The Bible
English Lit: Edexcel A Level Frankenstein, topic 3.1.3
The Bible
This religious text is relevant to Frankenstein on a number of levels.
Adam
- It could be argued that the Monster mirrors Adam, in that he is a new creation, the first of his kind, who at first views the world with the same kind of innocence.
- When Victor rejects the Monster, he feels that he has been deprived of paternal love and therefore exiled from a potentially paradisal life, just as Adam suffers from The Fall of Mankind.
Lapsarianism
- Following on from the idea of The Fall of Mankind, Shelley appears to subvert the concept of Lapsarianism (the belief that man has fallen from a better state) within the novel.
- Instead of a woman being to blame for ‘eating the apple’, with Victor, "the apple was already eaten, and the angel’s arm bared to drive me from all hope."
Male temptation
- Instead of women being the ones to give in to temptation from the tree of knowledge (as decreed in the Bible), Shelley promotes the idea that it is men who are too tempted by knowledge that is beyond their capabilities, and the resulting consequences means that women are the ones to suffer (Elizabeth and Justine).
Doppelgangers
- Both the Monster and Victor liken themselves to the figure of Adam, strengthening the idea of them being doppelgangers.
The Bible
Both the Monster and Victor liken themselves to the figure of Adam, strengthening the idea of them being doppelgangers. Both can also be compared to Satan.
The Monster as Satan
- The Monster can also be identified with Satan in that he eventually turns against his creator and wages war on him and on all mankind.
- This then posits Victor in the position of God, the Almighty creator, although it is clear that Shelley is more comfortable using the figure of Prometheus to parallel to Victor, rather than God.
Victor as Satan
- Victor may too be compared to Satan in that he defies God and commits a profound blasphemy by attempting to usurp God's power as the creator of life.
Romantics
- Lucifer was seen by Romantics, like Percy Shelley, as less of a villain and more of a Romantic rebel who posed as an anti-authoritarian figure.
Paradise Lost
- It is not, however, mentioned that the Monster ever reads the Bible, but learns instead of God, Satan, good and evil from the epic poem Paradise Lost by Milton.
Test yourself on The Bible
In what way is the Monster like Adam?
What did Romantics like Percy Shelley think of Lucifer?
How is Victor comparable to Satan?