May 17th 2012, 

Man Vs. Nature

Why is it that man constantly desires to fight against the forces of nature?

I've begun to think about this in response to reading the beginning of Marry Shelly's Frankenstein. The story begins by depicting the life of a boy who is enthralled with the beautiful, but also with the abnormal. He's perplexed by the relation between beauty, nature, and control. Eventually he develops an interest that can only be satisfied through experimentation, which eventually leads him down a dangerous path for which he was not prepared. 

Now as an industrial designer, I can understand some of this desire to not only "understand" nature but also "control" it. For me it stems from a desire to test my own boundaries. I want to see just how capable I am and where my limits lye.

Perhaps this is what drove the doctor as well. Perhaps he never really believed he could create a monster, but in the back of his mind always wondered how close to the mark he could get.