Blade Runner vs Frankenstein

Frankenstein VS Blade Runner

A comparative study of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner reveals a shared focus on the problems in scientific development of humanity in its tendency to fear aspects of the unknown and ‘the other’, even within its own creations. Each text is depicted around the context of the author and their own fears of the ultimate destination of civilization when nature is dislocated by mankind.

In Frankenstein, Shelley presents an emotional, obsessive scientific experiment in the form of the creature, made from human flesh and body parts, who is ignored by his creator Victor Frankenstein due to his horrifying aesthetic appearance. The fear of what he has created tends to haunt Victor throughout the story which is shown through Victor’s travels. Despite his outward unattractive experience, the creature is actually a being of integrity and goodwill, driven to acts of violence by a lack of acceptance and compassion from society and his creator. Victor, being scared of the product of his own hands, blocks out all notions of guilt and responsibility for what he has done and instead focuses on his creation as the embodiment of all evil. The difference between the two is evident - while Victor truly fears the creature, the creature is disgusted by him and resents Victor for his rejection: “You cannot despise me more than I despise myself”. This scene reveals the creature as an intelligent and emotional being, and represents the contrast between the two characters, where the monster shows human senses and compassion while Victor, being the actual human, conceals all characteristics which define him as a human, heightening the loss of identity in society. Shelly explores the problems in scientific development portrayed around the responsibilities of mankind and their creations which describe several aspects of fear in the creator’s mind.

The full value of Frankenstein in a modern, Western context is realised when...