God breathed life into the first human being, Adam. He was unique, alone, and an individual. God then breathed life into a companion, named Eve, for Adam.. Unfortunately in the story of Genesis, Adam and Eve betray God’s trust and are cast out of the Garden of Eden. Michelangelo’s paintings of the Sistine Chapel capture the story of Adam and Eve from Genesis. Similarly, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Creature can be compared to Adam and his creator, Victor Frankenstein to God. The Creature was also an individual, unique, and lonely being created by someone who was supposed to care for him, but unfortunately the Creature doesn’t get that same guidance as Adam gets from God. He says, “I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel" (Shelley 66). In Frankenstein, there are many references towards the story God and Adam in Genesis. Because of these references many think that the stories are a little similar. That may be, but there are by far more dissimilarities. I believe that the Creature’s story doesn’t match up with the story of Adam in Michelangelo’s paintings of the Sistine Chapel. Adam was created in God’s image and born in a more natural way then the Creature in Frankenstein. God breathed life into Adam in Michelangelo’s paintings. It shows God looking at Adam in such a peaceful and loving way. God’s hand is fully stretched out toward Adam, showing how important he was to his creator. Adam is pictured as the ideal human male with large muscles and well-designed contours. Adam’s creation is thought to be extraordinary and beautiful as depicted in many famous paintings of him. On the other hand, the Creature was created in a more unnatural and disgusting way. Victor decided to take dead body parts and sew them together to make the frame of his Creature. Victor says, “His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God!” (Shelley 39). Victor always believed his Creature would be beautiful, but as he finally sees it come to life he turns in horror. The Creature has yellow skin that barely covered the muscles and arteries underneath him. He had a shriveled complexion, dull yellow eyes, and black straight lips. The Creature was an inanimate object, with body parts meant to be buried underground, that is brought to life with electricity. This is nothing like the beautiful image Michelangelo paints of the creation of Adam. There is no loving glance from the Creature’s creator to himself. There is nothing but unnatural ways and ugliness depicted in the image of the Creature created by Victor Frankenstein. Adam’s creation is one of pure love and nurturing. God created him in his image and showed so much happiness towards Adam. Michelangelo’s paintings show that God has a strong desire to reach out towards his creation, Adam. The angels around God are almost being pulled back a different way then God. God also looks like he is fighting against something like wind to reach for Adam’s finger. Victor’s emotion and actions towards the Creature never show any loving nature. The Creature is completely abandoned by his Creator. As soon as Victor saw the ugliness he had created, he turned and ran away from it. He says, “Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room,” (Shelley 39). Victor never shows pre-conception feelings towards his creation. The Creature never had a place in Victor’s heart because he was so disgusted and frightened by the sight of him. Victor never once thinks about the form he is giving his creation and how he will live along side humans with a disgusting appearance. He gives him a gigantic frame and grotesque appearance. Besides the difference between the ways the creators react towards them, there is also a difference in how they are raised. In Michelangelo’s paintings looking closely some have found that the sheet behind God and the angels is the shape of a brain (Meshberger 1). The brain can be interpreted to mean that God is passing on the gift of intellect to Adam. Besides that the woman under God’s arm is also thought to be Eve. Many believe that image foreshadows the creation of Eve and shows her as a part of God’s plan. This once again shows the love God had towards Adam. The Creature does not get any intellect because his creator does not try to educate his creation in any way. He is completely on his own when he wakes up and is forced to go out into the world with no guidance. He is frightened when he wakes up and has no idea where he is or why he is here. He is left with no clothing except for Victor’s lab coat. He is unloved and uncared for because of Victor’s selfishness. The Creature says, “Remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam; but rather the fallen angel, whom thou drives from joy for no misdeed,” (Shelley 77). The Creature is so lonely and only wants a companion; someone that loves him for who he is and is similar. But Victor doesn’t follow through with the companion leaving the Creature with no hope and greater loneliness. God tells Adam and Eve from the start to not be temped to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Unfortunately Eve is tempted and eats the fruit, and then offers some to Adam. Adam also eats the fruit from the tree of knowledge, thus betraying the command of God. Michelangelo paints this scene and shows the shame they felt after they committed the sin. They know they shouldn’t have done it. On the side of the painting that shows them before they have sinned, it looks brighter. Adam and Eve look strong and young. On the other side, which shows them being banished from the Garden of Eden, it looks dull, lifeless, and old. It depicts Eve hiding her face in the shadows of Adam. They both have looks of shame and seem to look older and weaker then before. The Creature, in Frankenstein, was never told what he should and shouldn’t do. He had no guidance or rules stated from the beginning. He was only told that he was a hideous monster. He kills many of Victor’s family and friends to gain revenge against the creator who rejected him. He says, “ I am malicious because I am miserable” (Shelly 75). Victor left him alone with no guidance. Adam at least was told, “Do not do this or that.” It’s like teaching a child; you have to be told what not to do. Otherwise, you will do whatever you want. Therefore, the Creature wasn’t really fully at fault for the sins he committed, because he had no idea. This shows how different Adam and the Creature’s stories truly were.
As the punishment for their sins, Adam and Eve are cast out from the Garden of Eden. They are sent to Earth to live with the fate of death during the story of Genesis, which Michelangelo depicts. Women are stuck with childbirth and the pain that comes with it. Men are stuck with long hours of hard labor. Michelangelo’s painting of Adam and Eve being cast out shows them weaker and older. Which can show how much of a toll their punishment took on them. As for where they went when they died, Adam and Eve spent time in Limbo waiting for Jesus to be risen up to Heaven. Then, during the Harrowing of Hell, they were finally allowed to enter Heaven and join God and Jesus. They had repented towards God and he was always there for them even though they failed him the first time. God forgives them during the Harrowing of Hell. The Creature on the other hand, is cast out of the world as people turn away from him in fear. But unfortunately his punishment starts from the first moment he became alive, because of his ugliness, which was never his fault but his creator’s. Even so, the sins he committed can’t be considered fully his own fault because he had no idea what he was doing. Although I don’t think he thought it was good. He had no concept of good and evil, only anger in his heart. In the end he knows he has done something wrong towards his creator because he felt terrible as he watches him die. I believe Michelangelo would send the Creature to Hell because the sins he committed seem far worse then those of Adam and Eve. The Creature killed many innocent people because of revenge. He committed far more destruction then Adam and Eve did, even though it wasn’t fully his fault. The stories of Adam and the Creature can’t be considered similar because of all these differences. The way they were created and who their creators were are completely different. Adam represents the more natural, loving, nurturing side of the relationship between creator and creation, while the Creature represents the more unnatural, unloving, and non-nurturing side of the relationship. Michelangelo’s paintings depict a different side then what the Creature’s story would look like in a painting. We wouldn’t see the love God has for Adam if there were paintings of the Creature and Victor Frankenstein. All we would see is fear, despair, and abandonment.