was adopted by his parents, being orphaned in her homeland. He describes this girl, Elizabeth as having a gentle soul that enjoyed nature for what it was and made his childhood a wonderful and happy one. He also has a friend named Henry Cherval who is like Elizabeth in being the best of humanity.
But Frankenstein doesn't share their contentment with nature and enjoying things because they exist, he wants to know why they exist, how they exist and how he can manipulate nature to better humanity. This desire follows him through life and after the death of his mother, he goes abroad to school to learn more about science.
The science of the story is largely avoided, it is the emotional toll his pursuits take on him that Shelley focuses on and around.
Frankenstein is seventeen when he goes to school and for two years, he neglects his family and friends back in Geneva. He describes himself as being in a maddening frenzy, only working and never venturing beyond his scientific desires. He's nineteen when by chance or accident, he discovers how to reanimate life. He doesn't stop to think what this would mean for the future and he wonders why he didn't start with something smaller or easier of a task. He wants a creature that is enormous, eight feet in height even. He remembers recording the grotesque frame in his journal and how he can't even bear to look at it when it's laying on his table but he doesn't think what will happen when he brings it to life, only that he must bring it to life.
He wastes away, he hardly eats, he hardly sleeps, he only works. Nothing else has meaning to him. The letters his father, Elizabeth, and Henry send him go unanswered.
Finally, one night, he does it. He brings his creation to life and immediately, he's horrified by what he's done. The monster opens his eyes and Frankenstein's madness leaves him and he's aware of the abhorred work he's committed.
He flees from the room and locks himself in his apartment.
In modern retellings of Frankenstein, we're lead to believe that he's this old, mad scientist, locked in a castle, but the reality of it is that he's a nineteen-year-old boy, too smart for his own good and unable to comprehend the consequences of bringing something to life.
His body, spent from months of neglect, falls into a fitful sleep and he awakens to the creature standing over him, hand outstretched as if to hold him.
Frankenstein cries out and again, flees from his creation, leaving it alone in his apartment. He wanders the streets until morning and stumbles upon his old friend, Henry, who is very glad to see him.
Here we see the juxtaposition of Frankenstein's two selves. The old self, born to a happy house, with happy memories, and his new self, mad, delirious, sick in the body as much as in the head.
They go back to Frankenstein's apartment and the creature isn't there anymore. Over a course of months, Frankenstein falls ill and is completely bedridden. Henry cares for him and brings him back to life. Frankenstein can't bare the sight of his scientific instruments and Henry takes great care to remove them and slowly, Frankenstein recovers.
When he's physically able, the pair decide they're going to go home to Geneva. Frankenstein thinks of his creature as a horrible nightmare and prays its expired somewhere out in the elements, it was a harsh winter, its very plausible that what spark of life was in it would have gone out.
But alas, as they approach Geneva, Frankenstein sees the creature among the trees in the forest and knows it's followed him there and the same illness that had befallen him before came back.
Within days, it's reported that his younger brother, William, was murdered, strangled to death in the woods. Everyone is astounded by this, William was described as an angelic child, beautiful and kind and no one can imagine who would do this.
Frankenstein knows but he won't say anything, lest his family think less of him for the abomination he's brought to life.
Through a small investigation, everyone is lead to believe that a girl named Justine is William's murderer. A locket with his mother's picture in it was found in her clothes and she's condemned to death.
Frankenstein doesn't take this well but he still doesn't reveal the existence of the creature and he allows Justine to be executed for the murder of his brother.
It is during this time period that the creature reveals itself to Frankenstein and tells him everything its been up to since their meeting that first night in the apartment.
He's lived wild, in the elements, finding little shelter, food, and no companionship. His figure causes people to flee on sight or attack him and he's thrown into despair as to why. Even Frankenstein, his own creator, the one who willed him into being, fled at the sight of him.
He's spent the majority of his time spying on a small impoverished family. He fetches them firewood at night and does other work for them under the cover of darkness, keeping his existence a secret so that he can have some form of relationship with anyone or anything.
Through this, he learns speech and how to read. He finds 'Paradise Lost' and learns how to speak eloquently. He's extremely intelligent and self-aware which only adds to his emotional suffering.
After months of spying on the family, he reveals himself to them and is agonized to see that they can not look past his form and attack him.
He says he's read Frankenstein's journals and knows that Frankenstein knew him to be grotesque and begs to know the reason why Frankenstein brought him to life even when he could not look at the creature himself.
Frankenstein doesn't have an answer. He's largely a disappointing character.
The monster continues that he stumbled upon William in the forest and thought that he could steal the child for companionship because the child might be able to look past his deformities. But alas, William could not and screamed to be let go, revealing the name of his father and his relation to Frankenstein.
The monster is enraged by this and kills William, almost by accident it would seem. But then he steals the locket and flees. Later, he comes upon Justine sleeping, and through his reading, he's learned to be clever and plants the locket on Justine's person in a way to exact revenge on humanity simply for not having the deformities he has.
He's pleased by the distress this causes Frankenstein and has enjoyed watching the young man's descent into madness. The creature says that it all will be over though if Frankenstein makes him a companion. Someone like the creature, deformed, and grotesque so that he won't be alone. Then he will leave the world of men and go live in exile with a friend.
At first, Frankenstein refuses. He won't do it. He can't stand the thought of touching his instruments again and creating another abomination.
But the creature promises to take from Frankenstein everything if his wish is not fulfilled and finally Frankenstein relents. He will do this for the creature.
In the meantime, Frankenstein is supposed to marry the good and perfect Elizabeth. She's described as the absolute most wonderful creature in the world. There is no imperfection to be found in her.
Before Frankenstein can wed her, however, he must fulfill his duty to the monster and travels to England to do so. Against his wishes, his friend Henry comes with him.
Henry loves traveling, points out the simplicity of enjoying nature for existing, and brings hope and vitality to Frankenstein who sees none of these things and only thinks of his task. He implores Henry to leave him in solitude for some time so that he may work and Henry obliges, here they separate.
Frankenstein works tirelessly, wondering if the creature has followed him to England or if he's stayed back in Geneva and continued his murderous plot against the Frankenstein family.
One night, while Frankenstein is almost done, he sees the creature watching him from a distance and decides that he doesn't want another creature anymore. He can't handle the thought of the consequences of two like the monster and thinks it will ruin all of humanity. So Frankenstein destroys his work in full sight of the creature.
The creature howls in emotional agony and vows vengeance.
Frankenstein sinks his work to the bottom of a lake and immediately falls asleep in his boat.
He awakens on a strange shore and is immediately apprehended as the suspect of a murder.
He's taken into a room with the dead body and there he discovers that the creature has strangled his dear friend, Henry.
Frankenstein again falls into a fever and is bedridden for weeks. It's decided that he didn't murder Henry and he's released into the care of his father. They return to Geneva and his father asks Frankenstein to marry Elizabeth and find hope in his future among all the terrible events that have befallen them.
Frankenstein knows that this will only bring the creature closer and he thinks that by marrying Elizabeth he's dooming himself to mortal combat with the creature.
He decides that this is his fate and he resolves himself to kill the creature the next time it shows itself.
On the day of their wedding, they travel to Lake Como and Frankenstein recounts the voyage as the last time he will ever feel happiness. Elizabeth, like Henry, points out the beauty of nature and the tranquility of existing in said nature. Frankenstein is pulled from his melancholy thoughts and allows himself to enjoy the day with her. But when they land, his anxiety returns and he knows he shall meet the creature that night.
Elizabeth retires early and Frankenstein stays up with a pistol ready to kill.
There's a scream from their room and Frankenstein knows it's too late, he rushes to the room to find Elizabeth there, dead.
A few days later, his father dies, unable to live out the death of so many of his loved ones.
At this, Frankenstein vows revenge on the creature, he will kill it if it's the last thing he does. And so that's where his story takes up with Walton.
He's been pursuing the creature this entire time. Sometimes the creature will leave directions for him, or a meal down the road if he needs food.
They've traveled this far north because the creature wants to torture Frankenstein as much as he can, leaving a note for him saying as much.
The crew wants to turn back and Walton is about to oblige them with Frankenstein rouses their morale with a speech. It's a good speech but he collapses soon after and then dies.
This is when the creature reveals himself to Walton.
Walton finds him standing over the corpse of Frankenstein, lamenting the loss of his adversary. Walton calls him out on his hypocrisy and says the creature isn't said Frankenstein is dead, he's sad that he no longer has control over the situation.
The creature argues but Walton is steadfast in his feelings. The creature may have started off as something with a soul and feeling but through his actions he's become the monster he appears and Frankenstein is at last at peace and the creature should leave him.
The creature does leave and Walton turns his ship around, leaving all thoughts of glory behind.
So what are we left with?
A surface moral of chasing glory for the sake of glory rather than thinking about the consequences of your quest.
The fear that science, in the 1800s was going too far and man was playing God.
I really enjoyed the constant reminder that whenever Frankenstein would sleep he would find peace and be able to see and converse with his loved ones again. It calls back to Prometheus's torment with his liver eaten every day by an eagle and only to have it grow back every night. Frankenstein loses much strength every day as he pursues his creature and lives in agony but every night, his spirits are lifted and restored in rest and he's able to continue.
His loved ones as well, stand as the guide for what was much of the romantic time period, the almost worship of nature for being nature, shrugging off scientific achievements, being able to fully enjoy their place in the world without needing to go beyond what they could readily see and understand.
It's Frankenstein's passion for the unknown that brings about their ruin and dashes any chance of happiness they once had.
Knowing that this story stemmed from a conversation surrounding Darwin's experiments, one might be able to guess what Shelley was trying to point at as a true moral. But the story is largely lacking in any religious conviction. The monster is referred to as a daemon only a handful of times and never once does anyone consult someone of the clergy.
So rather than thinking it's a religion versus science argument, it's probably safer to guess it's a nature versus trying to control nature argument.
Happiness is found in enjoying nature for what it is and ruin is found in trying to make that nature serve you.
Beautiful work. I would have liked more character development, I think between when Frankenstein goes to school and when he creates the monster, it sort of felt like with a turn of the page, all the sudden he was mad. But isn't that how madness works?
They're trapped for a few days in the ice, unable to move their ship when there's a huge crack and the ice breaks apart. A few days before this, they'd witnessed what seemed to be a giant of a man riding in a sled pulled by a team of dogs across the ice in front of them and Walton was excited to continue onwards and follow him.
The day after the ice has broken apart, Walton's crew finds a man floating on a piece of ice, emaciated and dying. He had a sled at one point in time but it's badly broken and he only has one dog remaining. Just to get this out there- no, we never know the fate of this dog. It's never mentioned again. Sorry, guys.
They bring the man aboard and Walton goes to work on bringing him back to vitality so that he may discover why this man, a European, was this far north and in this bad of shape.
It takes two days for Frankenstein to speak and Walton fears that his time spent on the ice has robbed him of his faculties. He's described as a wretched creature who looks on with sad eyes and a depressed demeanor. It's depression that goes beyond natural or normal depression and Walton reigns in his urge to pester Frankenstein for his story.
This is where we get that first iconic line you always see when you're reading quotes from the novel, "We are unfashioned creatures, but half made up, if one wiser, better, dearer than ourselves- such a friend ought to be- do not lend his aid to perfectionate our weak and faulty natures. I once had a friend, the most noble of human creatures, and am entitled, therefore, to judge respecting friendship. You have hope, and the world before you, and have no cause for despair. But I- I have lost everything and can not begin life anew."
This is where he decides to divulge his tale to Walton, as a cautionary tale to turn him away from his pursuit of glory at all costs.
Frankenstein is a young man, at the time he meets Walton, we're unaware of his actual age but Walton is 28 and we're lead to believe they're about the same age.
He reveals he was born in Geneva to a respected family that everyone loved. They were kind, generous, wonderful people. There is never any remark is regards to cruelty or ignorance so the reader is to assume that they're the best humanity has to offer.
He's raised with a kind girl who was adopted by his parents, being orphaned in her homeland. He describes this girl, Elizabeth as having a gentle soul that enjoyed nature for what it was and made his childhood a wonderful and happy one. He also has a friend named Henry Cherval who is like Elizabeth in being the best of humanity.
But Frankenstein doesn't share their contentment with nature and enjoying things because they exist, he wants to know why they exist, how they exist and how he can manipulate nature to better humanity. This desire follows him through life and after the death of his mother, he goes abroad to school to learn more about science.
The science of the story is largely avoided, it is the emotional toll his pursuits take on him that Shelley focuses on and around.
Frankenstein is seventeen when he goes to school and for two years, he neglects his family and friends back in Geneva. He describes himself as being in a maddening frenzy, only working and never venturing beyond his scientific desires. He's nineteen when by chance or accident, he discovers how to reanimate life. He doesn't stop to think what this would mean for the future and he wonders why he didn't start with something smaller or easier of a task. He wants a creature that is enormous, eight feet in height even. He remembers recording the grotesque frame in his journal and how he can't even bear to look at it when it's laying on his table but he doesn't think what will happen when he brings it to life, only that he must bring it to life.
He wastes away, he hardly eats, he hardly sleeps, he only works. Nothing else has meaning to him. The letters his father, Elizabeth, and Henry send him go unanswered.
Finally, one night, he does it. He brings his creation to life and immediately, he's horrified by what he's done. The monster opens his eyes and Frankenstein's madness leaves him and he's aware of the abhorred work he's committed.
He flees from the room and locks himself in his apartment.
In modern retellings of Frankenstein, we're lead to believe that he's this old, mad scientist, locked in a castle, but the reality of it is that he's a nineteen-year-old boy, too smart for his own good and unable to comprehend the consequences of bringing something to life.
His body, spent from months of neglect, falls into a fitful sleep and he awakens to the creature standing over him, hand outstretched as if to hold him.
Frankenstein cries out and again, flees from his creation, leaving it alone in his apartment. He wanders the streets until morning and stumbles upon his old friend, Henry, who is very glad to see him.
Here we see the juxtaposition of Frankenstein's two selves. The old self, born to a happy house, with happy memories, and his new self, mad, delirious, sick in the body as much as in the head.
They go back to Frankenstein's apartment and the creature isn't there anymore. Over a course of months, Frankenstein falls ill and is completely bedridden. Henry cares for him and brings him back to life. Frankenstein can't bare the sight of his scientific instruments and Henry takes great care to remove them and slowly, Frankenstein recovers.
When he's physically able, the pair decide they're going to go home to Geneva. Frankenstein thinks of his creature as a horrible nightmare and prays its expired somewhere out in the elements, it was a harsh winter, its very plausible that what spark of life was in it would have gone out.
But alas, as they approach Geneva, Frankenstein sees the creature among the trees in the forest and knows it's followed him there and the same illness that had befallen him before came back.
Within days, it's reported that his younger brother, William, was murdered, strangled to death in the woods. Everyone is astounded by this, William was described as an angelic child, beautiful and kind and no one can imagine who would do this.
Frankenstein knows but he won't say anything, lest his family think less of him for the abomination he's brought to life.
Through a small investigation, everyone is lead to believe that a girl named Justine is William's murderer. A locket with his mother's picture in it was found in her clothes and she's condemned to death.
Frankenstein doesn't take this well but he still doesn't reveal the existence of the creature and he allows Justine to be executed for the murder of his brother.
It is during this time period that the creature reveals itself to Frankenstein and tells him everything its been up to since their meeting that first night in the apartment.
He's lived wild, in the elements, finding little shelter, food, and no companionship. His figure causes people to flee on sight or attack him and he's thrown into despair as to why. Even Frankenstein, his own creator, the one who willed him into being, fled at the sight of him.
He's spent the majority of his time spying on a small impoverished family. He fetches them firewood at night and does other work for them under the cover of darkness, keeping his existence a secret so that he can have some form of relationship with anyone or anything.
Through this, he learns speech and how to read. He finds 'Paradise Lost' and learns how to speak eloquently. He's extremely intelligent and self-aware which only adds to his emotional suffering.
After months of spying on the family, he reveals himself to them and is agonized to see that they can not look past his form and attack him.
He says he's read Frankenstein's journals and knows that Frankenstein knew him to be grotesque and begs to know the reason why Frankenstein brought him to life even when he could not look at the creature himself.
Frankenstein doesn't have an answer. He's largely a disappointing character.
The monster continues that he stumbled upon William in the forest and thought that he could steal the child for companionship because the child might be able to look past his deformities. But alas, William could not and screamed to be let go, revealing the name of his father and his relation to Frankenstein.
The monster is enraged by this and kills William, almost by accident it would seem. But then he steals the locket and flees. Later, he comes upon Justine sleeping, and through his reading, he's learned to be clever and plants the locket on Justine's person in a way to exact revenge on humanity simply for not having the deformities he has.
He's pleased by the distress this causes Frankenstein and has enjoyed watching the young man's descent into madness. The creature says that it all will be over though if Frankenstein makes him a companion. Someone like the creature, deformed, and grotesque so that he won't be alone. Then he will leave the world of men and go live in exile with a friend.
At first, Frankenstein refuses. He won't do it. He can't stand the thought of touching his instruments again and creating another abomination.
But the creature promises to take from Frankenstein everything if his wish is not fulfilled and finally Frankenstein relents. He will do this for the creature.
In the meantime, Frankenstein is supposed to marry the good and perfect Elizabeth. She's described as the absolute most wonderful creature in the world. There is no imperfection to be found in her.
Before Frankenstein can wed her, however, he must fulfill his duty to the monster and travels to England to do so. Against his wishes, his friend Henry comes with him.
Henry loves traveling, points out the simplicity of enjoying nature for existing, and brings hope and vitality to Frankenstein who sees none of these things and only thinks of his task. He implores Henry to leave him in solitude for some time so that he may work and Henry obliges, here they separate.
Frankenstein works tirelessly, wondering if the creature has followed him to England or if he's stayed back in Geneva and continued his murderous plot against the Frankenstein family.
One night, while Frankenstein is almost done, he sees the creature watching him from a distance and decides that he doesn't want another creature anymore. He can't handle the thought of the consequences of two like the monster and thinks it will ruin all of humanity. So Frankenstein destroys his work in full sight of the creature.
The creature howls in emotional agony and vows vengeance.
Frankenstein sinks his work to the bottom of a lake and immediately falls asleep in his boat.
He awakens on a strange shore and is immediately apprehended as the suspect of a murder.
He's taken into a room with the dead body and there he discovers that the creature has strangled his dear friend, Henry.
Frankenstein again falls into a fever and is bedridden for weeks. It's decided that he didn't murder Henry and he's released into the care of his father. They return to Geneva and his father asks Frankenstein to marry Elizabeth and find hope in his future among all the terrible events that have befallen them.
Frankenstein knows that this will only bring the creature closer and he thinks that by marrying Elizabeth he's dooming himself to mortal combat with the creature.
He decides that this is his fate and he resolves himself to kill the creature the next time it shows itself.
On the day of their wedding, they travel to Lake Como and Frankenstein recounts the voyage as the last time he will ever feel happiness. Elizabeth, like Henry, points out the beauty of nature and the tranquility of existing in said nature. Frankenstein is pulled from his melancholy thoughts and allows himself to enjoy the day with her. But when they land, his anxiety returns and he knows he shall meet the creature that night.
Elizabeth retires early and Frankenstein stays up with a pistol ready to kill.
There's a scream from their room and Frankenstein knows it's too late, he rushes to the room to find Elizabeth there, dead.
A few days later, his father dies, unable to live out the death of so many of his loved ones.
At this, Frankenstein vows revenge on the creature, he will kill it if it's the last thing he does. And so that's where his story takes up with Walton.
He's been pursuing the creature this entire time. Sometimes the creature will leave directions for him, or a meal down the road if he needs food.
They've traveled this far north because the creature wants to torture Frankenstein as much as he can, leaving a note for him saying as much.
The crew wants to turn back and Walton is about to oblige them with Frankenstein rouses their morale with a speech. It's a good speech but he collapses soon after and then dies.
Walton finds him standing over the corpse of Frankenstein, lamenting the loss of his adversary. Walton calls him out on his hypocrisy and says the creature isn't said Frankenstein is dead, he's sad that he no longer has control over the situation.
The creature argues but Walton is steadfast in his feelings. The creature may have started off as something with a soul and feeling but through his actions he's become the monster he appears and Frankenstein is at last at peace and the creature should leave him.
The creature does leave and Walton turns his ship around, leaving all thoughts of glory behind.
So what are we left with?
A surface moral of chasing glory for the sake of glory rather than thinking about the consequences of your quest.
The fear that science, in the 1800s was going too far and man was playing God.
I really enjoyed the constant reminder that whenever Frankenstein would sleep he would find peace and be able to see and converse with his loved ones again. It calls back to Prometheus's torment with his liver eaten every day by an eagle and only to have it grow back every night. Frankenstein loses much strength every day as he pursues his creature and lives in agony but every night, his spirits are lifted and restored in rest and he's able to continue.
His loved ones as well, stand as the guide for what was much of the romantic time period, the almost worship of nature for being nature, shrugging off scientific achievements, being able to fully enjoy their place in the world without needing to go beyond what they could readily see and understand.
It's Frankenstein's passion for the unknown that brings about their ruin and dashes any chance of happiness they once had.
Knowing that this story stemmed from a conversation surrounding Darwin's experiments, one might be able to guess what Shelley was trying to point at as a true moral. But the story is largely lacking in any religious conviction. The monster is referred to as a daemon only a handful of times and never once does anyone consult someone of the clergy.
So rather than thinking it's a religion versus science argument, it's probably safer to guess it's a nature versus trying to control nature argument.
Happiness is found in enjoying nature for what it is and ruin is found in trying to make that nature serve you.
Beautiful work. I would have liked more character development, I think between when Frankenstein goes to school and when he creates the monster, it sort of felt like with a turn of the page, all the sudden he was mad. But isn't that how madness works?
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