How Victor Frankenstein Saved Humans from Extinction

By refusing to create a wife for his monster, Victor Frankenstein saved humans and humanity.

According to a new study published in the Bioscience magazine, Victor Frankenstein saved humans from extinction by refusing to create a female companion for his monster. It seems that even if the monster and his wife had retreated to the wilderness of Southern Africa, they would have slowly managed to take over the continent if they were capable of reproducing.

During a rainy summer night, while visiting Lord Byron, Mary Shelly, a then 18 years old woman, dreamt of atrocious things. The conversations between Percy Bysshe Shelley, the one who would later become her husband, and Lord Byron revolved around the newly discovered wonder of electricity and its possible medical applications. The discussions lingered in her mind, and the idea for The Modern Prometheus came to her during her sleep.

The novel that Shelly wrote in the summer of 1818 is still considered one of the best gothic works of all time and the precursor of science fiction. It is one of the few literary works that still attracts the interest of scientists desperately trying to explain the workings of the monster.

One of these researchers, Justin D. Yeakel, explored the option of the monster’s happy ending. After being banished to Antarctica, the unnamed monster becomes literate, reading complicated and philosophical literary works like Milton’s Paradise Lost. Inspired, maybe, by the story of Adam and Eve, he returns to Frankenstein and asks for a female companion.

The doctor initially accepts, but as he starts preparing for a new reanimation process, he starts thinking about the implications of creating another monster. He ultimately refuses to create the monster’s wife even if the monster swears that they will travel to Southern Africa and spend their days away from humankind.

According to several computational tools developed by mathematicians and ecologists, if Frankenstein accepted the monster’s proposal, humankind would have perished in roughly 4000 years.

It seems that the weaker race, aka the humans, would have been wiped out through competitive exclusion, leaving the monsters to rule over the planet. Ironically, since South Africa is not densely populated by humans, the monster population would have thrived, slowly advancing towards more civilized areas.

By refusing the monster’s request, Victor Frankenstein saved humans from extinction.

The most extraordinary thing of all is the fact that the 18 years old writer still surprises the scientific community that proved yet again that the science from the goth novel is correct.