The Modern Prometheus and the Unpunished Epimetheus

As a cautionary tale, Frankenstein serves to terrify and repulse; what if we were to take technology too far and give life to something that we could not control, which we hated and regretted creating? While Mary Shelley wants us to empathize with and pity the creature, the creature is still a violent being, who has murdered people in cold blood. He might excuse himself as acting on the rejection and repulsion of others but he has committed horrible crimes. The creature serves as a great warning – as an almost impenetrable and sentient force, impossible to avoid and capable of feeling emotion. What happens when we do things without considering the consequences? 

This issue is particularly relevant in the United States, where we tend not to rely on the precautionary principle, but rather blindly blunder forward until we confront accounts of harm or injury. Shelley has provided us with a tale of what a lack of foresight will bring us. Relevant to this tale is that of Epimetheus and his brother Prometheus; Victor serves as Epimetheus, lacking the foresight to save a positive quality to give to man, while the creature serves as Prometheus, suffering the consequences for Epimetheus. Throughout the tale, while the warning may be clear, Victor is never truly labeled as culpable for his actions – he avoids blame and the creature’s existence is never revealed to the general public. The creature is the one that suffers from Victor’s selfish actions – he is distraught, rejected, and pitiable – finally resorting to self-immolation as a means to escape his wretched existence.