Mod a

Insightful texts contain universal ideas which enable them to remain relevant in different contextual periods. The contextual disparity between Mary Shelley’s response to the emergence of Industrialisation in her 1818 gothic novel, Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s response to rapidly rising American capitalism in his 1992 film-noir Blade Runner, explore the thematic concerns of human behaviour over time. Whilst conceived in their respective contexts, both texts highlight the dangers of scientific hubris and the dehumanising exploitation of the natural world for rampant technological industrialisation. Shelley and Scott reveal their society’s concerns through anchoring their vision in the social and cultural realities of their time.
The question of whether Victor or the creature displays more qualities in terms of humanity is frequently evoked throughout Frankenstein. The industrial revolutions is reflected as Shelley conveys the concerns of her time, the consequences of disregarding human moral and ethics for the sake of scientific advancement. The Monster’s grotesque diabolical imagery, “straight black lips” and alliterated “unearthly ugliness”, results in the rejection by society and the abandonment by his creator, “disgust filled by heart, I rushed out of the room” revealing Victor’s ignorance and lack of responsibility. Shelley develops the creature’s human qualities through eloquent speech and his ability to gain sympathy from the audience by the desire for companionship. The powerful personification “the cold stars shone in mockery” represents the creature’s range of emotions involving loneliness, isolation and rejection. In contrast with Victor, the creation is illustrated as more human than its creator on the basis that Victor fails to take appropriate paternal care. This juxtaposition dehumanises the protagonist, embedding the contextual uprising of the lower class in the French Revolution to highlight mankind’s inability to reciprocate basic human...