Before we start, I would like to note that “Frankenstein” is the name of the scientist, not the monster. Although the creature is sometimes called “Adam Frankenstein” – the first name being a reference to the biblical man, Who was created from Clay by God; the last name referencing the fact that the monster is Frankenstein’s “child” – by the some people, it was never referred as such in the novel.
The novel Frankenstein is considered the first gothic novel – a literary genre intended to induce intense emotions on the reader, specially fear – set outside the Middle Ages as well as the first true science fiction story; this isn’t that surprinsing when you learn that Mary Shelley, the author of the book, was associated with both the Romantic and the Enlightenment movements.
Shelley was just eighteen years old when she wrote what would become a classic. The Idea for the story, like of many other horror stories, came from a nightmare; what is appropriate, considering that the lifes of both scientist and monster become nightmares trough the course of the story.
The subtitle of the novel, “The Modern Prometheus”, is a reference to the Greek myth of the eponymous titan that steals fire, a holy element, from the gods and gives it to humanity. This subtitle refers to the role of the doctor Victor Frankenstein, who, by creating the monster, “steals” the Power of giving life from Nature. The result of his trickery is a foul creature, a being so abominable that our hero can barely look at. However, it must be noticed that Adam isn’t the sole monster here. Instead of assuming responsibility for his creation, who just wanted to be loved, Victor shuns him and forces him to leave his house, solely because Adam wasn’t good looking.
The monster is then attacked by everyone who meets him, out of prejudice against his appearance. Embittered by this miserable existence, the creature decides to make the life of his creator just as bad as his own. The resto f the story is a great conflict between creator and creation, with Adam killing everyone Victor loves and Victor finally deciding to end this.
The relevance of “Frankenstein” to modern days comes from its social commentary about the ethics of science: How far are we allowed to go in the name of progress and the quest for knowledge? Whenever scientists meddle with Biology, people say they are “playing God”, just like our “hero”. In fact, “Frankenstein food” is even a pejorative name used to refer to genetically altered food, implying they are dangerous to humans.
Another topic raised by the novel is the concept of artificial life. WHat will happen when robots become inteligent enough to be considered “living”, sentient beings? Will we be prepared for that? Whatever the case, we must learn from Frankenstein’s mistakes and assume responsibilities of our meddlings.
