In Mary Shelley’s Gothic Romantic novel, Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein builds a monster, hoping to gain glory for being a god-like creator. However, his plan fails once he sees the ugly being that he has made, leaving him to abandon the monster altogether. In turn, the monster seeks vengeance and decides to destroy all that Victor loves. Through this, we see how our technological advancements can cause even more issues within society, warning those who seek innovation to take a moment to fully grasp the potential consequences of what they are doing before taking action. Afterall, Victor could have prevented the murders of his loved ones if he had fully thought through what he was doing when he made the monster and when he carelessly abandoned it.

Richard Feynman’s speech titled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” parallels Victor’s initial attitude towards building the monster- excited and optimistic. Throughout his speech, Feynman amplifies the message that technology holds countless possibilities that are waiting to be discovered and/or made. He neglects to address the issues that may arise from seeking such technological advancements. Similarly, Victor eagerly and tirelessly works towards making the monster without considering that the outcome would be unnatural and therefore could wreak havoc. On the other hand, Bill Joy’s article, “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us”, warns of technology’s repercussions and approaches science apprehensively. If Victor had thought his plan through and was made aware of technology’s discontents in the first place, the monster may not have been created . Fortunately, Victor comes to his senses later in the novel when he disregards the monster’s demands and decides not to make a companion for him. Overall, both pieces mirror Frankenstein in one way or another, as the novel proves that technology is something to be approached in a cautious manner.