Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the idea of techno-science and nature and philosophy is questioned. The main message about techno-science throughout the book is the importance of knowledge and learning. The entire story revolves around this creature who travels and ‘lives’ by learning of his/it’s surroundings, environment, and cultures in which will help him survive in the world. The creator, Victor, also goes through his life story about how he learned from his own creation, which includes a few deaths in his family and friends, and how it shaped his decisions. This comes into play for the question about whether or not this is a cautionary tale. One specific quote from the book that pin points this very subject is the last few words that Victor speaks before he dies, “That he should be an instrument of mischief disturbs me;…Seek happiness in tranquility, and avoid ambition, even if it be the only apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries. Yet why do I say this? I have myself been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed” (Shelley, 187). This would be considered as a major argument of the “caution” in this novel. Shelley indirectly warns readers throughout this book how techno-science is something to be carefully dealt with, for there will be consequences if not. There are many interesting ideas to techno-science but even the slightest disregard to the importance of learning with and from these ideas could create problems. Like in Frankenstein, when Shelley shows us how the creator lost control of his creation from his lack of interest with continuing his work. If the creator had continued to help the creature learn with him and discover the world rather than forget about him and let him off into the environment on his own, things would have been much different. Most likely the creature wouldn’t have killed those other people and would have had a better understanding of relationships and the culture of the people. The creature’s regrets of his life choices reflect the regrets of the creator, which connected the two characters in the end.