(Book Cover from the Comic Book Version (1983)!)
Frankenstein (1818) has remained one of my favorite books since I read it independently in high school. Since Guillermo del Toro is making a new movie version this year, I wanted to go back and read it to see how I like his version of the story.
There are so many good quotes in this book, so I’ll occasionally post the ones that stand out to me the most with my take on their meaning.
“I was usually led by the symphony, which he advised to use the language of my heart to give utterance to the burning order of my soul to say with all the fervor that warned me how gladly I would sacrifice my fortune, my existence, my every hope to the furtherance of my enterprise.
One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement and the knowledge which I sought of the dominion I should acquire and transmit over the elemental foes of our race.
As I spoke, a dark gloom spread over my listener’s countenance. At first, I perceived that he tried to suppress his emotion. He placed his hands before his eyes and my voice quivered and failed me as I beheld tears trickle fast from between his fingers; a groan burst from his heaving breast. I paused at length he spoke, in broken accents:
‘Unhappy man! Do you share my madness? Have you drunk also of the intoxicating drought? Hear me; let me reveal my tale and you will dash the cup from your lips.’
The scripture that popped into my mind as I looked over this quote was from Mathew 16:26,
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
It does us little good to pursue knowledge and sacrifice until we lose EVERYTHING that has true value. This can include things like our integrity, morality, family connections, love, and kindness.
I think that is why people often think that the pursuit of scientific discovery is a COLD and disconnected process. It doesn’t have to be, but it takes a lot of discipline to not forsake our HUMANITY for our pride and greed.
When I read this this morning, I thought of TWO recent media examples that perfectly reflected the dreaded warning Frankenstein gives Captain Walton while adrift near the North Pole.
First is from the show America’s Next Top Model (2003). My mother loved to watch this show, and I sometimes would slip in to see it with her. In one episode, Tyra and the group of judges asked the models what they would be willing to do in the industry. It was meant as a question to help the models identify their boundaries.
One model said without hesitation, “I am willing to do ANYTHING.” Tyra looked at her and warned basically, “Never say you will do anything. Otherwise, they will use you until there is nothing left. You need rules and boundaries in this industry.” There are so many examples of people willing to all but sell their souls to different media industries, cults, or scientific explorations. It is a slippery slope to fall into, because near the end, people won’t be able to recognize themselves.
Second is the film adaptation of Oppenheimer (2023). Oppenheimer and his scientists unlocked the secret to nuclear fusion, and with it, they created a bomb of seemingly infinite destruction. In the film, Oppenheimer relayed the tragedy of what happened because of their invention.
- J. Robert Oppenheimer: Albert? When I came to you with those calculations, we thought we might start a chain reaction that would destroy the entire world…
- Albert Einstein: I remember it well. What of it?
- J. Robert Oppenheimer: I believe we did.
Oppenheimer and many other scientists, in the pursuit of military might, sold their souls for scientific discovery, and the world and its innocents have had to pay for it for almost a century. As a history teacher, I often think about the terrible implications behind the infinite destructive power that the atomic and hydrogen bombs represent. Even today, we hear about tragic wars started BECAUSE of these bombs, like Israel attacking Iran with missiles in fear of their new nuclear testing facility.
When I’m faced with difficult or life-altering decisions, I think about Frankenstein, his pride, and his broken soul. His cry at the beginning of the book really is a warning to all of us to be careful what we dedicate our energy and time to while alive. It has infinite potential to positively or negatively alter countless lives!
Thank you for reading! I’ll periodically post more from this book as I slowly dissect it this month.
From the Perspective of an Old Soul 