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What Is The Pursuit Of Knowledge In Frankenstein

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a classic piece of horror fiction that set the foundation for a now extremely different genre. The story details the scientist Victor Frankenstein as his pursuit for knowledge leads to a deadly creation and himself becoming truly the monster of the story. Shelley’s novel is a very strong defense of the idea that intelligence and/or knowledge can be both a curse and a blessing; while Frankenstein’s pursuit of knowledge consumes his life and leads to the loss of everything he holds dear, the Being’s lack of knowledge is equally responsible for the trouble that befalls the characters in the story. Knowledge is necessary to succeed and function to one’s fullest potential in life; however, if he/she allows that knowledge to consume him/her and it becomes the only concept that matters …show more content…

The character of Frankenstein is introduced as a man with an almost perfect family. However, as he grows older and begins to pursue and acquire progressively greater knowledge, his life takes a turn for the worse. This pursuit of knowledge poses no problem to Victor at first; it is only when he allows the concepts of natural philosophy to “[become] nearly [his] sole occupation” (Shelley, 29). He begins to care less and less about his family and relationships as he devotes each and every moment of his life towards his research. Victor relies on his family, primarily Elizabeth, to keep him happy and sane, so as he begins to seclude himself further and further from them in his pursuit of knowledge, he begins making worse and worse decisions leading to the eventual creation of the Being that changes everything. When Victor examines his story

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