The Illustration of the Dangers of Mechanization and Their Removal Nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which was published in 1818, is one of the most popular books with its extraordinary topic and writing that carries many symbolic meanings. The era it was written was as interesting as the novel itself. The economy was developing in the British Empire thanks to the technology that started to flourish after the industrial revolution and the many colonies England had around the world. Also, lots of scientific advances started to occur all over the world. New devices such as the telephone and the telegraph were invented with the developing technology, and people were talking about subjects such as evolution or bringing humans back from the brink of death because of Charles Darwin’s studies and increasing studies on electricity. Along with the developments, some problems also started to arise or increase, such as child labor, a rise in poverty and pollution, and urbanization, which caused the population in rural areas to decrease. These problems were worrying some people at the time—the Romantic writers, for example. They believed that advances in science and technology were beginning to defy nature's laws, keeping people away from them. Romantic writers and poets saw nature as "sublime" and valued its principles and existence. They also stood against the ultimate devotion to reason that came with the Enlightenment and the ignorance of human rights. Mary Shelley was one of the writers who was affected by and had suspicions about the immense developments in science and technology and their moral and social effects. She was so affected by the idea of bringing someone dead back to life that she wrote Frankenstein, the story of a scientist who managed to give life to a creature he created. Shelley used many aspects of her time and her ideas, such as seeing the beauty in nature, being close to it through her expressions and descriptions of nature, and having the aspiration of taking it under control by using scientific and technological ways through Victor Frankenstein’s ideas and story in her novel. In other words, Mary Shelley depicts the situation of a society that started to remove itself from nature and lose the sense of human rights after the Industrial Revolution through her characters Victor Frankenstein, his monster, and his best friend Henry Clerval and his father in her novel Frankenstein.

To begin with, Victor Frankenstein represents the humans who were in strong contact with industrialization and thus removed themselves from nature because of their creations. For centuries, humans have always tried to control nature. As creatures that have nothing with which to defend themselves in the harsh conditions of nature, they made tools and inventions to control it and its effects, such as diseases. According to the article "Dominating Nature" by Jason Brennan "[a]t some point, humanity begins to view nature as something to be conquered. (Historically, this probably arises with the growth of agriculture and is strengthened by the growth of industry)" (516). That is why vaccines, drugs, and weapons are created. Not being able to resist nature compelled humans to take measures to protect and save themselves, and humans saw the only way to do this as taking nature under their control. Frankenstein, too, wants to have power over nature, as is understood from the quotes, "[w]ealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death!" (Shelley 37) and "[...] treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation" (47). He wants to free humans from disease and death, both of which come from nature, just like every ancestor and contemporary scientist of his, and he is passionate about it until he gives life to a creature. Thus, at this point, Frankenstein might be considered a reflection of human desires. By working every day and night and dedicating himself to the sciences that were prominent in the Victorian Age, he wants to achieve a goal whose moral side is questionable and against the laws of nature. He talks about reading Cornelius Agrippa’s works and getting enthusiastic about them at the beginning of the story (Shelley 35). In the following parts, he is inspired by his works and ideas. According to Britannica, "Agrippa’s De occulta Philosophia added impetus to Renaissance study of magic [...]" and he "[...] acclaimed magic as the best means to know God and nature." Magic, as a part of all world cultures, "[…] was utilized to give humans the power to control nature, a force that generally holds all the power" (Swetz). The fact that Frankenstein is affected by someone whose aim is to take nature under control and banish the bad effects of nature on humans is proof that he wants to conquer nature either with science or magic. Furthermore, after he creates a life and starts to struggle because of it, he loses his affection for nature.

Humanity, with every discovery and invention, progressed and established civilization, but it started to lose its connection with nature and stand against it. According to James Trefil, "[a]s time went on, one invention followed another. Humans produced wheeled vehicles, began to use metals-first bronze, then iron-learned to plow their fields, and began to live in cities. Throughout this long, slow progression, bit by bit, humans were removing themselves from the natural world." This progress, which began with the dawn of civilization, accelerated with the invention of more advanced tools, such as the steam engine, which paved the way for the Industrial Revolution. After the Industrial Revolution, pollution increased significantly, destroying many beautiful aspects of the natural world. People who lived in cities where factory smoke polluted the air began to lose sight of nature's beauty and became increasingly apathetic. Also, since the age of machines began, people from rural areas have migrated to cities to find jobs in factories. This situation is explained in the content about "Nature & Environment" on the website OpenLearn with these words: "Another effect of the Industrial Revolution, as Jackson points out, was the mass migration of populations from the countryside to the fast-growing towns and cities where the factories and work were to be found." With the migrations, people retired from nature more, leaving everything relevant to nature behind. People began to be born and live in cities, surrounded by the sights of buildings, factories, and the pollution that emanated from them. After that, with every new addition to technological developments, people almost totally lost sight of nature. Frankenstein, with the arrival of the Monster, becomes distant from nature as well. He points out this change in his affection both at the beginning and with the words "[w]hen happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on me the most delightful sensations. […] I was undisturbed by the thoughts which during the preceding year had pressed upon me, notwithstanding my endeavors to throw them off, with invincible power" (Shelley 76-77), and towards the end with the words "I was occupied by gloomy thoughts, and neither saw the descent of the evening star, nor the golden sunrise reflected in the Rhine" and "I, a miserable wretch, haunted by a curse that shut up every avenue to enjoyment" (191). "It is only belatedly that Frankenstein recognizes that he has forfeited a harmonious relationship to nature, a value for simplicity, and innocence" (Rubino 21). Since his life is now bothered by the Monster’s existence, he cannot have joy from natural beauties, just as humans cannot take pleasure from nature because of the effect of technology on them. He becomes distant from natural beauties. His apathy towards nature increases towards the end when the Monster wants him to make a partner for him. With every "development" in his creation, he gets more miserable. So, Frankenstein is reflecting the passion for controlling nature, which has been a part of humanity, and humans’ increasing distance from nature with every development in their lives.

As it comes to Frankenstein’s monster, which is the first thing that comes to mind while talking about the novel, he is the reflection of the creations of an industrialized world, which are machines. First, he is not considered a living, thinking being who has emotions of his own. He is regarded as vile and a danger to others, both by his creator and by other humans he has attempted to meet. Frankenstein qualifies him as a "wretch" when he sees him for the first time (Shelley 84) and keeps addressing him as a wretch afterward. Since "All men hate the wretched […]" (117), every human being treats him with fear and hatred. For example, when he reveals himself to the people he watched, they attack him (164), or when he saves the girl from drowning, the man who saw him runs away from him and then shoots him (171). Now, of course, as devices and tools without minds of their own, machines are treated accordingly by people, but every time a technological advancement appears, people start to think of machines that can think and act like humans. This thought has become the basis of many inventions, such as computers, up until now. Once they are created successfully, however, they are viewed as dangerous. Frankenstein’s monster, in this sense, is seen as a machine with a mind of its own but is a danger to humans. Even when he gets close to people with good intentions, he is treated poorly because he is something unfamiliar to humans, just like machines that were introduced to humanity with industrialization. According to Kim Hammond’s ideas, "Shelley’s narrative is seen to symbolize Romantic fears, offering a dystopic tale of certain demise, one that demonizes technology in the form of Frankenstein’s ‘monster’" (181). At first, the Monster approaches humans with good intentions, but afterward, he starts to hurt them and becomes a hazard to them. This changing attitude of his in the novel shows that there is a worry about machines becoming a danger to humans, just as Hammond suggests. This fear is explained in the article "The return of the machinery question" published in The Economist by writing, "There is something familiar about fears that new machines will take everyone’s jobs, benefiting only a select few and upending society. Such concerns sparked furious arguments two centuries ago as industrialization took hold in Britain." According to the same article, "Thomas Carlyle, writing in 1839, railed against the ‘demon of mechanism’ whose disruptive power was guilty of ‘oversetting whole multitudes of workmen’." In the second quote, Daniel Dinello states that in the 19th century, workers destroyed the machines in factories because they caused people to become unemployed, and he adds by suggesting "[…] the scientist and his spreading technology began to provoke distrust and fear" (40). Machines infuriated and terrified the people of the nineteenth century because they were new and unfamiliar objects. Each new invention brought new fears, and people's aversion to machines remains widespread. While humans had concerns about the threat the machines they created carried against themselves, Frankenstein had concerns about the threat the monster he created carried against humans. Frankenstein fears that the Monster "might make the very existence of man a condition precarious and full of terror" (Shelley 207). In this sense, the Monster himself, as a scientist’s creation, "provoke[s] distrust and fear" in the novel. Also, another problem with the Monster was the people he hurt. Firstly, he kills William, who was Victor’s brother and was a little child when he was killed (Shelley 78–90). William is a representative of the children who worked in factories and mines during the period. In the 19th century, child labor was a big problem in the UK. "Working-class autobiographies also suggest an increase in child participation rates in Britain during industrialization" (Humphries 177), and "[c] children and young people made up one- to two-thirds of all workers in many textile mills in 1833, and they regularly represented more than a quarter of the workforce in mines in 1842" (Humphries 177). Children who had to work instead of going to school were a great concern for many people at the time, including writers. They were getting hurt while working in factories and mines. By making the Monster kill William, Shelley depicts the hazard the machines may cause for children. The Monster also kills Henry Clerval, who is Victor’s best friend. As will be explained further later, Henry is a reflection of humans who have maintained their affection for nature and connection with it, for example, the Romantics, because he appreciates nature when he and Victor go to England (Shelley 220–221) and his love for romantic and chivalric works, which also influenced Romanticism. Clerval’s death shows us that machines may break the connection between humans and nature. The Monster not only removes humans, even the most nature-loving ones, from nature but also becomes the master of his creator. He calls Frankenstein a "slave," and when he disobeys him, he says, "‘You are my creator, but I am your master – obey!’" (Shelley 209). Shelley depicts the problem that might arise from creating a being with consciousness through the Monster’s endeavor to establish dominance over his human creator. "The artificial precursor of the cyborg, android, robot, and clone, Frankenstein’s monster wreaks a golem-like trail of destruction, killing the family of his creator and driving his own ‘father’ to the North Pole" (Dinello 43) and reflects people’s concerns about using technology to create artificial life or a machine with a conscious even in the 21st century. Frankenstein’s monster, in every aspect of himself, reflects the anxiety of people about machines with his initially ill-treated character, who later becomes a danger to many people by killing, or dominating them.

Henry Clerval and his father are two of the pieces that complete humanity's concerns about industrialization and machines in the nineteenth century as representations of people who were not disconnected from nature and were unwilling to use education to achieve more than nature allows. Henry’s father, who is a merchant, an occupation that belongs to the middle class, is reluctant to let him go to another city for higher education, as it is understood from Victor’s narration about the subject: "He had endeavored to persuade his father to permit him to accompany me and to become my fellow student; but in vain. His father was a narrow-minded trader and saw idleness and ruin in the aspirations and ambition of his son" (Shelley 42). While Henry tells Victor about how he persuaded his father to let him go to Ingolstadt, he uses these words: "‘You may easily believe,’ said he, ‘how great was the difficulty to persuade my father that all necessary knowledge was not comprised in the noble art of book-keeping […]" "[b]ut his affection for me at length overcame his dislike of learning, and he has permitted me to undertake a voyage of discovery to the land of knowledge" (Shelley 63). Unlike the Enlightenment's notion of knowledge's vulnerability, which led to the scientific and technological developments of the Victorian Age, which were mostly criticized by Romantics such as William Wordsworth, Henry's father considers ambition in gaining knowledge to be more than necessary dangerous. "Where enlightened men saw ambition and genius as noble ideals, Wordsworth believed in the spiritual/emotional knowledge of the beauty of nature and the sublime" (Rubino 20). Thus, Henry’s father’s opposition to knowledge represents the Romantics’ opposition to aspiration for reason and knowledge. On the other hand, Henry is enthusiastic about knowledge and learning. His sadness about not being able to go to Ingolstadt is articulated like this: "Henry deeply felt the misfortune of being debarred from a liberal education. He said little; but when he spoke, I read in his kindling eye and his animated glance a restrained but firm resolve, not to be chained to the miserable details of commerce" (Shelley 42). Unlike Frankenstein, however, his desire for knowledge does not exist to take nature under control and conquer its effects on humanity, but to be a helping hand to humans. He is interested in literature, more specifically, in chivalric and romantic works (Shelley 33). He, as it is indicated by Victor Frankenstein, "[…] occupied himself, so to speak, with the moral relations of things. The busy stage of life, the virtues of heroes, and the actions of men were his theme; and his hope and his dream were to become one among those whose names are recorded in the story, as the gallant and adventurous benefactors of our species" (34). As it is understood from the examples, Henry’s interest in knowledge consists of the notion of being a helping hand for humans rather than decoding the secrets of nature and conquering death. He does not attempt to play with nature. Just like Henry Clerval, the Romantic writers of the age did not support science and technology to toy with nature. Mary Shelley herself was in contact with science and scientists of the age because of William Godwin, who provided her with proper education in her childhood, and Percy Shelley, who encountered many scientists (Rubino 6-7). Nevertheless, the Romantics valued morality in knowledge and the sublime. Henry Clerval, like a Romantic, is awestruck by nature. The novel depicts his awe of nature with the words "[h]e was a being formed in the "very poetry of nature." His wild and enthusiastic imagination was chastened by the sensibility of his heart" and "The scenery of external nature, which others regard only with admiration, he loved with ardor […]" (Shelley 193). Clerval, in contrast to Frankenstein's apathy towards nature after the creation of his monster, is close to it. According to the article "Romantic Critique of the Enlightenment In Frankenstein; Or, the Allegory of Technology Gone Feral" written by Vittoria Rubino, "The allusions to Romanticism in the novel are often explicit; Mary Shelley postulates items such as nature, the sublime, domestic relationships, and rural life against the obsessive pursuit of science and the act of overreaching" (20). Clerval’s and his father’s characters in the novel establish a contrast to Frankenstein’s characters with their distance from the knowledge that aims to dominate nature and closeness to nature itself.

An opposition to all of the above, one may say that industrialization and technology do not necessarily remove humans from nature; however, they do affect the relationship between humans and nature. According to the article titled "An Ecological Perspective on the Origins of Industrialization" by Theodore L. Steinberg, "The industrial revolution reworked the earth’s landscape, altering the foundations of a society based on agriculture and placing it on the road to modern economic development. Humankind’s relationship with the natural world was profoundly affected" (261). Humans both affect and are affected by nature with every move they make. After the industrial revolution, factory smoke affected the air, and people who migrated to cities got away from nature and adapted to city life, living their lives in factories, shops, and buildings. Moreover, technological developments affect us even today by keeping us from dropping our phones and enjoying a walk in nature because we are used to city life since we left the rural eras for job opportunities in cities. Even though they argue that humans’ removal from nature started in the 1950s, in their article "How Modern Life Became Disconnected from Nature," Selin Kesebir and Pelin Kesebir suggest that "[…] our findings point to a different explanation for our disconnection from nature: technological change, and in particular the burgeoning of indoor and virtual recreation options." In other words, technological advancements are related to the growing gap between humans and nature.

In a conclusion to all the above, as one of the Romantics who was concerned about the effects of the ambition technology and science bring along with them on humans’ relationship with nature and human rights, Mary Shelley reflected her worries in her novel Frankenstein through her characters. She used Victor Frankenstein as a representative of humans that are in deep connection with the aspiration of knowing and learning, and thus, conquering nature by creating life and playing with natural rules, Frankenstein’s monster is a reflection of machines that caused fear and uneasiness on people of that age and even today by making him a hated character by the others and making him kill the innocent people, and Henry Clerval and his father as the depictions of the Romantics as the people who stood against all the impact of the devotion to reason, knowledge, technology, and science by not putting them in too deep contact with knowledge and ambition.