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How the Theme of Knowledge Helps to Explain Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Knowledge in frankenstein
How the Theme of Knowledge Helps to Explain Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
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Knowledge 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.
Dangerous Minds- Rough Draft Knowledge has the capability to be used for both good and evil. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, there is a consistent message throughout the novel showing the dangerous and destructive power that knowledge can have. Two key characters, Victor Frankenstein and his monster, are shaped through their obsessions with knowledge and the power and responsibility that it brings. Ultimately, Victor’s downfall is a result of his uncontrollable thirst for knowledge, and is brought about through the monster which is the embodiment of his obsession. Victor is a brilliant scientist who figures out a way to create life from death using galvanism, or electricity.
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly opens the story with letters being written from Robert Walton, who is writing to his sister Margaret Saville. Robert Walton can be assumed to be in the British navy away traveling at sea, around the world and writing to his sister to let her know that he is alive and to tell her his experiences roaming the waters. While he is traveling Robert and his comrades come across a mysterious man that is wandering the sea on a piece of ice. It can be inferred that this mysterious man is Victor Frankenstein, our main narrator, seeking shelter on the ship. Victor and Robert develop a bond and Victor confesses to Robert that “You have hope, and the world before you, and have no cause for despair, But I- I have lost everything and cannot begin life anew.”
Every decsion ever made always comes from having the knowlege about it, whether it was good or bad. In the classic novel, "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, having too much knowledge is dangerous, which can lead to a harmful misuse. Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist is seen as a scientist leading as God, due to his abundance knowledge of human and animal science. Primarly, In the novel "Frankenstein" Victor's excessive knowledge was a great dangerous to the people in the Geneva.
The attainment of knowledge did not improve Victor Frankenstein. He lacks compassion with the Creature right after it was brought to the world. His ignorance and lack of affection, brings the worst in the creature which leads the creature to kill Victor’s loved ones. After abandoning the creature for years, Victors returns back home after being informed about his brother Williams murder. While returning back home, Victor encounters the Creature for the first time after all his avoidance since past couple years.
The Curse of Knowledge The American Psychological Association, an organization supporting psychological needs, stated “During the 2020–2021 school year, more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem.” While attending rigorous classes and acquiring knowledge are important and beneficial, having large amounts of homework and little personal time can cause more harm than good. In fact, many college students experience the negative side effects of the collegiate quest for understanding, such as stress and exhaustion, during their time at universities. Mary Shelley displays this concept in her novel Frankenstein by pointing out the negative effects of knowledge. The acquisition of knowledge is often seen
Knowledge can be Both a Blessings and a Curse A teenage girl, Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein in the 18th century. Shelly combined the mysterious, gloomy, cloudy circumstances with visual imaginations, colorful and lively landscape descriptions. Those two genres Gothicism and Romanticism Mary compiled in her one work Frankenstein. Mary indicated to the society the people has to pay full attention to the scientific innovations and their implications and their knowledge should be used wisely to avoid the catastrophes.
Shelly seems to be very against the idea that knowledge leads to happiness. She seems more amiable towards the idea that ignorance is bliss. Yet, it seems more that the despair both characters face in Frankenstein is a result of a tainted society. Knowledge is the light that illuminates this corruption for Frankenstein’s monster. However, while knowledge opens the monster’s eyes, the scene that they first gaze upon is painted by Victor.
Shelley through her book warns that knowledge is a double edge sword which should be used wisely. Though powerful the search for knowledge has been proven to be a strenuous task with many sacrifices along the way, knowledge can at times brings blessings, and knowledge can open one’s mind to the loneliness of life. The search for knowledge is like a tall mountain, extremely hard to climb. In Frankenstein, Shelley creates the character Victor Frankenstein, an avid researcher who dedicated his life to learn, explore and create new things.
The story is not just a story about the dead coming alive, but a symbolic representation of the effects of the industrial revolution. At the time, Shelley wrote Frankenstein Europe was enamored by scientific exploration and experimentation. Science at the time had good intents for the general masses by making goods cheaper and making the jobs easier and more productive. This is show by Victor Frankenstein when he attempts to give life to a lifeless matter, and the joy he felt in science for the possibilities which he could now explore. Knowledge is what starts change but the power of the knowledge can change men to use it without regard to the outcome.
“And what, Socrates, is the food of the soul? Surely, I said, knowledge is the food of the soul. ”-Plato. Acquisition of knowledge previously unknown to man stems from humanity’s remarkable, noteworthy curiosity of that which has not yet been discovered. New knowledge, metaphorically, is “food for the soul,” as said by Plato.
ENG-3U0 November 20 2015 Frankenstein: The Pursuit of Knowledge Throughout the course of their individual journeys, Victor Frankenstein’s extreme passion for gaining knowledge about creating life, Robert Walton’s curiosity to discover land beyond the North Pole and the monster’s eagerness to obtain knowledge about humans was the principal cause of each of their suffering. As such, In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the pursuit of knowledge is a dangerous path which leads to suffering. Victor Frankenstein develops a keen interest in discovering knowledge about living beings which ultimately results in his personal suffering as well as others suffering. To begin with, Victor embarks on an assignment through combining body parts and following various
In Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein describes the ill effects his created monster on his personal life. Throughout the novel, Frankenstein describes the monster killing his little brother William, his friend Henry Clerval, and most importantly,
In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein (1818), Shelley shows her audience that while acquiring knowledge leads to survival for the Creature and power for Victor Frankenstein, the path to obtain this knowledge leads to the destruction of one’s self. Education and knowledge have major negative effects on both of the characters’ attitude, perception, and decisions. The life experiences of each character is dependent on the amount of knowledge that the character possesses. Knowledge gives Victor Frankenstein a superiority complex, and it changes the Creature’s perspective of the world and the people in it. The Creature, like a baby, is brought into the world with no prior knowledge of how society behaves.
As Frank Herbert once said: “ Too much knowledge never makes for simple decisions.” This reigns true not only in Frankenstein, But also in everyday life. Coincidentally, learning too much can bring misery and dangers into your life. We can see this in scientists, like Victor, they learn too much knowledge and become mad, crazy, hurtful people. Knowledge like most things is good in moderation, when knowing too much, we become people who are darker and more wretched than our original
