OPINION: Revisiting Frankenstein

Ava Pusztai, Contributor

Another adaptation of a classic is coming to fruition with Guillermo del Toro’s version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, releasing on Nov. 7. 

But before you buy your tickets to catch the film in theatres, here’s why you—no matter your major—should read Frankenstein at some point in your life, as advised by someone who has revisited the novel more than once.  

Frankenstein is regarded as one of the first science fiction novels, which remains paramount to the genre even now. The ethical questions posed by the story continue to be incredibly relevant, even 200 years after its publication. 

Before we begin, let us set the stage with some minor details. First of all, Victor Frankenstein is not a doctor. He is not worthy of this title as he did not even complete medical school or officially drop out.

In lieu of that, I would argue Frankenstein is not even much of a genius. He may have created life, but his complete disregard and hatred for his invention overpowers any form of intelligence. His selfishness and extreme lack of empathy and emotional intelligence causes his genius to be diminished. 

Frankenstein’s inability to care for the life he is responsible for creating hinders his occupation as a scientist. This brings me to my first point, which is the inherent responsibility that comes from experimentation.

Frankenstein creates life and proceeds to take no accountability for his creations’ actions. He gladly takes credit for his feat of playing God, but does not consider himself a guilty party for any of its actions. 

With this, we can ask a number of questions, such as how far do ethics go regarding scientific experimentation? And at what point can we grant autonomy entirely to the experiment? 

The creature is a living being capable of independent thought, however, Frankenstein did not offer it any guidance on how to navigate that life. Therefore, the creature cannot be blamed for not understanding its own limits and strength—or can it? 

The book raises more questions, such as how much freedom does an invention really have if it depends on its creator to feel independent—only to be denied that freedom? Does it have any freedom at all? 

Let’s compare these notions to the modern craft none of us can escape—artificial intelligence. 

AI has become a tool that is perceived as having no sentient thought, therefore, no autonomy. However, just a few months ago, OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4.5 passed The Turing Test—a proposal made in the 1950s used to measure whether or not machines can think. 

This test is widely acknowledged as “the ultimate indicator of machine intelligence,” so if an AI system displays intelligence that surpasses the level of a human being, does it have autonomy? 

Further, are AI creators then responsible to teach it about this autonomy they have technically granted it?

The story of Frankenstein explains that yes, the responsibility is there.

Frankenstein begins from a place of passion. It is Frankenstein’s love for his craft that leads him to these mass levels of experimentation and success. When his creation goes beyond what he had envisioned, however, his love of his craft disintegrates entirely. 

Frankenstein represents what happens when the inherent love that comes from craft dissipates. Without passion or love for one’s work, it dissolves into hatred.

Frankenstein begins by being obsessive and endlessly fascinated by the concept of creating life—his own success terrifies him into self-loathing. Further, his hatred for himself causes him to fail at providing his creation with the love and passion that led him to creation in the first place. 

Frankenstein can thus be argued as a love story, wherein it is the outcome of what happens when there is an absence of love. Although love is what propelled Frankenstein into his experimentation, his inability to reciprocate these feelings onto his creation is what leads to his inherent failure. 

Love is a dangerous force in Frankenstein. It is a creature’s desire—and right, I would argue— for love that leads to destruction. Love in Frankenstein is inseparable from upheaval which makes it equally terrifying and powerful. 

In a world where technology is adapting at rates faster than humanity can keep up with, an adaptation of Frankenstein is painfully appropriate. Gothic cinema has been experiencing a resurgence in the last few years, with Nosferatu, Sinners, and the upcoming Wuthering Heights. 

With AI being around every corner and the ethics of it becoming more blurry, a story such as Frankenstein is a relevant read. 

Though it seems that every film coming out is another adaptation of an old story, stories such as Frankenstein have proven to be relevant years after their original release. Stories tend to be adapted multiple times over because there are elements to them that are worth reteaching and reminding audiences of. 

With each reading, there is something more to be taken from Frankenstein’s mistakes. It is simply a good book worth your time