A Whole New World

After seeing the picture of Victor’s reflection ( over making the creature a mate) I decided to take a look at that passage again, and think about that possible future.  Frankenstein decides that the female creature he would make could very likely end up a “thinking and reasoning animal.” (p. 145)  I found this interesting and ironic, simply because this thought finally occurs to him during round 2 of the creation process.  A couple people had to die first.  Nevertheless the thought occurs and he decides the deal is over.  I think this was a good decision.  The creature says he will quit the society of humans once he has a female companion, but what is to stop him from breeding?  I can’t help but think of I Am Legend, or some other movie along those lines, where humans become the minority and the hunted.  To me, this little visionary scene of Victor’s one of the most science fiction based scenes in the book, especially for the times in which it was read.  If I was alive in 1818 reading about this horrifying and intelligent creature I would think it couldn’t possibly get much worse.  But then Victor’s thoughts throw in a new kind of horror – world domination! The thought of human enslavement or extinction is bad enough, but to know that the oppressors or destroyers are just like this creature is a killing blow.  Even now, after reading this book a couple of times, I think that while the creature is fearsome enough, a whole race of them is scarier.  The way this scene is embedded in the story reminds me of the “it’s alive” scene from earlier.  Quick and precise, yet heavy handed.