Knowledge Without Knowledge In Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein’s creation, the nameless creature in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, displays countless characteristics of physical monstrosity; he is described as “ugly”, “demonical” and a “hideous… wretch” (Shelley 36). However, the creature expresses that his only desires are acceptance and love, but he is seen as a monster regardless of his true intentions. When the creature is abandoned by Frankenstein, he is forced to find acceptance on his own and eventually comes across a cottage in the woods. As an attempt to gain approval, he waits to approach the home until the only character home is a blind man, to whom he explains his desire for friendship. The creature says that he is afraid to become “an

He was working so hard that his “cheeks had grown pale with study” (Shelley 29). Also the book states, “Natural philosophy, and particular chemistry… became my sole occupation” (Shelley 29). All the time Victor was spending on this monster was physically causing him to get sick. As the monster started coming alive, Victor realized it was not how he thought it would turn out. The monster was described as “limbs were proportionate… yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath… teeth of pearly whiteness…” (Shelley 35). When the monster came alive, Victor could be seen as a biblical allusion to the readers, as he could be playing God. He created a life, just a God does. When he begins to have nightmares about the monster, he begins to realize it was a bad idea for him to create this creature. Fast forward two chapters, and the readers also begin to agree with Victor’s theory that the monster was a bad idea. Victor learns of his youngest brother William’s death and assumes his creation has done it. When he later returns home he does not say a word because he does not want to be labeled ‘crazy’ or ‘insane’. The book states, “Two years have passed since… he received life… was this his first crime?” (Shelley 50). Victors knowledge prior to making the monster did not include his creation ever becoming a murderer. Victor had no intention of creating such an evil being, yet now he learned that not everything is as good as it seems. Victor contemplates suicide because he know it will not be easy to stop his creation but instead he voyages out to destroy it. While running into the monster in the woods, he now knows what the monster is capable of, and “trembles with rage and fear” (Shelley 68). The monster insists Victor sit with him in the cave and hear his struggles and how much knowledge he has

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.

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,

Some say that knowledge can be a blessing and a curse. Others say that intelligence can only be a curse. People argue that knowledge can help mankind, while it can also can make dangerous monsters that can harm others. However, in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor’s intelligence is mostly seen only as a curse because it unleashes a murderer, results in his sickness, and makes him want the knowledge to be kept a secret.

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

“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow” (Shelley 60). In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, she expresses her beliefs regarding the danger of pursuing happiness through the attainment of knowledge, because true happiness is found in the emotional connections established between people. The pursuit of knowledge is not necessarily an evil thing, but it can cause destruction when it is pursued beyond natural limits. Victor Frankenstein becomes a slave to his passion for learning in more than one way; first his life is controlled by

Although Mary Shelly did not have a formal education growing up motherless in the early nineteenth century, she wrote one of the greatest novels nonetheless in 1819, Frankenstein. The novel has been the basis for many motion picture movies along with many English class discussions. Within the novel Shelly shares the stories of two men from very different worlds. The reader is introduced to Robert Walton, the main narrator of the story, through letters written to his sister. Walton is on a quest to find the North Pole when his ship and crew members become stuck between sheets of ice. It is here the reader is then introduced to Victor Frankenstein who is lost and

In Shelly’s ‘Frankenstein’, the theme of Knowledge is cultivated for multiple purposes. These include the effects of scientific advances, the de-mystification of nature, nature’s revenge and social relations in the romantic era. By examining knowledge in relation to the characters of Victor, Walton and the Creature it can be seen that the theme of knowledge is used a warning against the Enlightenment and a personification of the social injustices of the time.

Thesis: In a world where knowledge is essential, it is often asked just how much intelligence is “safe”. In the story Frankenstein, Shelley expresses the idea that knowledge is power and this is shown through both despair and progress. This can easily be understood through the conclusion that science is almost always left up to chance even though it is thought to be a straight cut subject.

“Learn from me, if not by my precepts at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.” (31) In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, in the beginning readers are introduced to the characters of Walton and Frankenstein. Walton reflects Frankenstein because Walton ardently desired the acquirement of knowledge just like Frankenstein did once. (13) However, Frankenstein acquisition of knowledge led to many misfortunes as well as for the creature he created. Frankenstein’s tale is later unraveled as a warning for Walton.

In the novel, Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein shows the cruel karma that joins in the achievement of attaining knowledge. With countless examples to support this statement, the opinion of this reader holds strong with the opinion of Mary Shelly, that the power of knowledge, though incredibly tempting to grasp hold of tightly, can be a dangerous achievement that can lead to more destruction than it can recover.

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

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

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