The Modern Prometheus

I must say that Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a very good novel that not only kept my interest from chapter 1-10, a period in which I did not put the book down, but also gave me much food for thought and exceeded any prior expectations for the novel. Then I again I wasn't expecting much mostly because of the debauchery made of the novel in the form of a terrible movie that was nothing like the actual book. I still remember watching the movie years ago when a disgusting looking creature was brought to life by some lighting and the doctor who made the actual living thing said "Its alive!!!" The monster was of course called Frankenstein and frankly this is the sort of thing I expected from the novel being the inexperience reader I am. I figured I knew the story before even picking up the book, as the monster kills somebody but feels remorse and then runs up into a tower and is burned to death. This, fortunately, is nothing like the book which is much deeper and more philosophical than the terrible movie. The monster can actually talk in such a way that we can understand, again unlike the movie. I guess it goes to show that reading the book is always better than watching the movie.
Another thing worth mentioning about the novel is the actual title of the novel, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. The first part of the title is self-explanatory as the main character of the novel is Victor Frankenstein, a scientist that discovers the cause of life and uses it to create a horrific monster. The second part of the title is the one that actually interests me. For the seminar we had in class regarding the novel and the many themes it presents, I researched the Greek titan Prometheus who is famous for bringing fire to mankind. He is also the titan who was tied to a rock where an eagle came to eat his liver everyday and due to his immortality, he would grow a new liver and never die. One major thing that he is also said to have done is that he created man in a god-like image from clay. This can be connected to Victor Frankenstein as he created life through the monster he birthed, the only difference being that the monster is horrific in appearance when the image that Prometheus created was beautiful and godlike. Although this is a connection between the title and Victor, there is the glaring difference of appearance of the two and this led me to believe that there must have been another reason for the title. During the discussion in class today, the answer dawned on me after listening to the statements made by one of my classmates. Fire has long been held synonymous to life as the heat inside of us is what keeps us alive. This fire that Prometheus brought to man gave us life and a way to survive in the cold world. Victor essentially does the same thing when bringing life to the inanimate, thus discovering the secret of life, a secret that was previously the fire the Prometheus gave to man.