Comparing Frankenstein, Origin of the Species and Decent of Man Essay

Comparing Frankenstein, solution of the Species and Decent of Man I will demonstrate in this paper how bloody shame Shelleys Frankenstein confirms, and at the same time contradicts Darwins desires presented in The Origin of the Species and The Decent of Man. bloody shame Shelleys Frankenstein is at once, confirming, and contradictory of Charles Darwins scientific discoveries and views on science, nature and the relation of the individual to society. Mary Shelley confirms Darwins ideas through Frankenstein, when Dr. Frankenstein and Darwin twain reject God as the creator of human life. Although this is a major theme in both kit and boodle, it is the only similar idea shared between both Darwin and Frankenstein. Darwins understanding of nature is comparable to that of Mary Shelley although how the individual relates to society is gravely different between the two works. One of Darwins admiring disciples, Andrew Carnegie, the pen of The Gospel of Wealth, shows us how contradictory these ideas are in relation to each other. His ideas of inheritance and the conduct of man are in disagreement with the actions of Shelleys Dr. Frankenstein. Throughout Darwins works the idea of the rejection of God as creator of man prevails. He alludes to prehistoric marine Ascidian larvae, as the predecessors to the later evolved human beings we are today. This would give credit for the man of man to the process of evolution, not to the handiwork of a Supreme Being. Species had not been independently created, but had descended, like varieties, from other species(Appleman, 36). Darwin is showing here what conclusions he came upon round the Origin of the Species, in which he used science to prove his theories. He is replacing God with ideas... ...heir works, giving the power of creation to evolution and mankind. They also both present similar views on nature, seeing it as a tool for scientific exploration and not as a wonder of beauty as it is often seen today. Using the work of Andrew Carnegie to show Darwinian ideas about the individual in society, we can see that these ideas strongly contradict those which Shelley presents in Frankenstein. Overall I believe that Mary Shelleys Frankenstein exemplifies many ideas expressed in the works of Darwin, enough that they can be considered enriching of each other in terms of comparison. Works CitedDarwin, Charles. The Origin of Species. New York Gramercy Books, 1979.Darwin, Charles. The Descent Of Man. Amherst, NY Prometheus Books, 1998.Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. D.L. Macdonald and Kathleen Scherf. Orchard Park, NY Broadview Press, 1999.