Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Knowledge A Blessings And Curse

One of the prominent theme in Frankenstein is the danger of knowledge. Victor Frankenstein find himself exploring the world of science where “it was the secret of heaven and earth… the outward substance of things or the inner spirits of nature and the mysterious soul of man” that attracted him (Shelley 18). It is apparent that Victor have a thirst for knowledge through the reading of the alchemy books which lead him to go on go beyond what the normal human limits can do, that is, the answer to life. His new-found knowledge ultimately set him up for failure as he became addicted with creating life to the point where he robbed graveyards for limbs and committing many unholy acts to create his monster. His unchecked ambition proves to have devastating

Guilt can either be an emotion that makes a person feel remorse for his or her’s actions toward another, or can be the conduct involving the executions of such crimes and wrongs. In the novel, “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, both definitions of guilt were the common theme. However, the main problem was whether the creature or the creator, Victor Frankenstein, were guiltier for their actions. The one presumed to be more guilty was Victor Frankenstein who created the monster in the first place causing his family pain and failed to take responsibility for the monster’s actions. Although he didn’t directly kill his family, the monster is guilty too. Victor Frankenstein caused his own misery and destruction, which is why he is to blame for what

In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, it scrutinizes the punishments when a man creates life, and plays the role of God. Victor Frankenstein, is at fault for the creature’s actions. Victor was looking for some honor and triumph, but when he accomplished his experiment, not only did it bring terror to Victor, but to the whole world. The monster never learned right from wrong and was never raised correctly, his first moment of life, all he experienced was the fear in Victor's emotion, and was abandoned right from the start. Victor selfishly isolated himself from society and ran away from his responsibilities which caused destruction to the people Victor cared for and loved deeply. The creature was known as a monster and was doomed due to his appearance. The crimes were done by the creature due to the revenge he sought out for towards Victor. The creature cannot be to blame for his behavior, Victor Frankenstein is the only one at fault for the murderers and wrong doings of his creature.

Knowledge is power and power is what leads to self destruction of Victor Frankenstein; an easily influenced man who sows he is not the male figure he wants to be. Victor lived a simple life, starting as a child who has everything he possibly could possibly want; a family, a house, an above all happiness. However, it all alter when he loses his mother, the traumatic event causes the family to switch gear and face he heart ache to something else. Escapism through knowledge is what led Victor's secrecy. "The world was to me to secret which I desire to divine, curiosity, earnest research to learn hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember." Victor has a desire to acquire more knowledge, with is he is power hungry and

The ambition for knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially if that knowledge is kept a secret. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, follows Walton who, while searching for new land, helps Victor Frankenstein and listens to his story. Victor Frankenstein is a wise character, but his passion for knowledge, his ambition, and his decision to keep his past a secret drives him and others around him to a short life.

It is often said that the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. Even Aristotle said, “The more you know, the more you know you don 't know.”. This can often lead to a yearning for more knowledge and sometimes, can be somebody’s downfall. In this case, it was Victor Frankenstein’s downfall. His love for science and his ever-growing quest to learn about the human body ultimately destroyed him, his family, his wife to be, and his best friend.

Victor Frankenstein suffers from the cost of knowledge by allowing his thirst for the unknown to exceed his limits. In like manner, he pushes his own limits and spends countless nights working to construct his creature even though he is cautioned that only God is capable of creating life. This drive to discover the secrets of life eventually leads to his downfall because of

Victor Frankenstein is a perfect example of the consequences of knowledge. Victor sees the most loss and sadness associated with knowledge. He searches for the answers to create life and goes beyond normal human realm to inquire on them; “It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance ... or, in it highest sense, the physical secrets of the world” (21). A direct result of his search for knowledge is his burden of the Creature, a hideous monster who eventually becomes evil, cold, and a heartless

In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, ambition evolves into a form of obsession with revenge. But the result of vengeance is a curse to human life and its longevity. Both main characters in the novel, Victor and the monster become obsessed and let vengeance be their downfall.

One could argue that by writing Frankenstein, Shelley was “loftily ambitious”, just like the characters in her novel. It is however, important to note that Shelley wrote this novel at a time when scientific advancements was on the rise. The author, John Green, considers Frankenstein to be the first science-fiction novel in the world. (“Don’t Reanimate Corpses! Frankenstein part 1: Crash Course Literature 205” YouTube, 27 Mar. 2014, http://youtu.be/SyyrwoCec1k). Thus, we can see that Shelley was daring in introducing this new genre in 1818. However, even in today’s society, we are dealing with the rapid advancement of science. Thus, Shelley’s novel is one that is timeless in that it challenges the role of science and technology then and now.

A teenage girl, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in the 18th century. Shelley combined the mysterious, gloomy and cloudy circumstances, a Gothic element with Romantic elements of visual imaginations, colorful, lively landscape descriptions and music and poetry recitals. Those two genres Gothicism and Romanticism Mary compiled in her work Frankenstein. Mary indicated to the society that the people have to pay full attention to their acquire knowledge in terms of scientific innovations and their implications. The people’s knowledge should be used wisely to avoid the catastrophes. However, the search of knowledge has been arduous, wisely use of knowledge brings blessings, while mishandling of knowledge can be a curse which can lead to the destructions.

As a society we all seek answers to how God did it or question how we all got here, in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the key theme is the thirst for knowledge. Throughout the novel there are three prominent characters that seek for the understanding of life, including Victor Frankenstein, the creature, and Walton.

Knowledge has the capability to be used for both good and evil. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, there is a consistent message throughout the novel showing the dangerous and destructive power that knowledge can have. Two key characters, Victor Frankenstein and his monster, are shaped through their obsessions with knowledge and the power and responsibility that it brings. Ultimately, Victor’s downfall is a result of his uncontrollable thirst for knowledge, and is brought about through the monster which is the embodiment of his obsession.

Frankenstein’s mother, a character who’s non-existent for most of the novel, plays a big part of Victor’s ultimate demise. Soon after her death, Victor felt as though he could 've done more as if he could 've saved her. The absence of his mother drove Victor to invest into his interests and go to Ingolstadt. While at Ingolstadt, Victor became interested in the studies of science. “But this state of mind had place only in the first steps towards knowledge: the more fully I entered into the science, the more exclusively I pursued it for its own sake.” (30). Victor becomes enamored with science and ideas that come with the subject. Victor wants to unlock all of the knowledge that science brings for the sake of his own enrichment. This leads Victor to become obsessed with the idea of creating life and soon finds a way to do so. “ It was with these feelings that I began the creation of a human being.”(33). His drive to create a human being circulates around the idea that he wants to preserve life and keep loved ones alive. On the night of the creatures creation, Victor was at a loss for words. “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?” (35). Catastrophe? This is everything that Victor Frankenstein wanted and more. He created life, he beat death, but was that worth the monstrosity that he created? Victor did nothing but question his belief and sacrifices he made. “I had

The novel Frankenstein identifies Victor's desire to gain knowledge as misusing it. The misuse of knowlege he gains is trying to create life. Victor should not interefere with nature. Creating life from Victor leads to a tragedy, due to the abomination le let choose on the world. Interefering with nature always tries to create balance, in this case Victor's creation led to the fall of lis family. Victor's knowledge was dangerous because the outcome led to mejor destructions.