The_Bible_(Genesis)_in_Frankenstein

=__Genesis and Creation: A General Summary__=

Genesis which is Greek for "birth" begins the Old Testament of the Bible, the Torah and the Tanakh. It describes the history of the world from Creation to the arrival of the Children of Israel into Ancient Egypt. The final form of the work was not realized until around 5th century BD. Scholars estimate that parts of this composite text may have originated at the earliest in the 10th century BC.

The text starts with God who creates earth in the dark void. He then makes the first day and night which quickly give rise to dry land, the sea, plants and trees bearing fruit, the sun, moon and stars, and “air breathing sea creatures and birds” (Genesis) [4]. On the sixth day he creates “the breast of the earth according to their kinds” (Genesis). As one many anticipate, on the seventh day he rested. After this break he fashions a man from the ground’s dust and gives him life by breathing into his nostrils.

He places man into the Garden of Eden where man is told he is allowed to eat all of the fruit there except the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If he eats from that specific tree, God says, he will die. Whatever man chose to call the creatures of the earth, it became their accepted name. However, although God had created many things, Man could not find a companion suitable enough. God put Man to sleep and made Woman from one of his ribs. The serpent told Woman that if she ate the fruit from the Tree she will be as wise as God, knowing good and evil. She eats an apple and gives it to man who eats it as well. “Then the eyes of both were opened” (Genesis) [4]. God punishes the woman with the pains of childbirth and subordination to Man, who is punished with hard work for the rest of his life. Now knowledgeable, Adam and Eve are kicked out of the Garden of Eden so they do not eat from the Tree of Life and live forever. The gate was then sealed by God with a cherub and a flaming sword [4].



=**__The Creation of the Creature vs. The Creation of Adam__**=

While the Creature and the Biblical character, Adam, were very alike as far as both being one of a kind and alone in the world, they were very different in a myriad of other aspects. While Adam was created by God with good intentions and willingness to provide for him, Victor Frankenstein created the Creature in an experiment out of curiosity. It is evident that he did not take into account the Creature's appearance when he created him because he made him much larger than any human being and in his carelessness made him look hideous. When God created Adam, he created him in his own image. Victor alienated the Creature from society by making him look like a monster. Another difference in the creation of the Creature and Adam is that when Victor created the Creature he was immediately disgusted by him and abandoned him. When God created Adam he provided him with The Garden of Eden, where he was nurtured and loved. Even when Adam was thrown out of the Garden of Eden, God still loved him and looked after him. Victor never accounted for the well-being of his creation. Another contrast that is present between the Creature and Adam is that Adam was given a companion, Eve, so that he would not be lonely as the only creature of his kind. When the Creature demanded that Victor create a companion for him so that he could feel acceptance in a world of rejection, Victor refused because he was fearful that another creature would lead to more chaos. The main difference between the Creature and Adam was in their creators. While Victor created the Creature from his own self-interest and no regard for how the Creature would be seen in society, God created Adam out of love and in his own image and he provided for him [1].

=__The Creature vs. Adam__=

Frankenstein’s creature faces a different life than that of God’s creation, Adam. From the moment he comes to life, the Creature is shunned from society. Victor, the first person that the Creature sees, is horrified by what he has made and decides to run away from his creation. The Creature’s first encounter with man goes horribly wrong and has an impact on his thoughts of man and himself. Rejected and alone, the Creature sets off to find out how to act like humans, only to have every person he encounters avoid him at all costs. Because of Frankenstein’s actions, the Creature is alienated from society. On the other hand, Adam is created with good intentions and is loved by his creator [4]. The Creature even realizes that he is treated differently than Adam. "Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in any other respect. he had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy, and prosperous guarded by the especial care of his Creator, he was allowed to converse with and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature, but I was wretched, helpless, and alone" (Shelley 153) [2]. God plays a different role than Victor as God provides for Adam, while Victor totally abandons the Creature. Adam is placed in the Garden of Eden and is given a companion in Eve without even asking for her. Unlike Adam’s situation, the Creature actually demands that Victor supply him with a companion. While Adam receives a companion without asking, the Creature asks for one and does not receive his companion [3].

=__The Creation of Eve within Frankenstein and within the Bible__=

Throughout the novel, Shelley often makes the comparison of Eve from the Bible as being a partner for the Creature. The Creature states, "No Eve soothed my sorrows, or shared my thoughts” (Shelley 155) [2]. He feels rejected in society and believes that if he has a companion just like himself, they will be able to understand each other and learn to develop within society just as they are. Victor refuses to make an Eve because he does not want another one of his creatures in the world because of the destruction that he has caused. This scenario is different from what is said in the Bible. In Genesis, God creates Eve from one of Adam’s ribs during the night. When Adam awakes, a woman is there for him to grow with [4]. Therefore, the creators, Victor and God, play extremely different roles. God’s intentions were to create an Eve so that Adam could have a wife, and they could make children in order for civilization to begin. On the other hand, Victor would not create a companion for the Creature at all. He treated the Creature terribly; as he abandoned him from the instant he looked at him due to his ugly features. Victor certainly did not want to create one just as hideous as his previous creature. Therefore the intentions of God and Victor were drastically unlike [3].

=__Quotes Related to Genesis Said by the Creature__=

=__Quotes Related to Genesis Said by Frankenstein__=
 * "No Eve soothed my sorrows, or shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator; but where was mine? he had abandoned me, and, in the bitterness of my heart, I cursed him," (Shelley 155) [2].
 * "Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine in any other respect. he had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy, and prosperous guarded by the especial care of his Creator, he was allowed to converse with and acquire knowledge from beings of a superior nature, but I was wretched, helpless, and alone," (Shelley 153) [2].
 * "God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid ever from the very resemblance" (Shelley 134) [2].
 * "Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed" (Shelley 89) [2].
 * “You have benevolently restored me to life" (Shelley 11) [2].
 * “I once had a friend, the most noble of human creatures, and am entitled therefore, to judge respecting friendship. You have hope, and the world before you, and have no cause for despair. But I- I have lost everything and cannot begin life anew" (Shelley 13). [2]
 * “ You seek knowledge and wisdom as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you as min has been" (Shelley 14) [2].
 * “My mother’s tender caresses and my father’s smile of benevolent pleasure while regarding me are my first recollections. I as their plaything and their idol and something better- their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as their fulfilled their duties towards me" (Shelley 19) [2].

=__Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein__= This video shows the cartoon characters Alvin and the Chipmunks showing the Creature how to be a friendly person. If Victor was more like God and provided the Creature with an Eve, or acted like his friend, the Creature may have grown to be like the person the Chipmunks are teaching him how to be.

media type="youtube" key="3WT8dmllFD0&rel=1" height="355" width="425"

=__Work Cited__=

1. Pastelero, MªÁngeles González. "Frankenstein: the Novel". Universitat de València Press. October 24, 2007 <[|http://mural.uv.es/madelos/frankenstein.html>.]

2. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York, Ny: Pocket Books, 2004.

3. Students at UPenn. "The Bible." University of Pennsylvania. 25 Nov 2007 <[|http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/Contexts/bible.html>.]

4. The Bible. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1965.

5. "rsbandbj1j2j3" "If You Wanna Have Friends" YouTube. 24 October 2007. 