The Pursuit Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

When Frankenstein became inspired with life and death, he abandoned his family, friends, and logical reasoning. On page 29, Frankenstein states, “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (Shelley 29). This quote clearly demonstrates Frankenstein’s impulsive nature. In Chapter 4, Frankenstein felt he had learned the secret between life and death, and he wanted to create a completely different species. Without any further thought, he began work on his project. Chapter 4 only shows the beginning of Frankenstein's lack of self-restraint. After he had begun his work, Victor would not respond to his family for months on end, isolating himself from the outside world, and no point did Frankenstein halt his experiments and research. “His creation of the monster brought out a different side to him. Frankenstein’s creation caused him to become more impulsive, with absolutely no self control. He buried himself in his studies, ignoring his family and friends. Frankenstein states on page 30, “...my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature. And the same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles absent, and whom I had not seen for so long a time” (Shelley 30). He had become “...pale with study, and had become emaciated with confinement” (Shelley 29). As soon as Frankenstein found

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.

First off, the perception of how human life is made focuses on what it takes to be human. The character, Victor Frankenstein, practices Natural Philosophy, otherwise known as Natural Science, and intrigues him to question, how is a human made to live? In other words, Frankenstein wants to figure out what makes a human, human. However, he doesn’t consider the subconscious principles in human life, “To examine the causes of life, we must first have recourse to death… My attention was fixed upon every object the most insupportable to the delicacy of the human feelings”(Shelly 46). The first mistake of Frankenstein was that he made the assumption life had to be core to the physique of the human body. All his focus is based on the rotting of organs and never on the mental structure of the human. But his failure in comprehending human feeling is highly

In relation to the novel, Dr. Frankenstein set his sights on creating life and nothing could stop him. He worked tirelessly to create the ultimate human. “The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit” (53). Frankenstein nearly killed himself due to his dedication for this creation. He neglected his family, his friends, career, and his own life. This discovery sucked every bit of emotion and caring out of him and only caused pain. What made everything worse was that this creation destroyed his entire life. Everyone he cared for was killed and spent much of his life in misery. Though the creation of life is astonishing, reason and truth cannot exist without emotion. No emotion essentially means that destruction of one’s entire being.

him a man of having no conscience, and no morals. His decision to create a

“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

The death of Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s father stirred his interest in prolonging life. He had noble intentions of helping humanity. As death is a part of life, he became obsessed

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.

Knowledge is given to those that understand the power it holds, this power could either destroy or help one in their path to success. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, we see this idea being practiced by individuals in the novel. However, they are incapable of seeing the dangerous potential outcomes of misunderstanding knowledge and the power it offers, leading to their ruin. We see the suffering as a cause of knowledge through Victor Frankenstein’s creation of life, The Monster’s dream of fitting the norm, and Robert Walton’s dangerous journey to the North. The characters in Frankenstein pursuit of knowledge leads to certain destruction, showing us the potential negative outcomes of misusing knowledge.

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.

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.

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

In Frankenstein, the monster is created by Victor Frankenstein in an attempt to do what has never been done before, create life from death. “Victor’s thirst for knowledge led him to serious questions about the nature of life and souls.” (Holland, Tiger. “Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelly.” All-Consuming Media, 18 February 2012. Web.) By way of ancient scientific disciplines, the monster is reanimated from a hodgepodge of different body parts Victor assembles. But, upon seeing his creature’s grotesque form, he is so terrified by the magnitude of his accomplishment the doctor flees the laboratory and has subsequently fallen ill and is bedridden with nervous fever for months. This, however, is just the beginning of the creature’s ill-fated interaction with the population of Europe.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has become a classic in modern literature. Her tale is full of moral lessons that encompass a wide variety of subjects but one of the most prevalent is the theme of knowledge and its pursuit. Frankenstein, Walton, and the Monster all have an appetite for acquiring knowledge and actively pursue their perspective interests, but it soon turns to the obsessive and proves to be dangerous. Each of the character’s desires demonstrates to be detrimental to them when no boundaries are established. Through the use of consequences, Shelley’s Frankenstein shows that the relentless and obsessive pursuit of knowledge can lead to dangerous and disastrous situations.