“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.”
Mary Shelley – Frankenstein
What started off as a friendly writing contest between friends transformed the world of fiction forever. The English author, Mary Shelley, her future husband, Percy, Lord Byron, and John Polidori decided to compete with one another to see who could write the best horror story. The product of this venture was Frankenstein, one of the best known horror novels ever composed.
Let’s examine this work, and see if we can discover what made it “spring to life”:
Examining the Danger of Technology
This book is often attributed as creating the Science Fiction genre. It was one of the first times that a fictional character turned to science to attempt to solve man’s greatest problems. The result, of course, was a terrifying disaster as the technology became impossible to control. Now there are millions of science fiction novels which explore how mankind might turn to technology to solve problems in the future, and the dangers that this may create.
Examining the Heart of Man
What is most interesting about Frankenstein, however, is that the goal of the “mad scientist” known as Victor Frankenstein was not to put others in danger. His goal was to discover the secret of eternal youth – something that thousands of men and women have longed for. His attempt at finding his own way to eternal life, however, led him to create an absolute monster.
The Way of Death
The message of Frankenstein reminds me of Proverbs 14:12, which states that “there is a way that men think is right, and its ways are the ways of death.”
We all long for eternal life, because our hearts were created for eternity. Deep down, we know that we were meant to live with God forever. The problem comes when we try to take matters into our own hands and solve this eternal problem on our own. When we do this, we find nothing but misery and death.
Thankfully, finding eternity isn’t up to us. Jesus Christ has made a way for us to live forever with Him, and says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6).
Choose to follow Christ and find eternal peace, or try to experiment with eternity on your own… the choice is yours.
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Photo Credit: Frankenstein, by Andre Ribeiro. National Museum of Cinema – Turin, Italy. CC BY 2.0 License.
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This post was submitted as part of the A to Z Challenge, where participants agree to write an article that corresponds to each letter of the alphabet, posting every day of the month of April (except Sundays).
Here on The Artistic Christian, my theme for the month is The Classics. Each day I’ll examine a book, film, or work of art that has become a beloved classic and discuss what has made it such a success, and what eternal themes it contains that Christian artists can use as modern illustrations.
For daily reflections from my personal travels around the world, check out my companion blog, A Shepherd’s Reflections, where my theme for April is Reflections From Around the World.
interesting and thought provoking. It seems to me, the more man tries to “perfect” this world on his own, the worse it gets.
Proverbs 14:12, which states that “there is a way that men think is right, and its ways are the ways of death.” Amen!
https://somebodylovesmeblog.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/the-monsters-we-create/ You might find this interesting:-)
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Loved your post, which covered this exact same topic! Thanks for the link… I was glad to take a peek at this fascinating conversation from a couple of years ago!
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I had to Google John Polidori! Living and learning.
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Me too! (But I won’t tell if you won’t…)
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Ok, my lips are sealed.
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Right after I finished reading this, someone on tv mentioned Frankenstein. I had to go back and re-read. Great correlation.
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Thanks, Emily Rose! This really is a fun way to open the door to deeper spiritual conversations with our friends…
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Excellent choice! Frankenstein is one of my all time favorite books, and I love hearing new perspectives on it.
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Thanks, James! I’m covering “The Classics” this month, and I think we’d all agree that Frankenstein is a classic… Like it or not, this green monster has made a huge impact on our culture!
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I really liked the way you used the story of Frankenstein to explain a spiritual truth.
This is so true:
“We all long for eternal life, because our hearts were created for eternity. Deep down, we know that we were meant to live with God forever.”
It reminds me of Paul’s Areopagus address.
Blessings,
Theresa
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Thanks, Theresa! I think this could be a fun way to open the door for deeper spiritual conversations with others, especially young people…
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We are indeed always at choice. Thx.
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Exactly… thanks for stopping by, Sandra!
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I’ve always felt for Frankenstein’s Monster, rejected by his creator and left feeling so unloved and unwanted. Perhaps if he’d had a friend who’d shown him love and kindness, he wouldn’t have done so many horrible things. Obviously, he made a choice to do evil and not good, but perhaps it could’ve been avoided if he’d just had someone to love him from the start.
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True, and that’s another lesson for us when we come across difficult people in our own lives. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Carrie-Anne!
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I’d like to add abandonment and love. Regardless of what we do, what we look like, and how often or how long we turn our backs on God or run from Him, He never turns His back on His creation, and He loves us unconditionally. Victor was so afraid and perhaps ashamed of what he created that instead of doing what was right – nurturing and loving his creation, he ran. And his creation sought him out, sought out his approval, his love, his acceptance; much like we, Christians do with God (and our parents, too).
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