V. Frankenstein in his Debut Role as GOD

Note: this paper does not necessarily represent my sincere beliefs on any topic. It is just an assignment for class.

Victor Frankenstein in his Debut Role as GOD

         In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the main character, Victor Frankenstein creates a humanoid “monster” yet later regrets his attempts at such a god-like action. Some may argue that Victor Frankenstein is a literary figure depicting the short fallings of man. But Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley herself calls Frankenstein the Modern Prometheus in her title for the book. So, Victor Frankenstein can more accurately be described as a literary figure depicting the Judeo-Christian God as he relates to the Greek mythological tradition.
         Prometheus is a Greek mythological figure, who, according to the Greek mythological tradition, made man out of mud and the Greek goddess Athena blew breath into the figure (“Greek Mythology”). This correlates directly to the second story of creation in the Judeo-Christian Bible which states, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2.7).
         Considering the correlation between Prometheus and the Judeo-Christian creation story, it is quite reasonable to believe that Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley used the subtitle “The Modern Prometheus” as a reference not to the Greek Mythological figure but rather to the Judeo-Christian God. By prefacing Prometheus with the word “Modern” it can be assumed that Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was implying that the Judeo-Christian God is just a modern version of the Greek Mythological tradition. So, the title alone, “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” correlates Frankenstein to the Judeo-Christian God and through it, to the Greek mythological traditions.
         The correlations between Victor Frankenstein, the Judeo-Christian God, and the Greek mythological traditions start even before Frankenstein has created his monster. In the Greek mythological traditions regarding the creation as told by Hesiod in his Works and Days, the first period, the golden age, mankind dwells on the earth and all is good, no one truly dies, and there is no strife in the world (Works). This relates to the early times in the Judeo-Christian bible, specifically the first two chapters of the book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve were living in peace in the Garden of Eden. This period can be related to the time in Victor Frankenstein’s childhood, where, like the titans in the golden age, he saw no strife and all is good and well, and Victor and the other children grew up in peace (“Greek Mythology”; Shelley).
         Victor’s innocent childhood ends when his mother dies after tending his cousin, which corresponds to the end of the golden age in Greek mythology and to the Judeo-Christian tradition when Eve eats from the tree of knowledge. Victor’s mother’s death causes in him a feeling of betrayal, the same feeling the God has towards mankind when Eve eats from the tree of knowledge. This feeling of betrayal is also seen in the Greek mythological tradition when the Titans rise up against Zeus at the end of the golden age (“Greek Mythology”).
         This correlation is seen yet again when Frankenstein creates his monster. Frankenstein’s reactionary repulsion to the monster is quite similar to the reaction of the Judeo-Christian God to man in the book of genesis; “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart” (Genesis 6.6). The instinctual reaction of both these figures is of repulsion. This sense of revulsion is seen in the Greek Mythological tradition when Zeus is stuck with the offerings of bones wrapped in fat for all time (“Greek Mythology”).
         In conclusion, Victor Frankenstein can be seen as a literary representation of the Judeo-Christian God, who is in turn, merely a modernized version of the ancient Greek mythological Tradition.

Works Cited

Greek Mythology Stories. San Diego State University, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. <http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/scaffold/gg/creationMan.html>.
Shelley, Mary W. The Project Gutenberg E-text of Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley. Ed. Judith Boss, Christy Phillips, Lynn Hanninen, David Meltzer, and Al Haines. Project Gutenberg, 17 June 2008. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/84/84-h/84-h.htm>.
Works and Days. Trans. Hugh G. Evelyn-White. N.p.: n.p., 1914. N. pag. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/hesiod/works.htm>.