Frankenstein - Ideologies of Fire as Knowledge and Creation

Frankenstein is a diverse novel that confronts the reader with many different ideas and themes. Critics have described the text in many different, depending on their reading of the book. These include as a political allegory, an observation of human accountability, feminism, social prejudices and alienation, and even a narrative of the nature of human life itself. Some of these themes may be in part due to the influence of Shelleys parents: Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, both very influential and radical political activists in their time. Around the period of its publication, new science was breaking down the barriers of old and the work and findings of scientists were challenging the steadfast ideas of religion and as such†¦show more content†¦As Betty Bennett says, Frankenstein `subsumes and conflates the two central myths about knowledge in the Graeco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian traditions: those of Prometheus and of Adam, Eve and Satan.` There are many differing stories relating to this myth, and so an accurate relation of it is difficult. However, a generalised version is the result of a combination of the roman and Greek mythologies. The Romans believed Prometheus to be the creator of man, making him from clay and water; the Greeks say he stole fire from Zeus to give to man and was severely punished for it. Over time, the two have been linked and now form the account that having thus created man, Prometheus felt an obligation to protect him. He provided man with gifts that would aid survival and make the race superior to the other beasts on earth. The ultimate gift was that of Zeus fire (Zeus represents the sun). This gave man a means not only to create weaponry, but also a source of light, and by association, knowledge. This superior knowledge was seen to bring man closer to the level of the gods, no longer worshiping them for a gift they can now generate on their own. For this act of defiance, Prometheus was severely punished, sentenced to an eternity chained to a rock where an eagle would rip him open and eat his liver, which would every night regenerate for the next days torture. Unlike the fallen god, Viktor does not care for his creation or feel any compassion, pity orShow MoreRelatedMary Shelley s Frankenstein 1646 Words   |  7 PagesMary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a mishmash of stories within stories within a story, and several other texts are referenced within this amalgamation of literature. 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