Frankenstein is one of the greatest classic science fiction novels written by Mary Shelley in 1818. She wrote this book based on a bet with her husband and his friend and created one of the world’s most acclaimed horror sci-fi books.
This book was light years ahead of its time, where it showed the dangers and destruction of human beings’ obsession with science and research. This is portrayed through the story of Victor, who creates an artificial creature from corpses as a scientific experiment. This creation backfires, though, as the creature goes on a murderous rampage.
This could be seen in the light of today’s emphasis on artificial intelligence, where people are becoming obsessed with creating human-like machines. Humans are using scientific knowledge in dangerous ways and are not thinking about the consequences. A book like Frankenstein helps us glimpse what havoc we could wreak on ourselves if we continue down this path of harmful scientific innovation.
This book also talks about modern society and how people are becoming more and more superficial. In Frankenstein, society rejects the monstrous creature because of how he looks and makes him feel lonely and isolated. This reflects our society where someone not expected by conventional standards is frowned upon and made fun of. Instead of making everyone feel included, we tend to isolate people based on appearance or outside factors and they end up feeling depressed and alone. Like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, There are some amazing sci-fi books that should a part of your collection. One such book is Pandoras Star by Peter F. Hamilton and is highly recommended by storytellers.
Frankenstein just needed some company and acceptance from people since he was a new creature, but because of society’s blatant ridicule, he changed his personality and became a true monster. This book calls people to wake up and change their views of the world and how they see each other. It is a call for humans to be more accepting of others no matter how they look or have any disabilities or deformities. It asks society to be more humane in its approach and be compassionate and understanding.
Since this sci-fi novel was set in the Industrial Revolution era, it showcased the dangerous side of scientific and technological advancement, where humans enhance their knowledge to produce artificial and dangerous things. Knowledge is a good thing, but using this knowledge without looking at the consequences is terrible and overreaching knowledge will only have harmful effects.
Therefore, this famous novel is a wake-up call for people to understand the effects of their actions before they start experimenting with scientific technologies. Humans need to outweigh the consequences compared to the advantages of scientific experiments and make decisions accordingly. Something that could potentially be dangerous and destructive for humanity should be avoided. It is up to humans to wake up and understand where they are headed in today’s scientific age and mend their ways.
The process by which Mary Shelley was able to explore the in-depth workings of man through the naive eyes of this creature is beautiful and inspiring. Her mastery and excitement in using this being as an instrument to venture into the simplicity of what man wishes to acquire is commendable. Describing the story in such a wonderful manner is so masterful and exciting that you can’t help but question your own view of life. You will start examining even your most basic wants and needs. It is one of the excellent sci-fi books for everyone. At the high school level, the book is fairly simple to read.
If you liked this novel, you could also watch the award-winning movies and short stories.