Examples Of Enlightenment In Frankenstein

Frankenstein is a gothic novel written by author Mary Shelley. The complex narrative is depicted by a series of letters, commencing with a letter from Robert Walton, a polar explorer who encounters Victor Frankenstein in the arctic, to his older sister Margaret—moreover, the 1818 story published during the Age of Enlightenment. The Enlightenment period, beginning in the 17th century and ending in the early 18th century, was an intellectual movement dependent on logic and science over superstition. In the book, Victor Frankenstein resembles the Enlightenment ideology as a scientist possessed with an unhealthy attraction to understanding the laws of human creation. The story revolves around his self-absorption and carelessness, reflecting Shelley’s

Utilizing the novel’s protagonist as a symbol of the Age of Enlightenment, Shelley employs Victor Frankenstein as an example of the egotistical interests exhibited by Enlightenment thinkers. Reiterating, Victor Frankenstein is the main protagonist in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, with an obsessive interest in scientific development. However, discouraged by his father, Alphonse Frankenstein, Victor was driven by his eager desire to learn from a young age. As a result, he directed toward the literary work of respected philosophers to soothe his thirst for knowledge. Consequently, a new delusion formed, “Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery if I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death (26)!” Victor’s incentive to further his education matured for a selfish reason. Fixated on the glorious aspect of discovering the elixir of life, Victor is nonchalant to the consequences and materialistic factors, such as wealth. The

In chapter 4, Victor arrives at a point in his retelling where he mentions his infamous finding; the secret of life. Noticing Walton’s interest, Victor pauses and warns the explorer, “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow (39).” Victor is cautioning Walton, and Shelley, readers, of the dangers associated with exploiting the pursuit of knowledge with irony. Victor once was the man who aspired to become greater than his nature allowed that he is referring to and, as a result, concluded in a predicament with his creation. He greedily sought more outside of what was appropriately available in his native town. Now regretful, Victor retells the story to Walton to prevent him from reliving his mistakes. Additionally, the hypocrisy in Victor’s warning emphasizes his credibility in what he advises Walton. He previously pursued knowledge with malicious intent and now can relay his experience in hopes that another will not repeat his error. Unfortunately, throughout his time committed to his scientific studies, Victor