Free Essays on Frankenstein: Morality and Responsibility in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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Morality in Frankenstein

With the cloning of life forms and genetic engineering now commonplace, the question of the morality of the actions of Dr. Frankenstein is now more important than ever. Perhaps the novel Frankenstein contains lessons that can be applied in today’s technologically advanced world. It was Dr. Victor Frankenstein's opinion that it was morally acceptable to give life to his creation. Frankenstein's creation then needed a companion. Knowing that his first creation was evil, should the doctor make a second? Even with the knowledge at hand Dr. Frankenstein decides that it is not at all morally correct to bring another monster into the world.

***Generally, try to avoid using questions in a formal paper.

Looking at this problem with his family in mind, the doctor begins his work on the second monster. The first monster threatened Frankenstein and even his family. The monster angrily said to Frankenstein, "I can make you so wretched" (162). Trying to scare Frankenstein for not creating his mate, the monster resorted to threats. If the good doctor does create a companion for his first creation, he may be endangering others. Victor looks at his work and calls it "the miserable monster whom I had created" (152). If there is another monster, there will be twice the power and possibly twice the evil, which could hurt or kill his family. When and if Frankenstein commits the moral sin of creating another monster, he may be rid of both monsters forever. "With the companion you bestow I will quit the neighbourhood of man," (142) promises the morally corrupt monster to the doctor upon the completion of his partner. There is a chance that the monsters will not keep their promise and stay in Europe, evoking fear into the townsfolk.

***This paragraph is a little bit hard to follow. I think the problem is with the “if” statements. It would help to reword them as definite statements, because in the novel they already happened. Also, the last sentence doesn’t seem to fit into the flow of the paragraph.

The good doctor, trying to act morally, destroys the monster for the good of the world. The monsters can potentially take over whatever they please. "A race of devils would be propagated,"(163) thinks Frankenstein to himself in his study. The monsters, if powerful enough, could possibly take over Europe. Frankenstein realizes that he can not possibly doom the world to benefit himself.

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