Question

Which part of the excerpt hints at Frankenstein's desire to act as God? It may appear very strange, that a disciple of Albertus Magnus should arise in the eighteenth century; but our family was not scientifical, and I had not attended any of the lectures given at the schools of Geneva. My dreams were therefore undisturbed by reality; and I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life. But the latter obtained my undivided attention: wealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death! Nor were these my only visions. The raising of ghosts or devils was a promise liberally accorded by my favorite authors, the fulfillment of which I most eagerly sought; and if my incantations were always unsuccessful, I attributed the failure rather to my own inexperience and mistake than to a want of skill or fidelity in my instructors. The natural phenomena that take place every day before our eyes did not escape my examinations. Distillation, and the wonderful effects of steam, processes of which my favorite authors were utterly ignorant, excited my astonishment; but my utmost wonder was engaged by some experiments on an air pump, which I saw employed by a gentleman whom we were in the habit of visiting.

Answer 1

but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death! Nor were these my only visions. The raising of ghosts or devils was a promise liberally accorded by my favorite authors, the fulfillment of which I most eagerly sought;

"banish disease" and "raising of ghosts" sounds superhuman

Answer 2

"if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death" suggests that Frankenstein desires to be like God in making man invulnerable to diseases and banish it.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Chapter 2 of the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, we see the young Frankenstein being so awestruck by the power of alchemy and being influenced by the works of Agrippa, Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus. He then began to try to emulate them, looking for ways to save humanity frm the various diseases that plague the world and make men safe from all these mortal afflictions. He began to "the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life", forgoing wealth and instead focusing his efforts to the " banish(ing of) disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death". This can only be done by a superhuman figure and none that a mere mortal is capable of. In his attempts to successfully attain these, he desires to be like God who is capable of doing all these and which is against the natural order of things.