The Harsh Reality of Frankenstein

My younger sister Sarah is currently reading "Frankenstein" as a reading for school...and lo' and behold, I get that exact same assignment as well! We both have had a chance to discuss the book with each other and bounce back different ideas - so here are some thoughts I have had throughout the reading of "Frankenstein." It was interesting looking at Shelley's point of view on topics, in relationship to the Bible's point of view. Especially since this was set in the Romantic period, where people were thinking of new ideas and new ways to experience ideas. And many people were using science as a means to blot out religion, proving it to be wrong according to man's standards of understanding.
*Just a reminder: "Frankenstein" is not a monster, rather a doctor. The monster you often seen so poorly depicted in today's pop-culture scene is known as the Monster in the book, and Hollywood's image of him is quite inaccurate.

Mary Shelly's Ideas about God in "Frankenstein"
First thing is first, who did Shelley portray God as? None other than Dr. Frankenstein. But Victor Frankenstein is not like the God portrayed in the Bible.
The God of the Bible is:
Immanent - near to the ones He created
Compassionate - loved those that He created, even if they did bad
Omnipresent - everywhere at the same time
Omniscient - unlimited knowledge, all-knowing
Omnipotent - all-powerful
Transcendent - above all
Eternal - timeless

Whereas, Victor is:
Distant - he is not immanent, not at all near to the Monster he created
Hates the Monster that he created - no compassion
Not omnipresent
Not Omniscient
Not Omnipotent
He is not above anything - he ends up being just the same as the Monster he created
Not eternal - he is mortal and dies.

The first glimpse we have in the Bible about God and man is when God creates man and He says, "It is good." We also see how God is instructing Adam of things not to touch, He gives Adam a sense of right and wrong; a choice. Then, God so lovingly gives Adam a helper, known as Eve. This story is nice, something we have heard growing up...even people who don't believe in God have heard this story.
But the first glimpse we have with Dr. Victor and the Monster together is sad and uninviting. The creator completeing disowns his creation, there is nothing good found in the Monster he has created. Instead of running to his creation, Victor runs away from it. The Monster reaches out to the only object it knows...and it received with rejection. This spurs the Monsters actions and Victors actions as well.
God is able to offer the love we humans so desperately need, if we only let Him. But Victor is unwilling to offer the love his creation needs.

Because sin has separated us from God, humans desire to understand God. We don't know, but we want to understand. So we search and search. Ecclesiastes says "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from the beginning to the end." The interesting thing about this is that God has placed in us a desire to know Him and understand things beyond this physical earth we see. Of course, our knowledge is not like God's...so we can't fully understand Him, but we can see glimpses of Him.
The aspect that man wants to know God is similar to how the Monster is in "Frankenstein." He wants to know who he is and where he came from and why he is the way he is. But Victor can't answer - mainly because Victor can't even answer those questions for himself. This role of man trying to play God is dangerous and it just shows the ramifications it causes on people. Not just the signified, but the signifier!

There are so many other comparisons about God/Man and Frankenstein/Monster. These were a few that jumped out at me. It is such a vain endeavor to try and be God - and Shelley does a good job or pointing out how science can never take the place of religion.
Victor is a contradictory god-like-wanne-be. Completely flawed by human depravity and his own desire of fame, fortune, and pride. Pride blinded him from the truth. Perhaps when Victor created the Monster and he came alive did he suddenly realize that he wasn't God...but then Victor tried to cover up everything, as if he was God all over again! But he wasn't.
The God of the Bible does not contradict Himself - many people say He does. But the knowledge we have of God is very little compared to how great and vast God really is. "Such knowledget it soo wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it." Ps.139
Romans 1 also shows us how God is shown in creation, His Handiwork is on everything. And yet, we have replaced God with man and so we do not see God anymore. But we are without excuse, we know that we have belittled God. I speak to myself here!
"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds amd four-footed animals and creeping things."
Victor was futile in his thoughts...his foolish heart darkened the truth. He also professed to be wise, god-like...and instead became a fool in the end.
Let's get back to the heart of the issue. God created us! We can't create anything like us! And we were created with a purpose, to know our Creator. Unlike the Monster who never knew and could never know his creator --- we have every right to know our Creator! Let's not limit our thinking to this small sphere of physics and science...there is more beyond this circle man wants to stay inside. There is a God, who is compassionate, who does care, who wants to know us!

Guess I could go on and on about this : )
But it was really neat looking at the differences of creator/creation relationships in "Frankenstein" and in the Bible.