Frankenstein’s monster of knowledge It’s a common saying that most people wish they “didn’t know so much”, but why exactly do people wish they didn’t know so much? It’s rarely about actual intellectual facts, but more about situations that leave room for personal interpretation. This exact situation is seen throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Knowledge is used in many ways in this novel, without the reader realizing it, unless they are thinking about it at the moment. In this novel, there are many instances where a character would have a different outlook if they were presented the information in a different way, which is common for normal society today. Knowledge is sorrow in Frankenstein and that is seen through an abundance of death, …show more content…
These instances of Frankenstein’s creature show how the knowledge he got brought him sorrow because of the way he was given the information. That being said, there are some similarities between the monster and his creator. The more Victor gets to know his creation, the worse things get. Both the monster and Victor thought that hearing each other out would help them with their inner turmoil, but that was not the outcome. When Victor’s mother dies, it is his first experience of when the knowledge he gains turns into sorrow for him. Victor says, “These are the reflections of the first days; but when the lapse of time proves the reality of the evil, then the actual bitterness of grief commences” (Shelley 36). In the first days of knowing his mother had passed, he had solemn thoughts, but as time passed he felt the deep grief that death brings. This is similar to the monster as well because at the beginning of his journey in the village, he was eager and excited but when he saw how people reacted to him he immediately was proven wrong in being excited. From then on, both Victor and his monster will always do what it takes to avoid those …show more content…
In a letter from Victor’s father, he explains, “William is dead!—that sweet child, whose smiles delighted and warmed my heart, who was so gentle, yet so gay! Victor, he is murdered!” (Shelley 59). This information was thrown at Victor and put him into a deep depressive state and caused him to worry about where his creature was and how this could have happened. The way he was presented with the information is the reason he experienced so much sorrow. Learning of his brother's death through an aggressive letter with so much emotion had to have taken a huge toll on Victor and that was seen through the next chapters. How information is presented determines if knowledge will bring sorrow to the receiver. Throughout the novel there was an underlying theme of suspense. There was always a feeling of “who will die next”. This suggests that sorrow is to come throughout the novel. Frankenstein’s creature says, “sorrow only increases with knowledge. Oh, that I had for ever remained in my native wood, nor known nor felt beyond the sensations of hunger, thirst, and heat” (Shelley
After William dies at the hands of the monster and the town finds Justine guilty of the boy’s death, Victor sobs. “Thus spoke my prophetic soul, as torn by remorse, horror, and despair, I behalf those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts''(Shelly, 60). This guilt physically hurts him and displays just how liable Victor is for these deaths. While the monster is the one with the weapon, Victor creates the monster and gives him the power and freedom to inflict violence upon his family. All the destruction the monster causes, results from Victor’s carelessness and naivety and therefore, his sorrows.
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, raises important questions as to how the theme of knowledge helps to explain the story. The main focus of Frankenstein is the power of knowledge and how dangerous it can be. This power is portrayed in the main characters of the novel: Victor Frankenstein and the monster. The theme of knowledge helps to answer the question as to why Victor decides to tell Walton his secret. Both of these characters reveal a passion of discovery and intellect, which Victor has made his past and Walton only his future. Their obsessions of knowledge are mirrored in one another through the journeys they take until their paths cross. Finally, the question of the concluding effect of the conversation between Walton and the creature
The critically acclaimed novel written by Mary Shelley and published in 1818, delves into a multitude of universal themes throughout the text. One value that drives the plot forward, and leads to character development is the theme, human fulfillment of the pursuit of knowledge. It is Dr. Frankenstein 's unquenchable thirst for knowledge that leads to the future predicaments that ensue after the Creature is conceived and future moral dilemma. An example of Dr. Frankenstein 's disposition that lends itself to the validity of the stated theme, is as follows; “It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things, or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or, in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world” (Shelley 30). The doctor 's preoccupation with his studies, that results in controversy over the suitable nature of such an unobtainable desire, is clearly exemplified in the quote, “If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind” (45).
Throughout the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is an excerpt from stories, letters and first person experiences from the characters. The idea of tabula rasa is a great example of how the Monster’s feelings are developed. The monsters experience from a family and the readings of some books, helped form his actions. The dangers of incomplete knowledge is a great interpretation of this book. That because of past experiences can develop good and bad of every similar situation. Although, the lack of knowledge can cause disruption of new and peaceful experience.
Victor’s abandonment of his son is the main cause of his evil deeds since the Creature thus lacks a family unit and social skills that every young child needs. Frankenstein is the main contributor to the Creature’s sense of evil from the start because he is the one who continually refers to him as fiend, devil, or monster. The reader needs to consider the fact that the Creature is only a few months old at this point and similar to a young child is naive and gullible. So similar to that young child, the Creature believes everything that is said to him, so if Victor continually calls him a monster, eventually he will start to believe it and act upon that statement. Relating to this statement is the fact that Victor never considers the thoughts and feelings of the Creature in his creation process. The epigraph of Frankenstein from Milton’s work Paradise Lost perfectly describes the Creature’s feelings, stating
Upon full comprehension of “the miserable monster whom I had created (pg. 52)” Victor falls ill. He recovers, yet this is the mere beginning of the horrors awaiting Victor. Victor accounts “my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to me (pg. 69)”; the first of Victor’s loved ones to fall victim to the murderous rampage of the monster is William—Victor’s brother. Yet, through this murder the monster has also indirectly killed another, Justine.
In the real world, the power of knowledge has a significant effect on human nature, as it gives people a sense of their surroundings in the world. In modern society, people have interpreted knowledge to be a good thing, and never look at how it can have a negative impact. People assume knowledge is good as it has lead to the modernization of our world and also has led to many discoveries. Knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired by an individual through experience or education. Knowledge has created a separation between people, and the intelligents usually rise above. The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, describes the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist, and his creation of a living being from parts of disentombed corpses. Victor and the rest of society rejects the monster because of his appearance. Both Victor and the monster go on powerful adventures where they learn more about themselves, and each other. While the monster and Victor’s adventures are told, the power of knowledge in Frankenstein has an impact on the advancements of their actions and the greater plot because it creates a new perspective for the characters. It supports
Knowledge development is praised as paramount, however it should be developed to a certain extent In "Frankenstein", by Mary Shelley and widely known "Octamom" are evident to support the classic novel's theme of knowledge being dangerous. Victor Frankenstein's knowledge passed his limit of knowledge which exposed him and his family towards danger. Although knowledge brought him gratitude, he soon was removed of it and instead felt guilt. Frankenstein lived his remaining years avoiding his mistake, that derived from having too much knowledge. The monster, as a consequence of his intellegence, pursued Frankenstein with intentions of harming him.
Victor Frankenstein’s quest to create life from the dead results in the destruction of his family as well as of himself. Finally, the Creature’s search to discover who he is and where he came from leads to knowledge of himself and others. The Creature’s knowledge ultimately leads to
The misusage of knowledge can lead to many evil, and unpredictable circumstances and events such as, exposure to danger, and lack of understandment as demonstrated in the classic novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. Many would believe that knowledge is a positive thing, which most people would agree, however, not many people focus on the good and evil knowledge being interwined, and the consequences that follow along. In "Frankenstein", Victor is being portrayed as a knowledgeable person, since he created a human that was considered a "monster", yet Victors knowledge was intended to be utilized to bring the dead to living which he successed, but his excessive knowledge lead him to danger the moment his creation gave life. For example,
The dangerous outcomes of too much knowledge are delivered all throughout the novel of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In which a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, uses his knowledge
Once acquiring the knowledge Victor craved, he falls into a state of melancholy. Victor immediately falls into bed rest, catching a great fever that lasted several months. In spite of this, Victor continues in his state of melancholy only causing him to then seek vengeance. Unknowingly,
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, themes on the concepts of knowledge, revenge, and ambition contribute to the meaning of the story by supporting how sometimes the thing one wants most in life, will not satisfy. Accordingly, knowledge can be harmful. The novel represents “how dangerous the acquirement of knowledge” (Shelley 31) can be in one’s life. Victor’s realization of the awful monster he created reaches out to the reader. The author is able to capture the reader’s mind on how an abundance of knowledge can lead to horrible actions.
From the beginning of time until now the limitless pursuit of knowledge reveals man’s weakness. Modern society provides humans with a wide variety of sources on how to gain knowledge, both good and evil. The thirst for forbidden knowledge beyond what man can essentially handle, causes a tragic life. The protagonist in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley exemplifies the behavior of the ideal man grasping for more knowledge than he can truly bare; in turn this knowledge becomes tarnished. Shelley eludes to the Greek myth of Prometheus allowing the reader to delve deeper into the general theme that those who pursue an insatiable desire for knowledge, if not tamed,
At the beginning of life, humans are exposed to the outside world with an open and blank mind. A newborn has no knowledge, no concerns or worries and it only seeks to fulfill its main necessities. Surrounded by the outside world one lives through many experiences where knowledge is accepted. Encountering other human beings reflects upon one's perception and brings about ones self decisions. Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, written in 1816, demonstrates through characters that an obsessive desire for more knowledge may ruin ones life.