“Sweet and beloved Elizabeth! I read and re-read her letter, and some softened feelings stole into my heart, and dared to whisper paradisiacal dreams of love and joy; but the apple was already eaten, and the angel’s arm bared to drive me from all hope” (Shelley 159).
Frankenstein’s words after reading Elizabeth’s letter regarding their possible bonding in marriage and insurance to Frankenstein regarding his many decisions to the marriage problem. Shelley’s usage of biblical imagery of fallen angels and genesis basically generalized a sense of inevitability for Dr. Frankenstein. In the bible, specifically the Genesis chapter explains to believers of the reason behind mankind’s knowledge of good and bad along with morality.
Genesis is where a character named Eve consumes a forbidden fruit (presumed an apple in many works of art) and thus mankind in general possessed the ability to see what God sees. Thus leading to man’s ultimately inevitable morality. Frankenstein already had eaten the apple, which reflects his rebellious actions towards his creation; by having a nearly completed female version of his creation destroyed in the last few chapters. However, even so this passage is referring to the inevitable chance of destruction at the hands of the monster, Frankenstein also remarks on “dreams of love and joy”. Ironically Frankenstein didn’t give in much thought towards creating his creature earlier in the book. As he explains, “but my imagination was too much exalted by my first success to permit me to doubt of my ability to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful as man”(35). As shown, Frankenstein pursues his work indiscriminately in terms of ethical reasons. The result is ultimately his “fruit”. The use of angelic imagery in the first passage explains divine intervention, however in this case, it’s used metaphorically to explain the likely probability of retribution at the hands of Frankenstein’s own creation. In any Abrahamic religions such as Christianity, angels are often the servants of a divine being (God in this case), thus the usage by Frankenstein to exert his ultimate fate is appropriate. Divine intervention is often used to enhance the feeling of hopelessness and inevitability. Similar to when Eve ate the fruit of knowledge in Genesis, morality is now inevitable.
The angel image can be extended towards the concept of fallen angels. Most famous one is Lucifer. Dr. Frankenstein’s input of “angel’s arm” could also be like an angel’s banishment from heaven and therefore be considered a fallen angel. “Drive me from all hope”, Frankenstein remarks this to exert that just as a fallen angel is forced away from all that is familiar and good due to some sacrilegious reason, he, too, is experiencing a purge from reality and that same sense of inevitability and hopelessness thus pursues his mentality. Frankenstein is therefore being forced from his familiar surrounding of a happy family and vibrant life to one where he dreads loss.
Focusing on the second quote on page 35, Frankenstein did indeed give a thought upon his then current experiment. However he didn’t anticipate the consequences of creating life or reviving what has been dead. His success was short lived since the creature is described as hideous and unlike anything. So how can this be necessarily as “wonderful as man” as Frankenstein initially exerts? In Genesis, Adam and Eve knew that by consuming the fruit, they will anger God. However under deception by a serpent in the Garden of Eden, Eve performed the unspeakable. Frankenstein, too, under the deception of his own vibrant imagination to complete his work, didn’t forgo the possible consequences of his actions. Inevitably, both cases led to inevitability.
Courtesy of dharma-media.org
This is a buddhist wheel of life. In the buddhist religion, life and death are part of a cycle of life or wheel of life. In which is depicted by this painting of the many cycles of life an individual can undergo. The inevitability of escaping this natural occurrence is portrayed through the usage of a wheel. A round object often shows how something can have a start and then an end and then another start and so forth.
Similar to Frankenstein's situation: He creates the monster, leaves it alone, and the monster later seeks revenge due to the initial abandonment from his creator. Like the circle of life, there's a cause and effect. Ultimately Frankenstein's irresponsible actions led to dreadful consequences.
Word count: 648
Word count: 648
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