Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and the Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Comparritive Essay
Two Mad Scientists Trying to Play God
By Bonique Obermuller
ENG 4UO
Terry Pratchett once said, “God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players.” In the novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells the characters Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Moreau are scientists who take their experiments too far. Both Victor and Moreau are very smart men who want to experiment with nature. Victor is smart and curious. Victor wants to fight disease and discover the mysteries of nature. Moreau is a very ruthless barbaric man who does not take the feelings of others into consideration. Moreau wants to create a ‘better’ species. Victor gets carried away with his experiments and ends up losing all of his family and friends, and dies in the end. Moreau also dies at the hands of one of his creations. Although scientist can be helpful in their research it is also dangerous to toy with nature. Scientific innovation can bring human beings a god-like role as creator, but the texts Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells demonstrate that playing god can have dire consequences; because human beings do not have the foresight and wisdom necessary to foresee consequences.
Victor Frankenstein leaves his family behind in Geneva on a quest for education. He is drawn to the sciences; captivated with all of the medieval books he had studied that proposed the fact that a human may be able to put life into something lifeless. He then starts to collect body parts from the deceased; taking them from morgues and trying to create a human by stitching the parts together. He does this until finally he finds the spark and the creature becomes alive. Moreau is also interested in biological studies but not exactly in breathing life into a dead being, but turning something alive into something
By Bonique Obermuller
ENG 4UO
Terry Pratchett once said, “God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players.” In the novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells the characters Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Moreau are scientists who take their experiments too far. Both Victor and Moreau are very smart men who want to experiment with nature. Victor is smart and curious. Victor wants to fight disease and discover the mysteries of nature. Moreau is a very ruthless barbaric man who does not take the feelings of others into consideration. Moreau wants to create a ‘better’ species. Victor gets carried away with his experiments and ends up losing all of his family and friends, and dies in the end. Moreau also dies at the hands of one of his creations. Although scientist can be helpful in their research it is also dangerous to toy with nature. Scientific innovation can bring human beings a god-like role as creator, but the texts Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells demonstrate that playing god can have dire consequences; because human beings do not have the foresight and wisdom necessary to foresee consequences.
Victor Frankenstein leaves his family behind in Geneva on a quest for education. He is drawn to the sciences; captivated with all of the medieval books he had studied that proposed the fact that a human may be able to put life into something lifeless. He then starts to collect body parts from the deceased; taking them from morgues and trying to create a human by stitching the parts together. He does this until finally he finds the spark and the creature becomes alive. Moreau is also interested in biological studies but not exactly in breathing life into a dead being, but turning something alive into something