The Power Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley makes the theme evident with knowledge in the characters development. Reading the novel Frankenstein makes the word knowledge may pop into ones head throughout the text. The Webster’s dictionary defines the word knowledge as, “Understanding gained by actual experience; range of information; clear perception of truth; something learned and kept in the mind” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). In

Under Frankenstein’s interpretation of the monster, the reader can actively imagine and adopt the feelings that he has towards the monster. Imagery is used very proficiently here as this is precisely what Shelley wishes to accomplish in this section of the passage; she wants the readers to cringe at the monster’s portrayal, and that’s exactly what they do.

He ends up becoming obsessed with this and ultimately finds a way to bring back someone from the dead. With the knowledge gained from his experiment Victor realizes that he created a monster and leaves the creature on it's own. He leaves all the papers he uses to create the monster in his possession, which leads to the creature finding out how he was made and just abandoned right after his creation. This ultimately leads to the monster's hatred for Victor and his thirst for revenge on Victor. Some knowledge is good, some bad knowledge but if that knowledge falls into the hands of the wrong people the results can be disastrous.

This is prevalent due to the fact that the moment the monster is created, Victor calls it a catastrophe and is horrified by what he has created. He explained, “The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 51). When Victor uses words such as “dream vanished”, “breathless horror” and “disgust” he is showing his emotions for the

[and it] bent [its] mind towards injury and death” (Shelley 99). These events caused the monster to devote its sole purpose to enacting revenge on those who wronged it.

Although the question of “who is to blame” Is up in the air, it’s quite obvious that the monster was directly to blame for the murders. But, when you think about the fact that he was merely created and not born, so he wasn’t able to differentiate right from wrong, or how to control his feelings. His anger was stemmed from his hate of his creator Victor. The wrongs that Victor did unto the creature is what caused the creature’s anger to overtake whatever bit of logical thinking and ability to reason and in a way, throw it out it out the window. So, physically speaking, the creature was to blame.

“I have devoted my creator, the select specimen of all that is worthy of love and admiration among men, to misery; I have pursued him even to that irremediable ruin.” (Shelley 275). Finally, his transformation into the monster he was instantly labeled to become was complete because society and his own maker were not willing to give him the possibility of redemption. We are all presented with labels at different periods throughout our lives, redefining, altering, or eradicating them. So, why could the creature not do this for himself and cause society to somehow accept him?

The fear felt for monsters and ultimately connected to desire. Jeffery Cohen has a clear opinion of this. “We distrust and loathe the monster at the same time we envy its freedom, and perhaps its sublime despair.” They are both terrifying and the heart of fantasies. This accounts for the monster’s popularity.

“I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt, which hurried me away to hell of intense tortures such as no language can describe.” (Frankenstein 101) Frankenstein is a novel written by Mary Shelley. This quote was said by Victor Frankenstein explaining how he felt about Justine’s trial after the death of William. Once Justine’s trial ended in her death, Victor became very guilty because he knew that this all started because of his passion and ignorance that led to the creation of his dream.

He hated his creator to such a degree that he was willing to do anything to hurt him. The monster was right, however, in hating Victor because of Victor’s terrible treatment and disposition towards the monster. The first wrong that Victor committed was making the monster unbearably ugly. When he first creates the

Victor blames himself for the deaths of his friends when he says, "I am the cause of this-I murdered her. William, Justine and Henry-they all died by my hands”(136). This is essentially true because it was Frankenstein who created the Creature and made him a monster by abandoning him. It is Frankenstein who is the monster Frankenstein hating himself for lack of thought when unleashing his creation into the world upon his own kind., the monster hating him for his abandonment. In their hate they are each fighting for control of the

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

Mary Shelley, in Frankenstein, writes about the accumulation of knowledge in order to solidify one’s position on the earth. This can be seen through the pursuit of knowledge from Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein and Henry Clerval. Each follows his own path to gain further intelligence. The Monster of Frankenstein learns to speak, opposing his situation of abandonment by the human race. As the monster tells Frankenstein of his adventures, the sophistication of his speech continues to increase further into the story they go.

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.

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. Frankenstein’s passion for knowledge drives him to isolate himself and make those around him worry. Frankenstein has a lonely life due to his pursuit of knowledge.