The Pursuit Of Technology In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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During the early 19th century, Englishmen in the middle class were going through dramatic changes in industrialization and technology. Methods of mass production, factories, and inventions such as the steam engine took Britain by storm resulting in a greater economy but including a poorer way of life for the middle class. The evolution of man and machine injected a fear into the working class for they believed machine would eventually replace man. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein “showed them that their fear was justified” (Schneider). With her novel, Shelley distinguishes a thin line between using technology for the welfare and abusing technology ending with catastrophe. The protagonist Victor has always had a strong sense of ardor for the “physical
Unchecked ambition seems to project at the heart of the novel, as Victor tries to surpass set human boundaries to the secret of life. Additionally, Robert Walton attempts to surmount the known regions of the world and uncover a route to the North pole. Victor’s strong ambition led him on a path to scientific discovery which he “had desired with an ardour that far exceeded moderation” (Shelley 42). Going beyond the known boundaries of human technology, Victor overstepped his ambition when he accomplished creating new life. Victor was devastated with “breathless horror and disgust” as the “beauty of [his] dream vanished” when he saw the grotesque being he created (Shelley 42). His ardour proves dangerous when the creature eventually destroys everyone Victor loved and drives him towards his death. In Robert Walton’s case, he has the desire to travel to unexplored regions and distinguish a path to the North Pole. Walton considers “there’s a love for the marvellous which hurries [him] out of the common pathways of men” thus his eagerness to travel north (Shelley 7). Sometime later in his voyage, Walton and his crew find themselves enclosed in sheets of ice in uncharted waters with low hopes of survival. Luckily Walton decides to depart from his treacherous mission with Victor as an example for how destructive ambition can be. With high aspirations and endeavors, one can discover their future to fill with defeat, as seen with Victor and

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