Rivaling Elements in Frankenstein

Enlightenment rationalism and romantic irrationality are pitted against each other early and often in Shelly’s Frankenstein. As stated, beginning with Victor’s character and his desire to break the rules of nature by finding the key to life and death (Enlightenment thought process) against the immorality that Victor’s creation brings.

Shelly’s writing and Victor’s personality as its portrayed throughout the novel suggest that perhaps Shelly questioned the ideals and irrational thinking that Romanticism brought along. With the creation of the monster comes the question of why one should respect the mystery of life and death as a romantic surely would.

While Victor’s character takes, for the most part, a rational and enlightened stand, the monster he creates is quite the opposite. The monster at the conclusion of the novel goes out of his way emotionally to state that despite Victor’s death he so desperately coveted, that he has “nothing left to live for without my creator,” (Shelly 300). In addition, romantic aspects in the monster’s character and actions include his desperate pleading for a companion as well as his murdering of Victor’s brother and wife.

Culturally, the monster and the idea of rivaling Romantic and Enlightenment principles our important in our pop culture era because an event as far fetched as the creation of the monster may not be so irrational at all. As modern day technology expands, once unchallenged societal views are poised to be changed and redefined each day.