The Thirst For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
The thirst for knowledge :
We have explored from many different angles of the contrast between Frankenstein and the monster . However , every story has a beginning , and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein starts off with a man called Robert Walton who is on his interest for his own greedy thirst of knowledge . Shelley begins Walton story though emotional letters written to his beloved sister . Through these letters , we can understand in great details that Walton’s set a ship to the cold and icy Arctic ocean to discover the North Pole . Walton thought he is a genius and he is the only man in the earliest memories of his youth desired to learn about the world , and natural sciences . Walton quoted , “This expedition has been the favourite dream
…show more content…
This is the warning given by Victor to Walton before telling his new friend the story where he suppressed search for the knowledge has taken him . While we and Walton are listening to his story , we found a familiarity between the two men . Both of them are from a family that encourage them and are both captivated by natural philosophy . We and Walton could feel the “delight and rapture” as Victor discovers the key thing to revive a life . We are suffering by the scary details when Victor is creating the monster and we are wondrous when the monster came to life . From this point , Victor is now being chase to explain his creation . The anxiety fills the space between the narrator and contemplation which also feels our trembling heart as well .
In the story , Walton is the pathway for us to know about Victor and the monster in the very beginning of the story . However , he also plays a role that is parallel to Victor in many ways . Both Victor and Walton are explorer ,they chase after their dangerous knowledge . Victor’s influence to Walton is rather weird . For a moment , he warned Walton to be courageous on the path , regardless of the danger , and the next moment he serves as an example of the dangers of thirsting of knowledge and ambition . This is a deep impression of the contrasting emotions felt between the chase and consequence
Frankenstein: Response Questions
416 Words | 2 PagesHe longed for this enduring fame and recognition so as not to fall into oblivion, Pliny used this fear as a catalyst to insure an endless fame. Perhaps Walton does the same and perceived similar
Lack Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein '
454 Words | 2 PagesVictor even said “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge”. He admits that he suffered from his relentless search of knowledge.
The Theme Of Thirst For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
641 Words | 3 PagesAs 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. The most important character involved with this particular theme is Victor Frankenstein, it all starts with his curiosity. Victor’s curiosity sparks with the statement that “The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine” (2.1).
The Symbolism Of Light In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
543 Words | 3 PagesComing into the novel, Walton’s search transforms to Victor’s obsession in natural philosophy where he ventures to find the secret of life. Victor intends to let light into the
The Quest For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
839 Words | 4 PagesThis attitude is clearly naive. Walton possesses the same eagerness that destroyed victor and the monster. Victor says to Walton,
The Dangers Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
943 Words | 4 PagesThe Dangers of Knowledge Frankenstein, a novel written by Mary Shelley, is notoriously accredited for its development and implication of multiple themes. Set in the 1700’s, Frankenstein is a gothic fiction telling of isolation, knowledge, and nature. The biggest of these being knowledge and inevitably its consequences. With knowledge comes question; What poses the most danger? The knowledge itself, or the journey to gain information?
Victor Frankenstein: The Tragic Hero Of Frankenstein
1502 Words | 7 PagesThese actions lead his family to suffering, and Victor loses his dear ones. Walton said to Victor, “feel his own worth, and the greatness of his fall”. His suffering is not without reason. Victor loses not only family, but also those who he cares for, Elizabeth, Justine and William, and best friend Clerval. Each of them are not only dear to him, but also symbolise the good in the world - love, bravery, morality, kindness, and innocence.
Captain Robert Walton In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
661 Words | 3 Pages(Shelley 59) Also, one of the main differences is Walton survives in the novel whereas Victor dies. As Walton listens to his fellow crew members, he has “consented to return, if [they] are not destroyed.” (Shelley 214) With his recognition of life, Walton is able to follow the members’ instincts in which he heads south and returns home.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Knowledge A Blessings And Curse
977 Words | 4 PagesKnowledge can be Blessings and Curse A teenage girl Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein in the 18th century. A Gothic novel Frankenstein deals with two genres, Gothicism and science fiction. Victor, one of Mary Shelly’s characters represents man’s pursuit of knowledge which ultimately leads towards the path of destruction while another character Robert Walton implemented his knowledge wisely to get benefits for the society. Mary is indicating to the society that mankind has to pay full attention to science and scientific innovations in order to avoid the catastrophic events due to misuse of knowledge.
Theme Of Forshadowing In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1619 Words | 7 PagesThis foreshadows that once Walton hears Frankenstein’s story, he will change his mind about his expedition. Also, during the thunderstorm that happened in Victor’s childhood, Victor sees a tree get struck by lightning. He becomes interested in the idea of electricity, and he starts to study its
The Struggle For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
672 Words | 3 PagesHe uses the little that he knows to fuel his hatred towards humans and his creator. This shows the exponential growth of the problems that Victor has created as a result of his desire for knowledge. Not only did he create the destructive monster, but now the monster is using a hunger for knowledge, the very thing that created it, to do even more damage. This root cause is linked to everything that is causing Victor’s suffering. The monster also compares his relationship to Victor to that of God and Adam, wishing that he had the same supplication to his creator that Adam did, “I remembered Adam’s supplication to his creator.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: The Pursuit Of Knowledge
1420 Words | 6 PagesThis quote makes it apparent that Victor regrets his decision to heavily pursue knowledge and create his monster, clearly showing that the path that he embarked on was one that resulted in severe suffering. In conclusion, it is clear that Victor Frankenstein’s intentions are pure, however he is unaware that his pursuit of knowledge directly leads to his personal suffering. Robert Walton, similar to many explorers during his time, is ambitious to discover land beyond the North Pole. However, to reach this goal, he has to walk the dangerous path of acquiring knowledge. Walton’s goal, which is to reach the North Pole, requires him to captain a ship which travels through thick and thin.
Relationship Between Victor And Walton In Frankenstein
499 Words | 2 PagesEach man has an attachment with his sister and a desire to conquer the unknown. Once Walton realizes that Victor’s ambitions had ruined his life, he decides to choose safety over discovery and turn his ship around.
The Narrative Voice In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1003 Words | 5 PagesInstead of starting at the beginning of his life, she begins at the end and allows him to tell his own story. Walton remarks to his sister that he found the man drifting on a sledge on a slab of ice, "nearly frozen…and deadly emaciated by fatigue and suffering" (15). By introducing him in this way, Shelley catches the reader’s interest from the start, causing them to wonder what brought this man to the arctic in such a condition. After Frankenstein catches Walton up on the events that brought him thus far, Walton provides Shelley a way to tell the end of the story as well. Because Shelley wrote these portions as letters, they remain separate from the rest of the narrative, making the switch between Walton and Frankenstein less awkward and opening the door to develop her story and characters in a
Character Development In Frankenstein
1921 Words | 8 PagesThe fictional horror novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is driven by the accentuation of humanity’s flaws. Even at the very mention of her work an archetypal monster fills one’s imagination, coupled with visions of a crazed scientist to boot. Opening her novel with Robert Walton, the conduit of the story, he also serves as a character to parallel the protagonist’s in many ways. As the ‘protagonist’ of the story, Victor Frankenstein, takes on the mantle of the deluded scientist, his nameless creation becomes the embodiment of a truly abandoned child – one left to fend for itself against the harsh reality posed by society. On the other hand, Walton also serves as a foil to Victor – he is not compulsive enough to risk what would be almost
More about The Thirst For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Frankenstein: Response Questions
416 Words | 2 PagesLack Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein '
454 Words | 2 PagesThe Theme Of Thirst For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
641 Words | 3 PagesThe Symbolism Of Light In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
543 Words | 3 PagesThe Quest For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
839 Words | 4 PagesThe Dangers Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
943 Words | 4 PagesVictor Frankenstein: The Tragic Hero Of Frankenstein
1502 Words | 7 PagesCaptain Robert Walton In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
661 Words | 3 PagesMary Shelley's Frankenstein: Knowledge A Blessings And Curse
977 Words | 4 PagesTheme Of Forshadowing In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1619 Words | 7 PagesThe Struggle For Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
672 Words | 3 PagesMary Shelley's Frankenstein: The Pursuit Of Knowledge
1420 Words | 6 PagesRelationship Between Victor And Walton In Frankenstein
499 Words | 2 PagesThe Narrative Voice In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1003 Words | 5 PagesCharacter Development In Frankenstein
1921 Words | 8 Pages