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How Is Frankenstein An Abuse Of Knowledge

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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

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