Mary Shelley has many personal background instances and was also fully aware of the scientific advances of her time. That all together swayed some of the strong points in her novel Frankenstein. There were two prominent advances concerned with the boundaries between life and death when Shelley was a teenager that go hand and hand with the establishment of Frankenstein’s creature. According to the article “Encyclopaedia Britannica: The Real Science Behind Frankenstein”, the first advancement was the discovery that it is sometimes possible to revive, or modernly.. “Resuscitate” someone who has appeared to be dead after drowning. The second advancement was the “..emerging field of electrophysiology”(Encyclopaedia Britannica), which dealt with the investigations on the effects of electricity on animal tissue.

The preservation of anatomical material had the attention of many scientists during Shelley’s time. Tissue preservation was of concern for many scientists and professors, as the goal was to stall the decay process while conserving the specimens original appearance. For Frankenstein to have fictionally accomplished what he did, the use of preservative techniques that were discovered in the 1800’s would have had to been implemented. Scientists in the early 19th century were not looking to preserve body parts for the creation of a whole body, that is just where Mary Shelley’s creativity took its path, based on their discoveries. Shelley illustrated Frankenstein working within a small attic, with the assistance of candlelight to brighten the way for his work. This was normal in the 1800’s, as many scientists concerned with anatomy were working within cramped conditions as well (How to make a monster: what's the science behind Shelley's Frankenstein?). Anatomical Curators were plagued with many health issues as a result  of their working conditions and the lack of knowledge on the importance of proper safety precautions. Many chemicals were being used during experiments and that took a toll with these improper safety conditions. It is believed that some of Victor Frankenstein’s health issues were of result to these same issues pertaining to 19th century scientists. Shelley was heavily influenced by these scientific discoveries when writing her story, and showed us what could happen if we go to far in terms of the experimentation of life.

Shelly’s Modern Prometheus surviving the test of time is shown in scientific and technological advancements today. Frankenstein through Victor’s journey and outcome the awareness of the ends of human capability proves as a cautionary tale. With the growth of Silicon Valley and the increased access to resources and information, humans are constantly testing the bounds of their abilities. The popularity of artificial intelligence is subject to widespread criticism because many believe there is no going back. The negative effect was seen in Frankenstein and in the real world with self-driving cars being responsible for the death of a pedestrian or the decimation of factory jobs which sets a drastic precedent for the future of the workforce. Knowledge is not inherently evil rather, it is the humans' pursuit for this length and its uses.

Since the time that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein there has been hundreds of new discoveries that advanced the world of science. However, there are still techniques and other known facts that are still acknowledged today by scientists, and many new discoveries are based off ideas formed made during Shelley’s time and beforehand. Although sciences have come a long way since the early 1800s the basic laws and principles still applied to the world, without them knowing. So, this would mean that many aspects that are chemically and biomedically possible today could still have occurred then, except for technological and medical advancement that provide many new crucial aspects. The popular idea expressed in many films about the Monster being created by being electrocuted has to do with the experiment when scientist ran electricity through a frog and made its leg twitch, but scientists now know that this was simply a nerve reaction to the electricity. That technology that was used is now known as the Galvanometer which measures the electrical current that runs through objects. There are now several altercations to medical and chemical procedures from the early 1800s, but the fact is there is still some discoveries that were monumental at the time could lead to Shelley to believing that it was possible to create the monster in that time.

The possibility of Frankenstein creating the Monster happening in the early 1800s or now is probably very slim chance at either time due to the medical anomaly of being able to take scraps and chemicals to form a human like figure. This would also be extremely hard to form a being such as the monster to have certain emotional and mental abilities that the Monster obtained. For the creation of Frankenstein where it is possible now to conduct this procedure in different ways than what was available back then due to new technological advancements, but victor could have gotten his hands of some vitals needed for it along with proper timing due to the longevity of the organs. “Preservation of anatomical material was of huge interest when Frankenstein was written, as it is now, though for very different reasons. Today the interest is in preserving organs and tissues suitable for transplant. Some individuals even want to cryogenically freeze their entire body in case future scientists can revive them and cure whatever disease caused their original death. In that respect the aims are not so different from what the fictional Victor Frankenstein was attempting two hundred years ago” (Harkup). The science is the same then and now for this procedure, but it is much more practical now with new advancements in technology that provide much needed assistance. This possibility of creating a creature such as the monster in Frankenstein is still complicated especially in creating the emotional and mental aspects of a human in a creation such as the Monster which is unlikely to be able to predict.

Frankenstein showcases the limitations of human ability through the process of creation. The knowledge of Mary Shelley’s background aides in developing a better understanding of the text and that every action has an equal and an opposite reaction. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has maintained a steady presence in the world since its inception over 200 years. As it enters its 200th anniversary since its publication in 1818, the novel has been analyzed and written about constantly offering quite similar to extremely different takes on the overarching message of the story. Frankenstein deals with the range of capabilities of humanity and its effect on the surrounding natural world. There are limits to human ability which can produce negative and unintended effects.

The use of Newton’s Law to describe Shelley’s overall message of Frankenstein was quite intentional as it is an ode to the scientific influence exemplified in the novel. With the more knowledge he attained, the further led him down a path of despair. Especially in the era, Shelley lived in where scientific excellence and advancements were not uncommon. Due to Shelley being surrounded by intellect at all times she made sure to showcase the importance of the pursuit of knowledge that is littered throughout the text. Two paralleling characters Victor and Robert Walton both were intellectuals who sought out unpossessed knowledge. Their pursuits are tied to wanting to go above and beyond the knowledge of others and accomplishing first and having unprecedented power. Shelley herself was married to a man who was expelled from Oxford for publishing a pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism, and also helped her edit Frankenstein so the theme of religion is a large factor. In being so bold to publish such a pamphlet in a time period where you would be shunned from society for blasphemy, Shelley with her husband’s influence, religion and the concept of questioning and testing the bounds is prevalent. Victor creating the monster and its ramification is the central plot of the stories showing the consequences of playing God. Captain Walton exploring the north pole is connected to allow humanity to have a one up against nature, so we can maintain greater control of it.