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Human Nature In Frankenstein

Decent Essays

In modern technology, scientists are furthering the development of creating a new species for future generations; however, John Gray, an American philosopher and author, states that “whatever emerges from [these technological advances] won’t be human. A bodiless mind that doesn’t age or die isn’t a human being.” John Gray explains that a creature developed by technology is not a human being because it obtains traits that are unnatural and unearthly. This same discovery is made by Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s novel: Frankenstein. Victor, a scientist who longs to be remembered by discovering the “secrets about life,” creates an artificial being by using his knowledge about natural philosophy. While some argue that Victor’s creation is a human because of his qualities that are similar to man’s; he is not. The creature is a monster rather than a human because of the way he was brought into the world, his overall horrific appearance, and his superhuman capabilities.
Because of the way he came into the world, the creature is a monster; not a human. Victor’s creation was fixed to come alive instead of naturally forming and being birthed. After two years of building the creature, Victor’s project was almost finished. He explains, “With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, [he] collected the instruments around [him], that [he] might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at [his] feet” (Shelley 47). The creature is not a human, for he was not born or

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