The development of one’s education is always factored into everyone’s journey through life for it holds a great promise of power, discernment and in some instances even the outside control over others experiences and fates. The theme of knowledge repeats itself with several different motives throughout Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This theme ultimately touches on the subjects of control, sorrows and factors into the fate of oneself. By examining the novel through the characters of Victor Frankenstein, the creature, Walton and their experiences, it is evident how knowledge represents power.
First of all, knowledge can be a guiding principle for one to meet their fate. Walton was determined that his fate was to take a step on land that no man
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ever has. Walton decided he was to return to England when he said, “I cannot withstand their demands.
I cannot lead them unwillingly to danger, and I must return” (Shelley 294). This displays how through hearing the sorrows that Victor felt from his pursuit of knowledge, that Walton did not want to fall into the same grievance. Therefore, he decided that returning home to where he can find consolation is the brightest thing to do, as he would avoid the risk of death. Therefore, knowledge shifted his fate from becoming honoured for his discoveries, to returning home as a miserable man. Additionally, Victor’s ambition to uncover the secrets of life, ultimately led to his death. The creature, a product of Victor’s knowledge, ensured that Victor lived a life full of grief and he accomplished it by murdering Victor’s loved ones. When VIctor reflected back on his life he thought, “I was cursed by some devil and carried about with me my eternal hell” (Shelley 276). In reality, he brought this spoken curse upon himself by uncovering the secrets of science. The fact that they are secrets suggests that they are forbidden, and therefore Victor was constructing his fate when he uncovered this dangerous …show more content…
knowledge. Lastly, the monster followed Victor until he met him on board of Walton’s ship, while he was dead. Everything the creature ever felt had been demolished once he witnessed his source of anger, motionless. As he was leaving the ship he decided that, “I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct” (Shelley 303). The creature felt empty and no longer had a purpose for existence because he spent his whole life trying to seek revenge for Victor’s abandonment. The knowledge of his lonesome and sorrowful self helped him decide his own fate. Futhermore, When the trial was to commence, Victor attended as a witness whilst knowing the truth. Justine was accused of murdering young William, yet the real murderer was Victor’s creation, the creature. Victor thought to himself, “during the whole of this wretched mockery of justice I suffered living torture. It was to be decided, whether the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would cause the death of my two fellow-beings” (Shelley 101). If he had admitted that she was innocent and his creation was responsible, then perhaps he could have prevented the execution of Justine. Therefore, he essentially had control over her fate because he knew the truth. In addition, the monster was abandoned by Victor from the time he came to life so he truly had no mentor to guide him through life. He expresses his hatred to Victor by declaring, “my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me” (Shelley 128). The monster claims he was born with compassion, but his experiences transformed him into a cruel being. He was not taught how to interact or deal with his emotions, so he resorted to the wrong solutions. Finally, if he had known more about creating life, he could have prevented the deaths of his loved ones. The monster described his excessive strength by explaining, “I was not even of the same nature as man... I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs” (Shelley 157). Victor was unaware that creating life with deceased parts from humans and animals would cause his creation to inherit unnatural strength and agility. Therefore the creation would have control over any human being because it is significantly more powerful. Lastly, not only can the power of knowledge decide fate or offer positions of control, but the more that is known, the more sorrows one will feel.
After his experimentation with creating life, Victor grew to be mentally and physically exhausted: “my cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement” (Shelley 62). Before his studies, Victor was a content and social being. However, the more knowledge he gained, the further he plummeted into a concealed and obsessive state. He had abandoned his family and absorbed himself while pursuing his desires. Not only did the pursuit of knowledge make Victor miserable, but it physically affected him, proving that knowledge is powerful and dangerous. Secondly, the creatures experiences and new understanding eventually led to extreme frustration. When learning from the books he discovered in the Delacey’s cottage he exclaimed that, “the possession of these treasures gave me extreme delight’ I now continually studied and exercised my mind upon these histories” (Shelley 88). What the creature thought once gave him delight, actually ended up filling him with agonizing pain and rage. He was continuously ignored despite knowing how to converse and was denied a desired companion from Victor. This lead him to commit evil acts, however they were not those of an evil creature, because he was instantly remorseful. The knowledge of his wrongdoing tortured him causing him to live with immense agony. Finally, on
Walton’s journey for new discoveries, he isolated himself and felt sorrowful. In his second letter to Margaret he wrote, “I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me, whose eyes would reply to mine...I shall certainly find no friend on the wide ocean” (Shelley 10-11). While on his journey to uncover nature's secrets, he witnessed several deaths of his crew members resulting him to grow lonely. He set aside his family, and made no new discoveries which convinced him that he was a living disappointment, driving him to sadness. In conclusion, knowledge holds great power, but should be gained with caution as it is dangerous. This is evident throughout the novel as we can see the transformation in personalities of the characters and how their fates form through their education. We all desire control and happiness, and with that said, learn at your own risk.
Victor's gradual descent towards the dark side of the human psyche is clearly portrayed through Shelley's writing. As stated in previous discussions, Victor's original motivation in pursuing a career in the science field was purely out of love for the world of science and a true passion for acquiring knowledge. However, as the novel continues, we witness his motives go from authentic to impure. As such, we delve into the dark side. His pursuit of knowledge and his creation of the monster are all on the purer or perhaps lighter side of the psyche. It isn't until he abandons him that we begin to see him cross over. His choices to abandon the creature, to let someone else to die for its crimes, to create it a companion only to kill her, to allow the ones he loved to die at its hand, and to still refuse to claim it in the end are all acts
Shelley characterizes Victor in a way that he acts on his impulses and not with rationality. As a result, Victor does not take the time to teach or talk to his creation. This action leads to his downfall as his loved one’s are killed by the Creature taking revenge on Victor for leaving him to fend for himself. Victor’s actions have consequences, hence why all his loved one’s are murdered because of his instinct to leave out of fear and safety. Shelley proves that our id demands immediate gratification of needs and thus, is in control of our actions.
When Victor flees the creature, he becomes lonely and unhappy. He rejects his own works. If he stayed and taught him the creature would at least have a chance of happiness. When the monster flees to the cottagers he learns about human nature. He quotes “I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter and stupid despair. My protector had departed and broken the only link that held me to th...
With nobody to reason with, Victor makes senseless decisions while he is alone. Victor begins this with his process of creating the monster. Nobody in the right mind would ever dig up graves, but that is just what victor goes and does. Once this creation is finally given life, which Victor has spent two years striving for, Victor foolishly abandons it. Victor comes to his senses to some degree after he brings life to the monster as he states, “‘now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream had vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 43). Had there been companions around Victor during this creation time, perhaps someone would have been able to guide Victor away from creating the “wretch” (Shelley 43) he so hopelessly conceived. As for the monster, he makes fairly good decisions even without guidance from anyone, including Victor, his creator. The monster has the desire to learn and gain knowledge as a genuine individual. As the monster is continuously rejected and shunned by mankind, his natural benevolence turns to malevolence. In his loneliness, the monster wrongly decides to declare “‘everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable misery’” (Shelley 126). Say the monster was able to have comrades of some kind around him, he would not have turned to this
Victor Frankenstein, blinded by pride, remained unaware of how his experiment would affect not only him, but the world around him as he formed his new discovery. His secret to creating life only caused more life to be lost. Because of Victor’s reckless behavior, he caused the depressed and lonely world around his own creation, one who, in the end, Victor did not want to take responsibility for making, no matter how remarkable. The Creation, a being of unfortunate circumstance, exemplifies how knowledge has dangerous and everlasting effects if not used safely or for good intentions. Unfortunately, The Creation leaves his own damage behind as well, again showing how knowledge is harmful, by killing Elizabeth, Victor’s wife, Henry Clerval, his dearest friend, and other members a part of Victor’s family and friends. This demonstrates how knowledge, if not used wisely, can lead to death and suffering. The power of knowledge, in Mary Shelley’s writing, is a gift bestowed on those who can handle the power responsibly, as opposed to using it for selfish boasting. In contrast, she uses these two characters to show the importance of being knowledgeable in both science and responsibility and the unforgivable mutilation that comes if you fail to overcome
Education is a tool to advance an individual and a society; however, education can become a means to gain power when knowledge is used to exercise control over another. In Frankenstein, knowledge becomes the downfall of both Victor Frankenstein and the Monster. The novel explores the consequent power struggle between Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the dichotomy of good and evil, and the contrast between intellectual and physical power. Finding themselves in mirroring journeys, Victor Frankenstein and the Monster are locked in a struggle for dominance. Through these two characters, Mary Shelley explores the consequences of an egotistical mindset and of using knowledge to exercise power over others.
“Revenge alone endowed [him] with strength and composure; it modeled [his] feelings, and allowed [him] to be calculating and calm” (145). Victor gained new purpose and even on his deathbed holds to the principle that he is justified in desiring the death of his enemy. Moment before his death he turns to Captain Robert Walton and says, “I feel myself justified in desiring the death of my adversary. During these last days I have been occupied in examining my past conduct; nor do I find it blamable” (156). He even begins to lose the small amount of compassion he had for the creature’s struggle. When visiting his family’s graves he cries that, “they were dead, and I lived; their murder also lived” (145). Previously in the novel he blamed himself for the deaths of Mathew, Justine, and Henry, claiming to be their murderer and lamenting on the evil he had set forth into the world. Victor now places the weight of these deaths solely on the monster’s shoulders and believes it is his god given burden to cleanse the world of this evil. He had been “assured that the shades of [his] murdered friends heard and approved [his] devotion… rage choked [him]”(146). The death of the monster would not even weigh on his conscience since it is god’s
In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the main theme revolves around the internal and external consequences of being isolated from others. Being isolated from the world could result in a character losing his/her mental state and eventually causing harm to themselves or others. Because both Victor Frankenstein and the creature are isolated from family and society, they experienced depression, prejudice, and revenge.
Mary Shelley brings about both the positive and negative aspects of knowledge through her characters in Frankenstein. The use of knowledge usually has many benefits, but here Shelley illustrates how seeking knowledge beyond its limits takes away from the natural pleasures of known knowledge. She suggests that knowledge without mortality and uncontrolled passions will lead to destruction. Victor and his monster experience this destruction following their desires and losing self control. Walton, on the other hand, becomes of aware of the consequences and is able to turn back before it’s too late. Shelley also suggests that without enjoying the natural pleasures of life, pursuing knowledge is limited, but how can knowledge be limited if it is infinite?
The theme in a piece of literature is the main idea or insight on characters. Most pieces of literature do not limit itself to one but many other themes all collected into one. This is just like in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This horrifying story was produced in 1818 and has several themes that she portrays throughout. The theme of dangerous knowledge is unmistakably seen theme in Frankenstein. In Frankenstein we see this theme through three of the main characters, Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton and the creature. We can see how their desire for knowledge can take them places and show them eventually what they are looking for. Sooner or later it will take them to dangerous and unwanted places. The desire for knowledge can eventually lead one to its grave. Victor Frankenstein’s scientific endeavor, Robert Walton’s search for the North Pole, and the creature’s kind heart but scary features creates this theme of dangerous knowledge.
In the gothic novel Frankenstein, humans have a bottomless, motivating, but often dangerous thirst for knowledge. This idea was clearly illustrated throughout the novel by Mary Shelley. The three main characters in the novel shared the thirst for knowledge that later led to their downfall. In the novel, knowledge is a huge theme that led to atrocious life for anyone that tried to gain it. Knowledge is hazardous; therefore, I support Dr. Frankenstein’s warning about knowledge being dangerous and that knowledge shouldn’t be gained.
...Frankenstein and the creature. The situations that each character experience are lessons about how seeking prohibited intelligence comes with extreme consequences. Frankenstein is a Gothic novel which means it involves the supernatural; however, because it contains religious qualities it is more appealing to the common people’s idea of knowledge. Mary Shelley achieves her goal of informing the audience that man should not seek or possess the level of knowledge that God acquires. One should learn from the situations present in the novel because life comes with an enormous amount of knowledge; going after the unknown is an act of rebellion against God.
knowledge is found at the heart of the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Mary Shelley constructs her novel in a form of tripartite that consists of three speakers Victor, Victor’s Creature, and Robert Walton. The pursuit of knowledge is conveyed by the alluring antagonist Victor in his endeavor to go beyond human adeptness and discover the elixir of life. The pursuit of knowledge is shown through another character, Frankenstein’s Creature whose pursuit of knowledge prompts him to become aware of himself. Robert Walton through the pursuit of knowledge learns that his own strive for success leads him to learning that his selfish pursuits are effecting the people around him. The pursuit of knowledge is proved to be dangerous to all three speakers Victor, Victor’s Creature, and Robert Walton and all three prove to the reader how destructive knowledge can be.
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley highlights on the experiences her characters undergo through the internal war of passion and responsibility. Victor Frankenstein lets his eagerness of knowledge and creating life get so out of hand that he fails to realize what the outcome of such a creature would affect humankind. Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, highlights on how Frankenstein’s passion of knowledge is what ultimately causes the decline of his health and the death of him and his loved ones.
Because of Victor’s need for fame and desire for power leads to Victor becoming a monster. Victor begins his quest to bring life to a dead person because he does not want anyone to feel the pain of a loved ones death. At first he is not obsessed with his project. As he moves along in the project he thinks about what will happen to him. "Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world. A new species would bless me as its creator and source, many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me." (Shelley 39) He realizes that he will become famous if he accomplishes the task of bringing a person back to life. The realization that he will become famous turns him into an obsessive monster. He wanted to be admired, and praised as a species creator. He isolates himself from his family and works on the creature. “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation, but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” (Shelley 156) By spending most of his time inside on his experiment, he has no time to write or contact his family. He puts fear within his family because they fear for him.