The Danger Of Knowledge In Frankenstein

Knowledge is a very powerful device to possess. How one deals with the knowledge they have can impact his or her life greatly, along with the lives of those around them. The weight and responsibility that comes with knowledge is strongly portrayed in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The motif of irresponsibility in the pursuit of knowledge can be seen through the character of Victor Frankenstein.

Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, explores the theme of the pursuit of knowledge and scientific discovery through the main characters; Victor Frankenstein, the Creature and Robert Walton. This pursuit of knowledge drives the plot of the novel, leading Victor to create the Creature in his attempt to break down the mortal barriers that surround him and unlock the secret of life. Robert Walton’s quest for discovery leads him to the North Pole, far beyond the reach of Humans at that time. Ultimately Victor’s thirst for knowledge and scientific discovery did him more harm than good with Victor’s hatred of his creation driving him to death. Frankenstein’s message to the modern is age is simply put as “humans should not meddle in the business of the gods”. Mary Shelley’s is using Frankenstein and the actions of the characters in the novel to warn us that although we have the technology to for example, create a human being, some things are better left to nature. In our quest for knowledge we can do ourselves more harm than good. Through her novel Shelley tells us that on our path of scientific discovery there are some trails better left unexplored.

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.

Is knowledge always something good to have? In mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, knowledge was the source of great pain and suffering for many of the characters included in the story. The novel supported the idea that ignorance is bliss through both Victor Frankenstein and his monster only receiving pain and destruction in their quests for knowledge. Frankenstein and his monster, each with everlasting hate for each other, were more alike than they were aware. Had Victor just stayed in Geneva Switzerland with his friends and family instead of venturing off into Ingolstadt Germany he could have avoided all the tragedies in the book and lived a long and happy life. Had the monster

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

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

“Learn from me…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, 39).

In the real world, the power of knowledge has a real affect on human nature as it gives them a sense of the world and its surroundings. Knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. They are known to create separation between people, the smartest usually coming atop. While the monster and Victor’s adventures are told, the power of knowledge in Shelley’s Frankenstein are a big influence into the advancements of their actions and plot of the story because it gives a new outlook for them.

As Victor Frankenstein is telling his story to Walton, he is reflecting on everything he did in the process of making the creature, and asks his companion, right before this extract to “learn from me […] how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge” showing immediately how certain types of understanding can be fatal. In the first place, Frankenstein knew that what he was doing was wrong. “When I found so astonishing a power placed within my hands, I hesitated a long time concerning the manner in which I should employ it.” This uncertainty hints not only at the way in which he wants to use this power but also at a possible moral fight with himself, taking into account that

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.

What exactly is the pursuit of knowledge? One might say that the pursuit of knowledge is when one conducts irregular experiments and actions. One might say that the pursuit of knowledge is the process of the collecting information needed in completing that test. However, the universal truth says that one can never accumulate all the knowledge in the world. However, one might opinion that the pursuit of knowledge is a wonderful thing to have because knowledge is power. But what exactly is knowledge? Mary Shelley has her visions of the pursuit of knowledge all the way back in the 19th century. To tell her thoughts to the world, she creates the characters Victor

In the bible, God warns people that the quest to obtain knowledge can create more grief than happiness (Genesis 11:4). Unfortunately, many people fail to realize the consequences behind their actions because they are blinded by the prize. Similar to God, Mary Shelley greatly reveals the dangerous outcomes of knowledge in her novel, Frankenstein. She believes that the quest to obtain knowledge can often lead to self-destruction, which she demonstrates in three of her characters: Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster. Whether it is the desire to reach the North Pole or the ability to break the cycle of life, each of these characters became architects of their own downfall.

In the book Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley one theme that sticks out and is constant throughout the book is the theme that knowledge is danger. This theme is seen with the three main speakers and characters Victor, Robert, and Victor’s Monster. They are learning more and more knowledge eventually trying to push past the knowledge already known overlooking the dangers of which comes with great knowledge. This still occurs in today’s society.

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