Week 7-9

How is the bible referenced in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein?

There are many instances where Frankenstein refers to the Bible, with most of it referring to the book of Genesis. In Genesis, it tells you how God created the world, and everything in it, including the first humans; Adam and Eve. It then tells us of how God takes them to the Garden of Eden, and tells Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan enters the garden and tempts Eve into eating the fruit, who also persuades Adam to do the same, thus disobeying God’s command. God then expels them from the Garden.

There are parallels of this story in Frankenstein. The monster can be linked to Adam, who is the first of his kind, the first creation. Frankenstein rejects his creation, similar to how God had cast them out of Eden. In the Bible, Satan turns his back on God and falls from heaven, waging a war against God and all mankind, similar to Frankenstein’s creation. ("The Bible: Creation » Frankenstein Study Guide from Crossref-it.info", 2019)

There are other references to the bible in Frankenstein, however, they’re not taken directly from the bible but instead are done through the monster’s reading of Paradise Lost.

REFERENCES:

The Bible: Creation » Frankenstein Study Guide from Crossref-it.info. (2019). Retrieved from https://crossref-it.info/textguide/frankenstein/7/333