To be human is to have high aspirations and ignore limitations. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the Anishinaabe-Ojibwe creation myth Ladder to the Sky explain that to be human is to ignore one's limits and to aspire too high. Victor Frankenstein in Shelley's novel creates a danger for humanity through his great aspiration to be like God to create a human species. Similar to the grandmother in The Ladder to Heaven, where she endangers the entire village hoping to save her grandson and therefore climbs the forbidden vine. Throughout two stories, Frankenstein and the grandmother create danger for others by ignoring human limitations, causing others to face the consequences of their high aspirations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Shelley's novel, Frankenstein ignores his limitations as a human and uses the power of science to create a being, just like God. As a result, those close to him suffered from his actions. He says in creating his creature, "a new species would bless me as a creature and a source." Frankenstein believes that his aspiration helped him break through his limitations as a human, where he, with his new found power, placed himself as God, the creator. However, his aspiration causes others to suffer negative consequences. As Shelley mentions in the book, Frankenstein's creature has killed people Frankenstein loves, including his brother William, his best friend Clerval, and his wife Elizabeth. Their deaths represent the negative consequences of Frankenstein's high aspirations. Through this, Frankenstein caused his family and friends to face the negative impact of his high aspiration to be equal to God. Similarly, in the Anishinaabe-Ojibwe creation myth Ladder to the Sky, the grandmother, with her aspiration to save her grandson, breaks the limit of humanness by reaching the forbidden vine which results in Gitchi Manitou's punishment on the whole community. The story says, “She broke the power of the vine.” All night she climbed.” In longing to find her grandson, the grandmother would do anything, including disobeying the Great Spirit and thus breaking human limitation as she approaches the sacred vine. As a result, Gitchi Manitou sends a spirit to announce a punishment for the entire community: "Sickness and pain will live among you... your people will no longer live forever... all must die when the time comes." Because of this punishment, the community no longer has any strong, healthy people, meaning everyone must get sick and die in the end. The grandmother's aspiration not only results in punishment against herself, but also against the entire community. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The two stories are very different, but the two characters, those of Frankenstein and the grandmother, reflect the same aspiration as humans. Both have ignored their limitations by aspiring too high, leading to negative consequences for others around them. Frankenstein's aspirations result in the death of his loved ones, similar to that of the grandmother, which results in the punishment of the entire community. By aspiring too high and ignoring their limitations as humans, they both created misery not only for themselves, but also for others around them..