In class we discussed the commentary on reason that Shelley is trying to make by writing this novel. It is important to note that prior to the time period in which Shelley wrote this novel the driving force in people’s lives and understanding of the world was their religious beliefs. Religion served as a check against people’s passions and kept the morality of individuals, as well as the whole, in check. During the age of reason, however, people started to turn towards science and away from religion. In Frankenstein, Shelley uses this dichotomy that exists between passion and reason to demonstrate the dangers of both. The danger of both reason and passion is that they block individuals from doing what is morally right and, as a result, they are punished in Shelley's novel. Frankenstein submits to passion and uses reason to create the monster, a totally unnatural being, who by even his own admission has no place in this world. By Frankenstein impiety in his attempts to use science to play God, he has created the very unholy being that will be his undoing. On the same vein, the monster seems to have a strong ability to reason but is completely unable to control his passions and is continually committing heinous acts, like slaughtering numerous innocent people. Again, a being without God (since he was created by something that was not God nor in a way that God intended) cannot and should not exist in Shelley's world as there are extreme dangers through such a "miserable existence."
posted by Zach at 11:47 PM
2 Comments:
There's definitely some kind of interplay between passion and reason, just as you say. I wonder if Victor ever is the 'voice of reason', for its seems he's mostly controlled by his passions. At times scientists are portrayed as being almost too rationale, even heartless or without conscience. I didn't notice it as much when reading, but its intriguing Shelley created a scientist that instead leads by emotion rather than reason.
The Monster as a "being without God" is a great point. Perhaps his being created by unordained processes means he exists outside of the realm of spirtuality? Shelley hints at the Monster's afterlife at the end of the novel, as the Monster cries "My spirit will sleep in peace; or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus" (156 Shelley). This line suggests both the traditional idea of a soul's final resting spot and also, with the interesting choice of "think" to describe a being's consciousness, some other spritual philosophy unknown to me.
I disagree with this. I think that Shelly is specifically attacking passions only, and is contradicting that views of Romantics. Even though Frankensteint uses resaon to create a monster it is his passion that pushes him to completing it. His passion to complete the monster blinds him from using his reason to consider the consequences of his actions. While creating the soncd monster his reason intervenes and saves him frpm making the same mistake twice.
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