Title: The Temptation of Dr. Stein
Author: Paul J. McAuley
Date of First Publication: 1994
Place of Publication: The Mammoth Book of Frankenstein
Type: Short story
Characters: No Character
Themes: MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; BYRONIC HERO; ANDROID; WOMEN WRITING MONSTERS
Critical Summary: “The Temptation of Dr. Stein” is about a man who is a doctor, Dr. Stein, who attempts to solve a murder mystery with another doctor. A young woman who was betrayed by her boyfriend is found later in the water, face down, making it look like a suicide for her aching heart. However, the second doctor, Gorrall, sees the woman later on in the week, apparently alive and well, but with no pulse. It turns out the girl is claimed to be healed by a third doctor with a miraculous form of treatment of which the original two doctors know nothing about. This new doctor is a suspicious man, who is kicked out of his country for his unseemly practices. The new doctor acquired a tool from Egypt to help reanimate the dead, without them actually having a pulse. Instead, the two doctors watch as the girl stands and does not much else but stare blankly. Soon the two doctors confront this new doctor. To bring peace to the young woman, who can only stand lifeless like a sad puppet, the two doctors kill the girl and watch as the new doctor dies, his powers having brought on madness. While the first doctor, Dr. Stein, misses a daughter he used to have dearly, he sees his daughter in the young woman’s corpse and realizes what is dead must stay dead for the sake of their own humanity. Although he only wishes to see his daughter one last time and hear her voice, he would not wish this fate on his worst enemy.
This relates well to the original Frankenstein story as the reader can see the mad scientist creating the monster. The reader can also feel empathy for the monster as another viewer watches the entire action take place. The reader sees this story being played out through another’s eyes, not really giving sympathy to the monster, but to the viewer himself. As he relates his feelings to how he feels about someone who looks like the monster, the only thing the reader has to go off of is how Dr. Stein feels about watching this girl that looks like his daughter being abused. As he relates the girl to his daughter it makes it extremely difficult for him to separate his feelings from the situation, but he is finally able to give his daughter the rest she deserves, instead of torturing himself with her memory. He can finally feel that she is in the place she needs to be without him worrying that she is unhappy with being dead.
Administrative Notes: Sarah Vitug, CSUF; Dr. David Sandner, CSUF (editing)