Dangers of Acquiring Knowledge Illustrated in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein

Frankenstein fulfilled his destiny and made his creation despite his suffering and misfortunes. However, his influence on Walton is paradoxical. One moment, Frankenstein exhorts Walton’s almost-mutinous men to not stray from their path courageously, regardless of danger. The next, he serves as an abject example of the dangers of heedless scientific ambition. Walton serves as a foil to Victor, either not obsessive enough to risk almost-certain death or not courageous enough to allow his passion to drive him. Walton ultimately draws back from his treacherous mission and returns to England, having learned from Victor’s example how destructive the thirst for knowledge can be.

In his actions, Victor Frankenstein is a victim of the Enlightenment Era. He, from his earliest moments, was obsessed with the science of creation and death, “…but by some law in my temperature they were turned,

Pg. 62). The letters with in the preface tell the story of Walton and his sister, and reveals that both he and his sister both put themselves in harm’s way simply to be the first to gain knowledge. The novel shows that sometimes the actions you take do not necessarily give you the outcomes that you want. This is shown in chapter four when Dr. Frankenstein was first conducing his experiment and becomes extremely obsessed with the lust to create life. Dr. Frankenstein ultimately removes all of his personal relationships and isolates himself from people who care about him. “For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.”(Chapter 5, pg. 42) It is clear that Dr. Frankenstein dislikes the monster he just created and notices that he does not make something that is beautiful but more on something that’s is monstrous. Increasingly, Shelly makes a point by giving the reader a sort of “warning” on the aspect of wanting knowledge too much She makes the effort by making Dr. Frankenstein a example for the magnitude of gaining dangerous knowledge. “A flash of lightning illuminated the object and

Walton is isolated in different ways: his boat is stuck in the ice, in the middle of nowhere up north, and he is also isolated because “I have no friend”. The first type of seclusion, “encompassed as I am by frost and snow”, is one that is also found later on in the novel when Frankenstein would lock himself away to create his monster for example, and mirrors Walton’s state of mind, thus being loneliness. Consequently both types of separations are greatly linked. However, the lonely seclusion of having no friends is the most prominent and important in this novel. Shelley stresses this idea by having Walton communicate his constant desire for “the company of a man who could sympathise with me” and how he “bitterly feels the want of a friend”. This theme is also crucial in the play as Walton’s desire at the beginning of the novel, will then be echoed by the monster’s request to his creator for a companion which, by his refusal, ignites the feeling of revenge in the monster. Furthermore, this theme of isolation is key in the story also because, it plays a great part in why Walton welcomes Frankenstein on his ship in the hope of making a friend. Walton even declare that “my affection for the guest increases every day” despite him being miserable and mysterious. This idea that Walton feels deep liking for a guest he knows nothing about yet accentuates his social isolation as his desire for a friend is so strong, that he would be ready to befriend a complete stranger thus clouding his judgement on hearing Frankenstein’s story. This thus influence the reader’s view of the rest of the novel as we begin to doubt the reliability of the narrator thus picturing Frankenstein in an even more negative light throughout the

In Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, ‘Frankenstein’, a recurring motif of ambition and the quest for knowledge is present among the characters of Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton and the creature. Victor’s obsessive ambition is his fatal flaw, ruining his life and leading to the murder of his loved ones and eventually his own death. Robert Walton shares a similar ambition

Victor Frankenstein was obsessed with knowledge, and thought knowledge was the key to unlocking nature and become a pioneer in science and challenging God. “I have described myself as always having been imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature” (Shelley, Frankenstein, 21). Victor always had to push boundaries, and his passion drove him closer to science and immorality and farther from his family and friends. Once Victor sees his abomination animated, his potential come alive, he wishes for nothing more than if it had never happened. He moves on to a new obsession – fleeing his past. It consumes him and his health.

Walton is motivated more by the desire for recognition and accomplishment, than just to obtain knowledge. Walton would rather die glorious than return home alive. "One man's life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of knowledge which I sought..." (Shelley 17). This shows that Walton wished to peruse glory at any cost. The need for recognition and glory leaves no room for rational thought of what is possible, and what is impossible. Walton becomes deeply involved into Frankenstein's story. "I have resolved every night...

Through her use of language of curiosity, Shelly states that one’s passion for knowledge is overpowering. Frankenstein is talking to Walton about his mistakes through his quest to acquires knowledge. He explains that it is better for people to think they are the only people in the word than to try and become greater than their nature will allow. He starts telling Walton his story. He states , “No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success” (54). Through his use of the simile, “like a hurricane,” Frankenstein explains the forceful and destructive nature of passion. Also, his use of the word “hurricane” shows that passion is also natural meaning it is unpredictable and

Victor Frankenstein’s fixation on the understanding of life, shows the negative psychological and physical effects of obsession as his mind becomes more centered around this passion. As a child Victor has explicitly said that “The world was to [him] a secret which [Victor] desired to divine. Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as [the secrets] were unfolded to [him], are among the earliest

The entire story is told through the letters of Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret Saville. Walton’s letters start and end the novel, which sets up the framework for Frankenstein. Walton shares a few similarities with the characters of Victor and the monster. For instance, much like Victor’s character, Walton has an inquisitive nature and he loves to explore. In his first letter he writes, “I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited” (Shelley 16). While Victor has a deep interest in new sciences, Walton has an interest in exploring new places. This curiosity drives both men to take their interests to the limits. Walton’s character also shares some similarities with the

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein explores the concepts of knowledge and science and the dangers involved with the pursuit and investigation of these ideas. The novel conveys Shelley’s attitudes towards science by portraying it as having the capability to exceed the bounds of human restraint. Through the development of her protagonist Victor Frankenstein, the romantic and gothic aspects of her novel, the period of 1818 and the influences of the world she was living in that

These desires caused Victor Frankenstein to be reckless and make selfish choices. Victor hopes that by telling Walton this he can persuade him to more careful and aware to not make the same reckless decisions. As Frankenstein’s story is being told he begins to no longer appear to be such an admirable character to the reader as we discover his true identity and

Through his letters to his sister, we understand that Walton was on a dangerous adventure that leads him into the bitterest environment on Earth. Walton’s passion for adventure and thirst for knowledge send him on a dangerous and potentially destructive journey towards the unknown. The author of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, uses Victor’s ambition towards knowledge as a warning to her readers, showing that the creation of the unknown is destined to have consequences. Others, like Walton and the monster, also pursue knowledge although the risks associated with their actions may be great. By looking at these three characters, one can conclude that the quest for knowledge did indeed begin Victor’s suffering, but it was the guilt, grief, and secrecy that led to his ultimate demise.

Arguably one of the most complex characters in Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is a whole mess of things. Victor’s true reason for his downfall is his thirst for knowledge, simple. He was obsessed with reading the works of ancient and outdated alchemists. Specifically, the works of Agrippa, Magnus, and Paracelsus. This, coupled with Victor experiencing a thunderstorm at 15, sparks an interest in Natural Sciences. Even though he was told that alchemy was rubbish, he still continues to study it when he cannot get an answer why. Then, when he his mother dies of scarlet fever, Victor becomes obsessed with conquering death. When he arrives at university in Ingolstadt, his knowledge of alchemy and natural sciences is ridiculed. But when

Beginning at a very young age, Victor Frankenstein had always been a studious and eager boy. However, nothing compared to the obsessive desire he had towards