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Frankenstein Power Quotes

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Consequences Through Irresponsibility and Power
“The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.”
Edmund Burke
The quote by Edmund Burke, "The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse," indicates that the possession of power carries with it the potential for its misuse and abuse. It resembles the theme that Mary Shelley portrays in her novel and shows the dangers and responsibility power holds in this novel. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley portrays the theme that irresponsibility and power can result in irreversible tragedies through Victor’s pursuit of scientific knowledge, and abandoning the creature which builds revenge in his creation which ultimately leads to the deaths of William and Elizabeth.
To begin, In Frankenstein, Victor …show more content…

Due to this, Victor’s power of being a creator sequence to tragic events. The theme of power and the dangers of scientific pursuit is shown in Frankenstein and the effect after his creation is made. Victor mentions, “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body… but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (43). Once Victor creates his creation, he is not able to endure looking at his creation. This shows the consequences that can arise from attaining power irresponsibly. Victor’s desire for knowledge to create life causes him to ignore the implications of his actions and the harm his experiment can cause. When he is successful in bringing his creation to life, his sense of accomplishment turns into horror and disgust. Victor’s power leads to his downfall by bringing the creature to life. The theme of pursuing knowledge is evident in the book and reinforces the idea that it can have disastrous and irreversible …show more content…

In chapter 4, Victor warns Walton about the dangers of acquiring knowledge. This serves as a sign of the events that will unfold throughout the novel. Victor remarks to Walton, “Learn from me… 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 tries to warn Walton about the dangers of trying to know beyond one’s limits. He realizes that it brings misfortune and consequences instead of joy and happiness. This shows his own experiences with the pursuit of knowledge and the consequences of it. Victor emphasizes the importance of one’s limits and the harm of exceeding them. It also highlights the danger of obsession and pursuit of knowledge for power. Ultimately, Victor’s choices lead to the deaths of William and Elizabeth. Mary Shelley suggests that in pursuit of knowledge, it is important to have caution and responsibility and abused power can lead to irreparable

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