FRANKESNTEIN*ESSAY**

TO*WHAT*EXTENT*DOES*YOUR*COMPARATIVE*STUDY*OF*FRANKESNTEIN*AND*BLADE-RUNNER-SUGGEST*THAT*THE*RELATION*

BETWEEN*SCIENCE*AND*NATURE*IS*IMPORTANT*UNIVERSAL*CONCERN.**

IN*YOUR*RESPONSE*MAKE*DETAILED*REFERENCE*TO*BOTH*TEXTS.*

Humanitys ardent desire to discover secrets of the nature had led humans to transgress beyond the boundaries

set by God. Humans such scientific pursuits had summoned dire ramifications that inflict destruction to their own

fragile frame. This fear is echoed by Mary Shellys gothic fictional novel Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scotts

film noir science fiction movie Blade Runner (1982) outlining their societal excessive scientific endeavours

degrading human identity. Through exploration of notions of Dangerous knowledge and true meaning of

humanity these texts didactically communicate their societal concerns aroused through humanitys ardent desire

to assimilate secrets of natural phenomena. Thus even after emerging with massive difference of time, these texts

are unified in their didactic universal appeal to fear of science and nature relationship.

Humanitys desire to acquire excessive knowledge had unleashed dire unseen consequences. It is this fear of

humanitys quest for knowledge, which influences Mary Shelly and Ridley Scott to communicate didactically to the

dangers of excess knowledge. In Frankenstein, the fear of excess knowledge is communicated by Victors self-

imposed seclusion emphasized through alliteration, deep, dark, deathlike solitude. Through this Shelly portrays

societal isolation promoted through industrialisation. In addition, Victors symbolic warning, I wish the

gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you allows Shelly to portray unknown fears that might

circulate industrial endeavours.. In addition, Shelly utilises Victor assertive statement, my human nature turned

loathing from my occupation to comment on self-destruction that prevail solitary scientific pursuits. Victor after

creation of his monster describes its evil frame through grotesque imagery, his yellow skin scarcely hid the work

of muscles and arteries beneath demonstrating his lack of understanding for his creation. This portrayal of

Victors inability to accept moral obligations of his act of creation allows Shelly to comment on the necessity to

test moral obligations of scientific industrial pursuits of her society. Otherwise she foreshadows future undesirable

consequence through the example of Victors ambiguous statement, thus ended a day memorable to meIt

decided my future destiny. Shelly successfully establishes fearful link between science and nature through the

portrayal of ramification of dangerous excessive knowledge in order to call out her societal concerns of

industrialisation.

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In Blade Runner excess knowledge similarly promotes fear. In contrast to Shellys modern society, the post-

modern world of Ridley Scott had already indulged in excessive scientific endeavours creating world of

materialism. These excess scientific pursuits had created post modernistic hell as portrayed by dystopian opening

scene of Los Angeles 2019 where chiaroscuro of billowing flames pierces the darkness of night. In addition the

visual hell is void of children outlining societal degradation engendered by Reagen era of Scotts contemporary

society. Further the absence of nature and artificially cloned animals such as Zhoras snake and Tyrells owl

emphasizes the ecological degradation promoted by pollution in industrialised society. Thus Scott visually portrays

negative connotations surrounding science and nature engendered through excessive scientific pursuits of

knowledge. In Blade Runner Tyrell is reflection of Shellys scientist Victor Frankenstein. Tyrell is portrayed as

corporate God having a single mantra, commerce is our goal here at Tyrell. But this seemingly God like

identity, like Victor, fails to nurture his creation and this introduce dire consequences where Roy crushes his skull

diabolically murdering him like Victors monster, killing all that were dear to Victor. Through this Scott, like

Shelly, underscores necessity to control the creation otherwise dire consequences like pollution and ecological

destruction will hover over the society. Both Shelly and Scott explore negative relation between science and

nature that outline their societal fear instigated by scientific explorations.

The true meaning of humanity is constantly eroded by scientific pursuits of nature in both Frankenstein and

Blade Runner. In Frankenstein the doppelganger relationship between Victor and the creature blurs the

boundary between humanity and monstrosity. Shelly utilises religious allusion to Paradise lost to demonstrate the

doppelganger connection. Victor asserts, I was cursed by some deviland carried with me my eternal hell in

comparison to monsters angry tone uttering, I like the archfiend bore the hell within me. This seeming

resemblance of these statements blurs the boundary between humanity and monstrosity. Further, shelly utilises

romantic style of her era to emphasize the doppelganger relation of humanity and monstrosity. For Victor nature

summons negative feelings outlined through his melancholic tone, the rain depressed me and my old feeling

reoccurred in contrast to positive effect outlined through cheerful tone of the monster, my spirits were elevated

by enchanting presence of nature. This juxtaposition between the effect of nature on Victor and monster further

underscores the blurred nature of humanity. As human identity Victors lacks values of love and affection towards

nature and his exact opposite monster demonstrates such values. Through such portrayal of the doppelganger

human versus nature relationship, Shelly successfully outlines eroded presence of humanity endorsed through

secluded application of science desiring to unravel natural secrets.

Blade runner similarly questions the true meaning of humanity as eroded through corporate pursuits of profit.

Deckards simile, Replicants are like any other machines they are either benefits or hazards establishes replicants

as corporate commodities and thus demolishes their personal identity. In addition men utilises euphemistic

language, the killing of replicants was called retirementnot execution to justify his immoral actions. Through

these examples Scott portrays completely eradicated humanity in human identity as they lack true human values

of love and compassion towards their creations. This lack of humanity in human identity, allows Scott to

comment on his contemporary societal destruction of societal values of families enforced by Reagen era. Scott

further blurs the boundary between monstrosity and humanity by rendering these human values of love and

compassion in presumably non-human identities. Roy, the replicant, demonstrates his emotive connection for his

fellow Pris through emotive language, If we dont find help soonPris does not have long to live. In addition, his

God like status is promoted through religious symbolism, chiming of Church bell and release of white dove.

Through such ironic presence of human values in nonhuman identities the true meaning of humanity is blurred in

Blade Runner. This allows Scott to comment on the social irony enforced through mens negligence of core human

values in their scientific pursuits.

Both Frankenstein and Blade Runner portray humanitys ardent desire to unravel secrets of nature. Through such

forbidden desires the dire consequences are seen to be summoned in these texts. By exploration of dangerous

knowledge and true meaning of humanity, these texts didactically appeal to humanitys pursuits of nature.

Thus, even after emerging after massive difference of time, they strongly communicate universal concern of

nature and science relationship.