The consequences of one’s actions reflect who they are. Without consequences, our actions are meaningless. Jurassic Park, written by Michael Crichton, and Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, both focus on the creation of life, scientific innovations, and excess knowledge. Hammond and Frankenstein do not think of the result of their creation and pay for it later. Both of these science-fiction novels explore the consequences of scientific innovations. Although Hammond cherishes his creation and Frankenstein despises his, both men neglect to think ahead and cause their projects to destroy their lives by killing the surrounding people and, in the end, destroying them. Hammond falls in love with his making while Frankenstein deals with an internal …show more content…
In Michael Crichton’s book, Jurassic Park, John Hammond comments on his park saying that, “if there had been problems here, then the next time they would solve those problems. That was how progress occurred. By solving problems” (Crichton 427). In other words, Hammond is saying that there was never a problem and anything that went wrong was the guests fault. He urges that he will build another park, which could be even more catastrophic. Hammond is thinking of these people like guinea pigs in his experiment. By focusing on his park and what people think of it, Hammond overlooks the deeper problems of not knowing the safety and location of his grandchildren and the fact that people are dying on his park. Both men think of the pleasure their creation will bring them and avoid acknowledging the real problem completely. His process of creating a monster coming to an end, Victor Frankenstein becomes hopeful saying, “My labours would soon end, and I believed that exercise and amusement would then drive away incipient disease; and I promised myself both of these when my creation should be complete” (Shelley 54). In making this comment, Victor urges us to believe that his creation will bring enjoyment and creating it would be the worst part. Victor still working, even though he is sick, and his claim of being …show more content…
Crichton describes Hammond’s death as, “Hammond felt only a slight pain, very slight, as the compy, bent to chew his neck” (Crichton 441). As a result of not planning and thinking through Hammond creates the very animals that kill him. I agree with the theory made by Ian Malcolm, the mathematician Hammond hires to assess his park, that the park will not work and never will, a point that needs emphasizing since Hammond still believes that the park is a success, even up to his death. Hammond’s death is not honorable, he could have been killed by a giant T-Rex, but was killed by a compy, a chicken-sized dinosaur, while he was trying to hide in his condo. As a result of poor planning both men die feeling alone. Walton, the man Victor is telling his story to, explains Frankenstein’s demise to his sister saying, “He pressed my hand feebly, and his eyes closed forever, while the irradiation of a gentle smile passed away from his lips” (Shelley 215). Unlike Hammond, Victor still hated his creation and asked Walton to kill it before he died. The death of Victor’s family caused him so much agony that he died of grief. To avenge his family Victor ventured many miles to kill the monster, which was another reason for his death. Both the monster and Victor dying sad and alone is extremely useful because it sheds light on the fact that the creation of life is good for no one. Hammond still believing in his
By attempting to create life and messing with the natural order of the world, Victor loses his connection to the earth and eventually ends up as a shell of what he once was. No matter how hard he tried to redeem himself, he could no longer be one with nature. The creature that Victor creates by using the malicious techniques of science actually starts out to nature than Victor himself. The Creature recognizes the wonders of nature and finds temporary happiness in his closeness to the world. He turns away the peace given to him by nature just to satisfy his desire for revenge, and becomes a broken being. Mary Shelley demonstrates in Frankenstein what happens if someone strays too far from nature. Shelley purposely shows the destructive nature of science in her novel to highlight the strife that her society was going through. Her society, disillusioned by war and the devastation that new technologies caused, wanted to go back to their roots in nature, and her novel pushes at that idea. Shelley’s example of Victor’s and the Creature’s downfall warns us of the dangers and temptations of science. Even now, people are constantly enraptured by the possibilities that science and technology offer, while neglecting their duties towards nature and the
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, a very gory story, can also be seen a romantic piece within having characteristics, such as celebration of the individual, importance of imagination, strong emotions, and an awe of nature. Within the piece there is many references to how one comments on the accomplishments and achievements of another or themselves, also known as the celebration of an individual. An example of how Frankenstein uses the celebrations of individual is when Frankenstein, himself, talks about his achievements of how fast his experiments turned out. He talks about his success, by staying, “ As I applied so closely, it may be easily conceived that my progress was rapid ” (chapter four). By saying, “applied” it shows that he is saying
Not since Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, has an author captured such a theme in their work in a way that is magical and captivates the reader. Michael Crichton's science fiction novel Jurassic Park portrays what happens when man plays God: his imperfections cause things to go terribly wrong. The story's, plot, setting, point of view and characterization all add to an atmosphere of fear and raise readers' consciousness about the consequences of doing so.
The creations from both Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son are created by the hand of man, and are created human, therefore subject to the same propensities as any natural-born person. In both novels, the creators overstep their bounds as 'Modern Prometheuses,' a title assigned by Frankenstein creator, Mary Shelley. Victor Frankenstein of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Victor Helios of Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son assume that, as creators, they have the authority to control their creations, but as versions of Prometheus, they bestow the capacity for individualism that allowed their creations to escape control.
Although humans have the tendency to set idealistic goals to better future generations, often the results can prove disastrous, even deadly. The tale of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, focuses on the outcome of one man's idealistic motives and desires of dabbling with nature, which result in the creation of horrific creature. Victor Frankenstein was not doomed to failure from his initial desire to overstep the natural bounds of human knowledge. Rather, it was his poor parenting of his progeny that lead to his creation's thirst for the vindication of his unjust life. In his idealism, Victor is blinded, and so the creation accuses him for delivering him into a world where he could not ever be entirely received by the people who inhabit it. Not only failing to foresee his faulty idealism, nearing the end of the tale, he embarks upon a final journey, consciously choosing to pursue his creation in vengeance, while admitting he himself that it may result in his own doom. The creation of an unloved being and the quest for the elixir of life holds Victor Frankenstein more accountable for his own death than the creation himself.
In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley intertwines an intricate web of allusions through her characters' insatiable desires for knowledge. Both the actions of Frankenstein, as well as his creature allude to John Milton?s epic poem Paradise Lost. The legendary Fall of Adam and Eve introduced the knowledge of good and evil into a previously immaculate world. In one split second sin was birthed, and the perfection of the earth was swept away, leaving anguish and iniquity in its ramification. The troubles of Victor Frankenstein began with his quest for knowledge, and, end where both pieces end: death.
As time goes on, many things tend to change, and then they begin to inherit completely different images. Over the years, the character, created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s famous novel, has changed dramatically. The monster, regularly called “Frankenstein,” has been featured in numerous films, such as Frankenweenie and Edward Scissorhands. Although, the characters in today’s pop culture and the monster in the well-known 1800’s novel have similarities, they are actually very different. The many similarities and differences range from the character’s physical traits and psychological traits, the character’s persona, and the character’s place in the Gothic style.
While history often views the story of Frankenstein as little more than a horror story about a monster, it is obviously much more. It is a tale that explores the darker side of mankind, loneliness, guilt, sorrow and above all the dangers of manipulating nature. The bounties that humanity has reaped through the works of science have indeed been great, but the consequences of some such discoveries can be far greater.
Free will is an inherited ability everyone obtains from birth. This ability allows humans or any living being the freedom to act on their own behalf without being influenced or forced by an external medium. However, this fragile, yet powerful capability is susceptible of being misused that may result in unsavory consequences to the one at fault. In Paradise Lost and Frankenstein, both texts feature powerful figures who bequeathed the characters in focus, the freedom to do whatever they desire in their lives. Satan and Adam and Eve from Paradise Lost, and the monster from Frankenstein are given their free will from their creators, all encounter unique scenarios and obstacles in their respective texts however, have distinctions in how they handle
Frankenstein and Paradise Lost Striking similarities between a duo of novels are not unusual. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, deals with a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who embodies a creature, who eventually wreaks havoc on his life. The novel Lost Paradise, by John Milton, exposes the cruelty of Christianity or the Christian God within the characters God, Satan, Adam, and Eve. Victor Frankenstein and God have many similarities, as they are both creators of incarnations. Victor's creature, known as the monster, shows striking similarities with Satan and Adam.
Although some critics say that the monster Victor has created is to blame for the destruction and violence that follow the experiment, it is Victor who is the responsible party. First, Victor, being the scientist, should have known how to do research on the subject a lot more than he had done. He obviously has not thought of the consequences that may result from it such as the monster going crazy, how the monster reacts to people and things, and especially the time it will take him to turn the monster into the perfect normal human being. This is obviously something that would take a really long time and a lot of patience which Victor lacks. All Victor really wants is to be the first to bring life to a dead person and therefore be famous. The greed got to his head and that is all he could think about, while isolating himself from his friends and family. In the play of Frankenstein, when Victor comes home and sets up his lab in the house, he is very paranoid about people coming in there and finding out what he is doing. At the end of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Victor says:
After Frankenstein discovered the source of human life, he became wholly absorbed in his experimental creation of a human being. Victor's unlimited ambition, his desire to succeed in his efforts to create life, led him to find devastation and misery. "...now that I have finished, the beauty of the dream had vanished..." (Shelley 51). Victor's ambition blinded him to see the real dangers of his project. This is because ambition is like a madness, which blinds one self to see the dangers of his actions. The monster after realizing what a horror he was demanded that victor create him a partner. "I now also began to collect the materials necessary for my new creation, and this was like torture..." (Shelley 169). Victor's raw ambition, his search for glory, has left him. His eyes have been opened to see his horrible actions, and what have and could become of his creations. As a result, Victor has realized that he is creating a monster, which could lead to the downfall of mankind. His choice is simple, save his own life or save man.
Since the beginning of time man has been infatuated with the idea of pushing the human body to its limits by the use of science. The Space program is the best example of science helping humans accomplish things never before thought possible. In the age of technology and scientific advancement ideas that once seemed like science fiction, for example people walking on the moon, are now a reality. In order to push human development, ethics and morals have been pushed to the side. Necessary evils have been accepted as part of science without a second thought. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, plays God by creating a monster out of body parts and bringing it to life. When Frankenstein realizes the full extent to what he’s done, he abandons the monster leaving it confused and lonely. The monster then
The pop culture version of the novel Frankenstein depicts Victor Frankenstein’s need for science and creation, a need that results in him creating a monster. An ingenious and inventive scientist, Victor mastered everything he learned from his professors. Unfortunately, he ultimately created something he regrets and pays for until the day he dies. Victor Frankenstein takes his interest in science and creation to an unhealthy and extreme level, and plays God. In playing this God figure over his creation, he creates this being with no intentions of giving it love or happiness. He is selfish and creates it for himself, and he brings the unliving to life out of old used parts.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are two horrific tales of science gone terribly wrong. Shelley?s novel eloquently tells the story of a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who creates a living monster out of decomposed body parts, while Stevenson?s novel describes the account of one, Henry Jekyll, who creates a potion to bring out the pure evil side to himself. Although the two scientists differ in their initial response and action to their creations, there are strong similarities between their raging curiosity to surpass human limitation, as well as their lack of responsibility concerning their actions. These similarities raise an awareness of human limitation in the realm of science: the further the two scientists go in their experiments, the more trouble and pain they cause to themselves and to others.