Frankenstein Paper

Susanna Barnes

Lessons learned form Frankenstein
Every story has a moral, or sometimes if you look hard enough, there are many different morals within one story. In Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein”, we follow the life of Victor
Frankenstein and his monstrous creation of a man. The novel deals with themes and lessons that are universal and relevant to today’s society. Although there are numerous lessons and morals throughout the story, the most significant themes involve the risks of tampering with nature's unique order, the dangers of neglecting to take responsibility for your actions, and the necessity for human connection of any and every kind.
The risks of tampering with the unique order of nature is evidenced by the creation of the creature and Victor's insistence in testing the parameters of science. Like the old sayings go, "be careful what you wish for", and "do not tempt Karma". When someone attempts to make changes to anything that is already working fine, the chaos is bound to follow. Victor, in a sense, is trying to play God and ends up with a creation he fears and ultimately can’t control. The dangers of ambition are shown in Victor's obsession with creating life. Victor's ambitions become his soul occupation and he soon forgets the wonderful world that surrounds him. "Winter, spring, and summer passed away during my labors; but I did not watch the blossom or the expanding leavessights which before always yielded me supreme delight-so deeply was I engrossed in my occupation" (54). Victor forgets his loved ones, which cause them great sorrow and pain, and although he does not realize it, he is also causing himself deep suffering. It is an entirely different thing to be curious than to directly perpetrate against an organized operating machine such as the human. There is a reason the dead should remain dead.

Because of Victor’s inability to take responsibility for his actions, he loses everything.
Beginning with the loss of his younger brother William, and a loved one named Justine. “I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts” (78). Victor’s creation was his brother’s murderer, and because he couldn’t confess and take responsibility for his monster, Justine was sentenced to death. This is only one example of the many times Victor’s life was changed because he couldn’t take responsibility for his creation. The monster continues to develop a hatred for his creator and in seek of revenge continues to make Victor’s life a living

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