Frankenstein and Industrial Revolution

Frankenstein and Industrial Revolution

Mary Shelley had many different influences when writing the novel, Frankenstein. One idea that is expressed throughout the story is the notion of false hope, which was influenced by important events of the time period in which the novel was written. This key element is very significant to the effect that the story has on readers. Progression had a big impact on the peoples' views, and their general attitudes. The author paralleled the events of the revolution to important incidents involving the creature. Shelley used pathos to present the idea of false optimism, expressing the consequences of both the scientific and technological advances of the Industrial Revolution by the recurring conflicts of Frankenstein and his creature.

There were many new scientific ideas that had arisen at the time of Frankenstein which fueled the Industrial Revolution. In the story, Frankenstein combined modern and ancient sciences to proceed with his experiment. He said "no one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success. Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds..." (Shelley 58). This shows how the scientific world was exploring the unknown, and how the vast possibilities evoked fear and uncertainty. Victor explored all types of sciences in an effort to finally achieve his goal and create life. The creation turned out to be a horrific obscenity which only inflicted great emotional pain upon the creator, and filled his world with despair. Shelley used pathos to evoke sympathy, using this ironic outcome as the facilitator. Another idea that was brought up by renewed scientific thinking was the concept of mechanization. With the Industrial Revolution, "there arose the belief that mechanical principles governed all phenomena" (Tropp 53). Shelley's "fear of the consequences of attempting to copy the "mechanism" of nature set her apart from her contemporaries " (54). With her strong belief in the superiority of the creator over the creations, Shelley challenged the idea that human labor could be replaced by machinery. This view is expressed in the story in the sense that Frankenstein was eventually punished for his attempt to create life and arrogate the role of the creator. Although the scientific advances proved to be very effective in expressing Shelley's point, they were not the only components used in doing so.

Shelley