“To what extent does your comparative study of Frankenstein and Blade Runner suggest that the relationship between science and nature is an important universal concern?”

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein reveals insightful concepts about the relationship between scientific advancements and its impact upon nature during the early 18th century, expressed using Gothic and Romantic ideas. Further, this connection is deeply embedded in Shelley’s morals and values during the Age of Enlightenment. Similar notions are exhibited in Blade Runner, a 1982 film directed by Ridley Scott whose own perceptions of his Cold War society were influenced by the mass corporatization of science and the potentially negative impacts upon the natural environment. These texts share core ideas about the flawed responsibility of humans as creators as well as the destructive potential of abusing science. They demonstrate the transcendence of both composers’ values through context, highlighting the universality of the devastation of nature from scientific explorations.

In Frankenstein, Shelley highlights how Victor is unable to forge a close relationship between his scientific creation, despite disrupting the natural order, emphasizing the failure of humans as creators. The environment of nurture in which Frankenstein experiences, is significantly different to his attitude shown towards the monster, an adulteration of nature itself. While Frankenstein states that his parents were “agents and creators of all the many delights” in his childhood, this is a stark juxtaposition to the following; “Wretched devil, you reproach me with your creation… Come on then may I extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed”. Shelley ironically associated the monster with the devil through this recurring Gothic motif whilst the intensity of Victor’s hatred and unwillingness to accept responsibility as the creator positions himself as more devilish than his creation. Thus, Shelley correlates Victor’s selfish lack of responsibility despite his disruption to nature with science, to the degraded morals during the enlightenment period. Shelley solidifies her universal concern by highlighting the flawed responsibility of humans in failing to take care of its scientific creations, despite disrupting nature through using these god-like powers.

Similarly in Blade Runner, Scott depicts the inverse relationship between science and nature through the characterisation of Dr. Tyrell. Tyrell’s exploitation of science and commercial power reveals his flawed responsibility as creator by not considering the consequences of playing god and failing to take proper oversight on his technology. This is exemplified when he states “Commerce is our goal at Tyrell…Rachael is an experiment, nothing more”, with a grim emotionless facial expression. The quote conveys the apathetic attitude of Tyrell towards his creation Rachael, explicating the selfish and flawed sense of responsibility that Scott fears mankind will possess with an increasing unethical economic paradigm. The dehumanised portrayal of Tyrell conveys his lack of oversight on the replicants despite using science to play god, potentially having a negative relationship with nature through the disruption of the social order. Here, Scott reflects the contextual concerns about the power struggle involved in the Cold War, degrading humanity’s social responsibility and the potentially subverted socio-economic values. Scott represents how Tyrell’s ability to create human replicants has ultimately allowed him to destabilize society’s natural hierarchy whilst the negligence of his god-like power initiates the potential destruction of his fragile environment of LA.

Leading on from this notion about flawing responsibilities, are Shelley’s concerns about the destructive potential of abusing science and its negative relationship with nature and society. Through Frankenstein, Shelley conveys her fears in response to Enlightenment science. “The bold has entered my soul; and I felt

that I should exhibit what I shall soon cease to be – a miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity”. The personified bolt entering Victor’s soul is symbolic of the corrupted values during the Industrial Revolution where the repercussions of excessive scientific explorations were often ignored. The monster thus becomes a metaphor for the adulteration of nature by scientific abuse. “The labours I endured were no longer to be alleviated by the bright sun or gentle breeze of Spring… I was not made for the enjoyment of pleasure”. Here, the monster irrevocably states his predicament, accentuated through Shelley’s association of the creature with harsh Gothic ideas and the juxtaposed Romantic background. The monster thus becomes a destructive product in nature from the abuse of Enlightenment science, elucidating similar universal concern with Scott about the destructive potentials of misusing science.

In contrast to the depiction of a sublime natural environment in Frankenstein, Scott highlights his values about the destructive potential of abusing science through his focus on the urban dystopian wasteland that LA has become. In the opening sequence, the slow panning panorama shot of overpopulated buildings and exploding flames is coupled with the mis-en-scene of dark shadows and constant rain to accentuate the destruction of the natural environment by technology. Scott’s use of typical neo-noir cinematography establishes an apocalyptic and hellish environment completely devoid of nature. This can be seen to parallel the context of the Cold War where the mass developments of nuclear weapons struck fear it could potentially cause a nuclear holocaust. Tyrell himself ironically reflects the dangers of humanity’s abuse of scientific progress stating “to make an alteration in the evolvements of an organic life system is fatal”. This ironic statement is used by Scott to reinforce his cynical values towards the corporatization of science that was becoming a prominent issue during the Cold War era, transcending from similar values during Shelley’s times.

Ultimately, threatening scientific explorations in their respective contexts have shaped Shelley and Scott’s cynical views of their society. Frankenstein highlights how the abuse of Enlightenment Science during the Industrial Revolution was potentially dangerous due to the failure of humans as creators, disrupting the natural order as well as the destructive potential of abusing science. Similar notions are established to reinforce Scott’s values in Blade Runner, his perception of an apocalyptic society completely devoid of nature during the Cold War era similar to those of Shelley’s. Their values reinforce the transcendence of similar ideas through context to highlight the important universal concern about the impacts of science on nature.