Frankenstein and Bladeruner

Analyse how Frankenstein and Blade Runner imaginatively portray individuals who challenge the established values of their times.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner both portray characters that challenge the values of their times. Both composers aim to raise questions about the values of their society, such as the abuse of nature, man playing god and the importance of nurture.
Shelley was greatly influenced by the Romantic Movement and this is shown in Frankenstein. The Romantic Movement reiterated the appreciation for the beauty of nature and its perfection. This is shown through the vast difference between the ugliness of the creature and the beauty of man and other natural sights. This is shown when Shelley writes “the unsustained snowy mountain-top, the glittering pinnacle...they gathered round me and bade me be at peace” to show the respect for nature that the Romantic Movement had instilled in Shelley. This is further highlighted in “never did I behold a vision so horrible as his face, of such loathsome yet appalling hideousness” to show the vast difference between the beauty created by nature and the monstrosities created by man. The character of Victor Frankenstein shows the complete disregard for nature and the dangers this presented in time the novel was written. These messages of the importance of the environment are also present in the dystopic world of Bladerunner. In Los Angeles 2019, the resources of the earth have dried up and the human population is encouraged to settle in the “off-world” colonies. The opening scenes of the film show a murky, dim world with constant acid rain and spontaneous bursts of flames. This environmental warning comes from an era of “Reaganism”, where big businesses flourish at the expense of nature, encouraged by President Reagan. The destroyed world depicted in Bladerunner is designed to show the viewer the dangers of ruing the beauty of nature for their own selfish gain. The mixed-up street...