A Scientific Comparison Between Voltaire — страница 2

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personality. Each shares similar pain and suffering: Frankenstein is trapped in gloom, unable to break free from the despair that his creation is causing him; and his creation, being inhuman and thus cursed to live a lonely and miserable life. Because the creation is reflective of her view on science and its benefits or lack thereof, the miserable life that both are doomed to live suggests that she believes science is going to have a negative effect on the world. From the perspective of the Oedipus Complex , the relationship between both Frankenstein and his creation is strongly reflective of the relationship Oedipus has in his family. Frankenstein, being the father figure, is endlessly pursued by his creation (Oedipus). The creation is looking for companionship, and his father

refuses to build him companion and even destroys all the efforts that he had previously made: As I looked upon him his countenance expressed The utmost extent of malice and treachery. I thought with a sensation of madness my promise Of creating another like to him, and trembling With passion, tore to pieces the thing on which I was Engaged. The wretch saw me destroy the creature On whose future existence he depended for happiness, And, with a howl of evilish despair and revenge, Withdrew (RABKIN, 117) In this case, the Creation is fighting over the right to have a woman placed in his life and when Frankenstein refuses his creation says that he is going to visit him on his wedding night. If the creation can t have someone to be with, Frankenstein will keep on killing all of his

friends and relatives until he does agree. He will continue to destroy the father s life until a woman is created for him. Shelley suggests that the Creation s longing for a better and more fruitful existence is another example in which she believes that science will turn the established order upside down. Because the Creation represents an abomination against nature, he is doomed to live a life of murderous frustration. Ultimately, Mary Shelley s Frankenstein is a 19th century Science Fiction novel that is a parody of creation and of Oedipus Rex. Ultimately, from the birth of modern science in the 18th century through the 19th century, each period in time has different techniques of illustrating the particular social commentary. Voltaire s Micromegas deals with a combination of

satire and alienation while Shelley s Frankenstein is a parody of creation and the Oedipus Complex . Therefore, 18th century uses both alienation and satire to elucidate their points while 19th century literature uses a parody of creation and the Oedipus Complex . 3e4