Elsa Lang Lively

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein brings to attention several thought-provoking concepts such as the nature of mankind, humans as created beings, and humans’ desire for spouses.  While Shelley provides one viewpoint of how these concepts can influence humans’ decisions, the Bible also provides a different application of these concepts according to God’s purpose for creation.

Frankenstein’s monster was created for the sole purpose of scientific advancement.  Victor Frankenstein spent years studying the origins of life and ways in which it could be replicated using science.  During his years at university in Geneva, he poured over books and research, soaking up the knowledge that his professors passed on to him about modern science.  His ability to bring another being into existence was a result of study and toils over the course of several years.  Since his goal of creating another living being had captivated him entirely, Frankenstein’s communication with his family back home suffered tremendously.  He was unable to both devote time to caring for his already living family and his scientific achievement that was not yet alive.

Frankenstein did want to prove his childhood curiosities about the nature of life to be true through the fulfillment of his experiment to replicate life; however, he might have been also motivated by the desire to contribute to the betterment of mankind through his findings.  If he was able to create life from the remains of living people, he could have applied his knowledge to extending life for those who had ailing health.

In contrast, the Creator of the Universe was already fully aware of his power as Creator.  He did not need to develop His knowledge base in order to bring life as we know it into being because He himself created the ability to possess knowledge.  God did not create the universe and mankind in order to prove anything to Himself.  Instead, He created the world and mankind in order to be glorified by His creation and to demonstrate His love.  He knew exactly what He was doing when He created the universe.  His creation was by no means an experiment.  “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Victor Frankenstein as a creator was very driven by his scientific pursuits.  It could be said that his ambitions to apply his knowledge completely overtook him and caused him to become a different person who was estranged from his family.  As some people lust after power and wealth, Frankenstein chased after knowledge and the application of science.  Even though his childhood was greatly influenced by the beauty of the Swiss outdoors, he traded in his experiences among the natural, existing world for experimentation indoors that left him feeling troubled and drained of energy.

Victor always had goals of some sort throughout the entire story.  As a young student, he applied himself through scientific experimentation.  After his monster began to murder those who he loved back home, his attentions turned towards pacifying the monster by creating a spouse for him.  Once he abandoned those plans, however, he devoted himself to protecting his love Elizabeth and awaiting his own death.  Once Elizabeth was killed by the monster, Frankenstein spent the rest of his life committed to avenging the deaths of William, Justine, Clerval, and ultimately, Elizabeth.  Throughout the entire story, he was never a passive character, but instead was very driven by his goals.

Frankenstein’s monster had the same nature as that of an ordinary human being, as far as emotions and rationale are concerned.  He learned very quickly from his surroundings, becoming very observant of language and human behavior in only several years.  He did not resemble any human physically, and was therefore rejected and abhorred by society.  When the monster first came into existence, he first experienced rejection by his own creator, who wanted nothing to do with him after his experiment proved successful.  Faced with rejection and hate from everyone that the monster came in contact with, he turned against mankind as a whole.  This caused his once innocent nature to be spoiled with the infectious idea of revenge, and his hate resulted in the deaths of Frankenstein’s loved ones.  The monster was very much a product of his environment, basing his actions and thought process on what society subjected him to.

God as Creator is perfect in nature and therefore, never the source of blame for sin on earth.  Because God is caring and the only source of unconditional love, He never leaves His children in time of trouble.  He even sent Jesus to die for all of humanity because He wanted to be able to spend an eternity with those who choose to live for Him.  He designs all of His creations with the utmost care, and not one of His creations is a mistake or unworthy of love in God’s sight.  Psalm 139:13-16 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Humans, as creations of God, were designed to live in paradise and enjoy God’s presence.  As a result of sin entering into the world, every human is born with a sin nature that seeks to please self rather than God.  Because of the magnitude of man’s sin, humans are not righteous enough to enter the kingdom of God based on merit alone.  This is why humans as creations of God still depend upon His grace and mercy in order to be able to have eternal life with Him in Heaven and live life on earth with the goal of serving the Creator.

When Victor Frankenstein finally succeeded in bringing the monster to life, he was terrified and haunted by the capabilities that the monster possessed and by his gruesome appearance.  Therefore, he fled from his creation, leaving the monster to learn to adapt to life on his own and rejecting that which he had brought into the world.  Even though the monster pursued Frankenstein and attempted to reason with him and have a connection with his maker, Frankenstein still continued to shun his creation out of fear and disgust.  Ultimately, Frankenstein sought to kill the monster after he murdered Elizabeth and stole away his very last source of joy in the world.  He vowed not to rest until he had taken vengeance upon the monster.

The monster began his life wanting to have a relationship with his master in some shape or form.  When he was spurned by Frankenstein, however, he sought to experience a human relationship by observing a French family living in the mountains.  Once they reacted violently against him, the monster began to hate his creator for creating him in such a way that he was forced to be rejected by society for the rest of his life.  This is why he turned upon Frankenstein and began to murder those who were closest to him, including his family, friends, and wife.  When the monster could not have a relationship with his creator or any other living being, he vowed to inflict the same kind of pain and loss upon his creator himself.

When God created mankind, His goal was to be able to live in close intimacy with His creation without the separation caused by sin and disobedience.  He wanted His creation to be able to fully experience His love and for them to worship Him.  After the fall of man, God still did not abandon His creation, although they fully deserved to be damned because of their disobedience and failing to follow God’s plan for their lives.  Instead, He revealed Himself through other humans, presenting His commands and providing a way for humans to follow Him.  Above all, Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world, allowing those who choose to believe in God to experience salvation.  Although mankind turned away from God, He never turned His back on His creation.

Humans broke trust between God and man in the Garden of Eden, which was the start of years of man-made barriers between the Creator and His creation.  Humans as a whole do not always strive to please God and serve Him through their actions.  Some humans shun God completely, despite all that He has done to provide love and salvation for them.  Others decide to follow God and obey His commands.  Yet even those who believe in God and seek a relationship with Him cannot have a perfect, righteous relationship with Him here on earth.  Due to the sin nature of humans, perfection and complete understanding with God can only be achieved in Heaven.  This means that humans must learn to obey God to the best of their abilities while on earth, but wait until eternal life in Heaven to have the perfect relationship with Him that they desire.

Both Frankenstein and his monster feel the need to have a spouse throughout the course of the story.  Frankenstein’s need for a spouse is largely a result of his upbringing.  He grew up with his “cousin” Elizabeth and was given the idea from his parents early on in life that he should marry her in order to unite the family and bring happiness to the parents.  Many of Frankenstein’s fondest memories included times spent with Elizabeth.  When things started to go awry with the monster, Frankenstein longed even more than before to be married to Elizabeth despite the current circumstances.  Near the end, Frankenstein realized that since everything in his life has gone completely wrong, he wanted to be able to experience joy with Elizabeth and bring her comfort before the monster took his life.

The monster sought a spouse because he was rejected by all other forms of humanity.  Like other humans, the monster craved relationships with other humans.  When these relationships and human contact were denied to him, he demanded to be given a spouse who matched him in physical grotesqueness.  He was not as concerned with his physical attraction to a spouse as he just wanted someone to fill a void in his life.  Unlike Frankenstein, however, he was not as fortunate to find a spouse and be married.  Instead, he was forced to live out the rest of his days in solitude.

When God created mankind, he recognized the need for man to have a helper or mate in his life.  “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him’” (Genesis 2:18).  God did not create humans to live lonely lives but instead wired them to pursue relationships and have human contact.  Not only this, but He also put the desire for finding a spouse within the hearts of both men and women.  Earthly marriage is a representation of the unity between Christ and His church.

Shelley’s account of Frankenstein and his monster demonstrate the need for humans to fulfill their role as creations.  God is the only true Creator who is capable of bringing new life into the world.  Humans are called to obey and serve Him as Lord, abiding in His steadfast love for His creation, as He is the Author of Life.