Throughout Frankenstein, Mary Shelley shows how dangerous knowledge can be. Discuss.
In her novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley highlights how the pursuit of knowledge can lead to disastrous consequences when it is placed in the wrong hands. This is evidenced by Victor Frankenstein’s carless actions, and that of his creation when it is discovering the world and society for the first time. Victor’s reckless behaviour contributes not only the deaths of his family, but the creature’s nature of becoming sinful through experience. The message of the novel is to understand the dangers of pursing knowledge, and how its discovery can be tragic to those who do not use it properly
Throughout the novel, we as readers are exposed to the tragedies of Frankenstein
…show more content…
The knowledge of the creature’s life was shrouded in darkness from the rest of Frankenstein’s family and friends as he feared rejection, imprisonment, and death. However, Frankenstein is not the only one to blame for keeping secrets; the creature too had kept secrets, and threatened Frankenstein into creating him a ‘mate’ that would also be kept in the dark. The creatures intention for keeping himself secret was to not only observe humanity and learn from them, but to keep himself safe for he knew that he was ‘monstrous’ and would be rejected immediately for his ‘devilish’ appearance. Additionally, it was the creatures own knowledge and experience of society that he had chosen to stay hidden from the Delacey family instead of facing them. After many deaths caused by the creature, the end of the novel signifies a turning point in Frankenstein as he admits to creating the being and demands that it should be hunted down for its heinous crimes. Although his primary secret is now exposed, he takes it upon himself to find and destroy what he had brought into the world because he believes it to be his responsibility , and sees it as a way to avenge the people he had lost at the hands of his creation. Frankenstein had come