Tiffany Ou, Una Flego, Roselyn Thom (2-2)

Biblical Allusions in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein

CREATORS AND THEIR ACTS OF CREATION
Frankenstein and God
Both similarities and differences can be seen between the two creators:
- In the beginning God created heavens (New International Version, Gen. 1.1). The
brevity of this statement and its simplistic diction imply that there is minimal effort in
Gods act of creation.
- In contrast, Victors cheek grow[s] pale (Shelley 44) with effort; he is struggling to
create life.
- God is able to miraculously create a perfect man, while Frankenstein relies on corpse
parts to make life. This demonstrates the disparity in power between God and mankind.
Also, the fact that Frankenstein makes his creations from mixed parts exemplifies
Frankensteins impure intentions. By creating life, Frankenstein seeks attention and
something to bless him as its creator and source (44).
- Juxtaposition of dark diction to describe the creation of life accentuates Frankensteins
ignoble intentions [Frankenstein] lost all soul in pursuit of his goal of creating life.
- Unlike Gods creations, in which everything [...] is good (Tim. 1.4), Frankensteins
creation is a horrid contrast with watery eyes (47).
- Creature: has no image, made of the parts of dead ppl + because Frankenstein wants
something to bless [him] as its creator aka for the purpose of self-glorification (56)
- Adam/Eve: made in Gods likeness, made with intention they have purpose in life
Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that
they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the
livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along
the ground. (Gen.1.26)
- Creature: created only to satisfy Frankensteins own ambitions/curiosity
- God blessed [Adam and Eve] (Gen. 1.28), while Frankenstein runs away in breathless
horror [...] and disappointment (47). This disparity in the creators receptions of their
creations implies that Frankenstein is responsible for his creatures malicious attitude.
- "Oh Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other and trample upon me alone, to whom
thy justice, and even thy clemency and affection, is most due" (94) the pleas highlight
the irresponsibility of Victor Frankenstein as a creator
Frankenstein and the People of Babel
Here, intentions of the two groups are more similar, shows mans belief that God is not
needed and humans are able to create something on the scale of God whether its a
tower reaching to heaven (where God resides) or creating life (as God did in Gen.)
Tower of Babel:
- In ancient times, people thought the heavens were not far above the
earth. If only they could build a tower to the sky, they could climb
up and be like gods themselves. Mankind = lost sight of God and
become arrogant, did not use their technology + knowledge in
moderation
Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that
reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves (Gen.
11.4)
Similar to how Victor wishes to make a name for himself through scientific
discovery
- Punishment: alienation through language and location
confuse their language so they will not understand each other (Gen. 11.7)
From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth (Gen.
11.9)
Frankenstein:
- Many references to scientists/philosophers attaining a god-like status or god-like powers
due to their advancements in technology and science like building the Tower of Babel,
these people (Victor in particular) embark on projects that and [aspire] to become greater
than [their] nature[s] will allow (43)
- Referred/described as gods no room for God, as people are able to attain god-like
powers for themselves
Diction: refers to God many times, and his works
these philosophers have indeed performed miracles (38-39)
They ascend into the heavens (39)
They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command
the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake (39)
Compare to: But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world
by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he
thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends
of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from
his storehouses (Jer. 10.12-13)
- Victor begins to see himself as a god as he gains more knowledge/experience with his
experiments
I saw how the fine form of man was degraded and wasted; I beheld the
corruption of death succeed to the blooming cheek of life (42) the dry,
unemotional tone of something so personal as death implies a perspective
that of a higher being
A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and
excellent natures would owe their being to me (44)
- Notably, Victor also suffers alienation just as the people of Babel did: no one to
understand his guilt, as well as the loss of everyone dear to him

KNOWLEDGE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES: Frankenstein and

Adam/Eve
Victors search for forbidden knowledge similar to Adam and Eves taking from the
forbidden Tree of Knowledge
Adam/Eve:
- God: but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when
you eat from it you will certainly die (Gen. 2.17)
- You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when
you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the
eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some
to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it (Gen. 3.4-6)
- God said, The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil (Gen.
3.22)
Frankenstein:
- The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine (29)
- It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the
outward substance of things, or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man
that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical (30)
- I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more I became myself
capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter (43)
Both attain knowledge not meant for humans to learn anyways consequences occur
Adam and Eve:
- Eating the forbidden fruit led to the fall of man, brought sin into the world (Christian
concept of sin nature)
- Sin = now embedded in natures for generations, humans cannot do anything to prevent
these consequences/change this sin nature
- First feelings of shame and fear
sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves (Gen. 3.7),
when before the both of them were naked and felt no shame in Gen. 1
they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden (Gen. 3.8)
- Banished from Eden, cursed with hard labour etc.
Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food
from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you
(Gen. 3.17-18)
Victor:
- Does not learn of good and evil, but instead discovers the key to life and death
- the consequences of attaining the knowledge (secret of life): Victors agony and
unleashing the creature unto the world (like unleashing sin) banished from a life of
peace and suffers consequences not of hard labour, but of loss and pain (similar to
banishment from Garden)
- Regret How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier
that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become
greater than his nature will allow (43)

LIFE FROM DEATH: Constructing the Creature and the Resurrection of

Jesus
- Both works highlight a similar theme: revival after death
- During Jesus resurrection, he is described as still being complete and having perfect
flesh and bones (Luke 24.39) places emphasis on Jesus resurrection as a fulfilling
and successful rebirth.
- Although the creature is also born from the dead, his birth is depicted as violent, forced,
and unnatural it breathed hard, [...] a convulsive motion agitated its limbs (47). The
image of the creature struggling from birth implies that his birth is imperfect and eludes
to the struggles it will cause for its creator
- Again, Shelly uses images with connotations of death to describe birth; Frankensteins
lab is described w/ diction that emphasize darkness and death despite his goal of creating
life in it. This paradox emphasizes that the creatures birth brings the death to many
innocent people.
Mary Shelley herself was not particularly religious, given that she was the daughter of
atheist William Godwin. It is highly likely however, that the Bible had major influences
in writing this particular novel. The story of Frankenstein is can be seen as a perversion
of Genesis where the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, plays God and aims to create life.
However, Victor is not a creator with pure intentions like God, and thus his creation is not
successful. In fact, it is both horrifying and destructive as every person in the novel reacts
to it with fear and disgust. Interestingly, though the Romantics tended to view Satan as a
sympathetic figure and the creature bears many similarities to that of Satan (Weston),
Shelley does not depict Frankensteins or the creatures actions in a positive light. Rather
than bringing forth any new scientific or social progress, Frankensteins arrogance leads
only to the deaths of the people he loves. Not even the creature, whom he brought to life,
is able to enjoy a happy existence. Mary Shelley uses the biblical allusions in her work to
remind the people living in changing times, full of new discoveries in science and
medicine, that man is not and never will be fully capable of breaking free from human
limitations to act as gods.

Works Cited
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. Clayton, DE: Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classics, 2005. Print.
The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. Print.
Weston, R. (2009). William Godwins religious sense. Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 32(3), 407-423.