Many say ignorance is bliss, but how true is that statement really? There are many situations where a person would be happy to discover the truth, yet there seem to be a greater number of times when the facts are just upsetting. The novel Frankenstein follows the journeys of scientist Victor Frankenstein and his pursuit to create human life, but more importantly how to control it. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, knowledge is recognized as a curse, not a blessing, through Victor’s obsession for science, the creature’s quest for his identity, and everyone else’s lack of information. When Victor sees a tree struck by lightning during his youth, it sparks a passion for science that turns into an obsession of creating life when his …show more content…
This obsession for creating life is harmful to Victor and eventually others. When Victor achieves his goal of reanimating a dead body, he immediately regrets his decision and runs from the creature. “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart” (Shelley 56). Upon the culmination of his creature, he realizes how cursed his intellect is. With the knowledge of this creature on the loose, Victor falls ill and his friend, Henry Clerval, takes care of him. Victor does not tell Henry of his science experiment to not worry him. Even Victor knows that it is better to not know about the creature. Victor feels cursed by his knowledge of the creature, which is shown through his secrecy to even his best friend. Meanwhile, a dead body was found and it was Victor’s brother, William. Victor knew the murder was the creature’s doing, yet he did not tell anyone, proving his unwillingness to share the miserable truth and spread the paranoia he carries with others. Victor’s dilemma whether or not to tell others of his creation is a clear example of ignorance being bliss when he decides to not disclose the information with the public. Victor believes the monster is “living
...or was not thinking of others in his actions, but only of himself. He did not consider the tumult the abnormally large creature could cause in the world, nor what the feelings of the monster would be towards him if he abandoned him. Victor also did not contemplate the safety of his friends, as he had the chance to stop the creature’s misdoings but failed to do so, risking the life of his friends. Therefore, Victor was a selfish being, who only concerned himself with his wishes and never evaluated the situation of his loved ones, ultimately causing their demise. The misfortunate events that occurred through Victor’s life could have been prevented, and also discontinued when Victor had the chance. However, Victor’s irresponsibility overcame these opportunities and he in turn, caused misfortunes for himself as well as his loved ones.
As he goes off to college, interested in the science behind life and death, he ends up going his own way and attempts to create a living being. Victor “had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body” (Shelley 43). The being Victor has created does not by any means sit well with him. As victor is away from his family and for six years, he is neglectful to them, which only adds to his sorrow and misery. Victor’s isolation is brought upon him because of himself, however his creation, or “the monster”, is isolated from any connections with humans against his will. To start out, the monster would have had Victor there with him, but Victor is ashamed of what he has created, and abandons the monster. The monster is a very hideous being, which sadly is a contributing factor to his isolation. With nobody to talk to at any time, naturally this will be condescending and frustrating. Although the monster is able to
As a result of Victor’s secrecy, he becomes completely fixed on the creation of his creature, he does not inform anyone of the danger posed by the monster, and he is unable to tell anyone about the creature for fear of not being taken seriously. Victor’s secrecy during and after the creation of his monster indirectly causes several deaths. While the monster is primarily responsible for the deaths of his victims, Victor’s concealment allows the monster to commit and get away with his murders easily.
Victor is not able to see past the metaphorical clouds that seem to shroud his mind from seeing the truth. Furthermore, Victor is not able to let go of his hatred for the creature. In contrast, the creature admits, “But it is true that I am a wretch. I have murdered the lovely and the helpless” (275). The creature is able to recognize that he has made mistakes and as a result, he loathes himself.
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?
When Victor goes to college and his interest in science and nature grows, his curiosity to find the secret of immortality causes him to want to create a creature and bring it to life. Victor starts to create his unnatural work hoping that it will bring success in the future, “I prepared myself for a multitude of reverses; my operations might be incessantly baffled, and at last my work be imperfect, yet when I considered the improvement which every day takes place in science and mechanics, I was encouraged to hope my present attempts would at least lay the foundations of future success.” (43). Victor states his concerns about what he plans to do but dismisses them based on the importance he places on his work. For that reason, he starts to meddle with nature to create something no one can do but God. Finally, when Victor completes his creation, the monster, he realizes that he has made a serious mistake by interfering with nature, “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.” (47). He thinks he has achieved this beautiful dream of creating a life, but now that he has, all he can see is an ugly monster. Trying to take on divine creation fails and instead of beauty, all Victor can create is something horrifying. Therefore, disrupting with nature is a trait that proves Victor is the true monster because it is a limit that no human should overstep. Eventually, it will come to a miserable
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.
...he window and see his own creation killing his wife. As a result of all the deaths in Victor’s family, his father kills himself because he cannot stand all the grief that he has been struck with. His death is a result of the hideous monster that his own flesh and blood created, but he will never know that because Victor will not tell anyone.
In the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly, Knowledge is power for Victor Frankenstein. Mary Shelly explains that Dr. Frankenstein’s hunger for the knowledge to create life out of death only leads to Victor’s unfortunate monster. The consequences that Victor Frankenstein experiences from creating a creature from his own madness leads to his death as well as the creature. Mary Shelly explains in her novel Frankenstein that Victor’s need to study life and how it is created is dangerous; furthermore, the abomination that the doctor creates should have never been created; however, the monster that Victor creates is his own monstrosity.
By definition, knowledge is the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association (Merriam-Webster.com). In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley considers knowledge as a “dangerous” factor. The danger of it is proved throughout the actions of the characters Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the creature. The characters all embody the theme of knowledge in different ways. Shelley supports her opinion about knowledge by using references from the Bible and Paradise Lost. She uses these references to show the relationship between God’s Adam and Frankenstein’s creature, and how nothing turns out as great as God’s creation. Mary Shelley’s goal is to teach a lesson on how destructive the desire for knowledge really is.
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.
Victor did not like his creation one it came to life because he thought he was a “miserable monster” whom he had created. Victor could not get passed the Monster’s looks in order to see that he was kind, innocent, and deserving. Victor is terrified of the monster for a while in the book, but then he becomes angry with him when he thinks he killed his brother. Even though he did
The creature was supposed to be Victor’s greatest achievement. He proved that electricity can bring back and create life. When the creature took his first breath and standing on his own two feet, Victor realized how horrible his creation looked, and then abandoned it. Victor see the creature as a monster, but in the creature's perspective, he felt alone and in great pain from all the isolation and alienated by human beings. From killing Victor’s family and loved ones, Victor considered the creature as a threat against humanity; a monster with no moral ground and heart.
Victor is therefore morally obligated to protect and teach the creature, but instead, Victor instantly rejects and is terrified of the creature because of his grotesque appearance and for ethical reasons. With no mother and a father that rejects him, the creature is unable to feel familial love, resulting in great alienation from his creator. After the creature experiences and learns from the world around him, he realizes that Victor was the root of all of his problems, and the fact that Victor was not willing to even help or guide the creature really infuriates the creature. Although Victor’s creation is a monster on the outside, he is still a human being with needs and emotions on the inside. His alienation is therefore not a fault of himself but of
This presents the sorrow and anger Victor felt when he learns the death of his dearest friend. The creature murders Henry in hopes of making Victor feel the loneliness it felt when Victor, his creator, abandon it. Another act that shows the intentions of the creature’s revenge is the murder of Victor’s wife. Victor explains, “She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed... I fell senseless on the ground.”