Frankenstein Essay, Research Paper
The classic idea of a man trying to create an another human being from scratch in order to achieve something great is one that is portrayed in both literature and film. In Mary Shelly?s Frankenstein, a theme of creation with no compassion, for personal gain without thinking about the implications is portrayed through the eyes of Victor and his monstrous creation. In the film Edward Scissors Hands, this idea of creation with capassion is played out much the same as it is in Frankenstein, but in this film a creature is made for companionship of the creator and the creator is more loving as a result. As a result of the two different motives of the creators the creatures develop different personalities and these personalities affect the rest of their lives.
Mary Shelly portrays Victor to be an obsessed and over achieving scientist who wants to create this being because no has ever done it before. But Victor does not take into account the implications of creating a ?super human? from pieces of other bodies. Through out Victor?s childhood he was very interested in all aspects of science, from the working of nature to the laws and properties of physics and chemistry. As he grew older he grew more introverted and buried in his work. When he started to assemble his ?super human? he was all consumed and did not actually think about what he was doing; this resulted in a less than well thought out plan. Victor had failed to think about how the rest of the world would perceive this being that had never made before. Would they embrace it, condemn it or just plain ignores it? Victor was just thinking about himself and how he could further science for his own gain. Once his creation was finished and victor gave life to him, he did not know what to expect and when the creature turned out to be a hideous monster he thought he had failed and did not want to be around his new creation. Victor had not prepared himself for what might happen and when the being turned out to be a huge, grotesque, unintelligent being, be shunned it away and wanted nothing to with his repulsive being.
Since the creature was so new to the world and had no idea of what to do say, Victor needed to be a father figure and show him the ways of the world, but he was not. Victor was so dazed and confused by what he had done, he just fled and tried to get as far away from his creation as possible. As a result of victor not being around, the creature had to fend for himself and learn how the world worked on his own. During this time the creature became very adept at surviving in the wild with no one?s
In the film, Edward Scissors Hands by Tim Burton, the main character Edward is brought up by an old man who is lonely and needs some companionship, but Edward, like Victor?s creation, has many physical abnormalities and was made without thinking about the consequences. Edward first off, has scissors for hands, he also is pure white, has many scars and has jet-black hair. Edward?s childhood was fairly out of the ordinary. His master was an old man who needed company, so Edward never left the house and was taught what he needed to know by the old man. Edward was shy and introverted to begin with, so never leaving the house made him even more timid and less adapted to the outside world. The main difference between Edward and victor?s monster is that Edward was raised with love. This love made Edward into a kind and gentle person who knew nothing of evil and killing. But on the other hand Ed was not schooled in the ways of the world like the creature, and this would come back to haunt Ed. Once Edward?s master died, Ed was forced to go out into the world and fend for himself. Much like the creature in Frankenstein, Ed was shunned by the public for his looks, and he was beside himself. Since he had no idea of how society functioned he hopeless and alone, but since he was raised in a loving and stimulating environment he was not prone to violence like the creature in Frankenstein. But the consequences of having a being who is not human come back to haunt Ed as well, he can not function like a normal person and in the end this got him killed, just like the creature in Frankenstein.
Creating a human being unnaturally whether it be for personal achievement and gain or for companionship just does not work. Even if the creature is raised in a loving and stimulating environment they are still doomed because they are not ?normal? and when the public finds something abnormal they tend to try and get rid of it to keep a balance of normalcy in their society.