In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, the character of Victor Frankenstein epitomizes the adage that intelligence and knowledge can be both a blessing and a curse. Victor’s brilliance and unrelenting thirst for knowledge drives him to create life, and it also leads to his ultimate downfall. His intelligence serves both an advantage and a problem throughout the novel. On the one hand, it enables him to make remarkable discoveries and achieve great feats, but on the other hand, it blinds him to the consequences of his actions and the ethical implications of his scientific pursuits. Thus, Victor Frankenstein's character in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein exemplifies the double-edged nature of intelligence and knowledge, as in Victor, whose brilliance
When Victor Frankenstein decided to pursue his dream of achieving the creation of life he was expecting more than he got. The Wretch, as he calls it is incapable of looking even close to a human being, but he's just as human as any of us. Because he has a heart that beats and a brain that thinks, he feels as many emotions as anyone else, stronger even, and he needs to use the same resources as us. He was capable of learning all on his own which made him deadly. He is a human being inside and out.
Mary Shelly in Frankenstein described a character Victor who is cursed by his own knowledge. Young Victor fascinated by natural forces, learned chemistry and use his knowledge to generate a new life. Even though Victor succeeded in his pursuit, but the implication of his own knowledge brought curse not only to himself but his family and friends too. Victor created a monster who strangled his younger brother William to death, Justin Martinez an innocent Frankenstein family’s made accused of William’s death. An innocent Justin sacrificed her life because of Victor’s creation, and same for Victor’s best friend Henry and fiancé Elizabeth, they also lost their lives.
In Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelly in 1816, explores the power of science and its limitations in the natural world. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein, a narcissistic scientist, tries to create an army of reanimated beings. As the novel continues, Victor is disgusted by his Creature and rejects it. The rejection creates a cycle of hatred and misery, eventually leading to the death of Victor and his loved ones. The duality of nature is seen through the lens of Victor and The Creature.
Destruction Through Knowledge in Frankenstein Knowledge can be redeeming or atrocious; it all depends on how it is used. Knowledge requires a responsible mind to use it for the greater good. In the novel Frankenstein, knowledge was given to a mind that was not ready for it. Victor, the man with the knowledge, was not in a healthy state of mind to be able to use it responsibly. As a result of this, global destruction was unleashed and people’s lives were changed forever.
He uses the little that he knows to fuel his hatred towards humans and his creator. This shows the exponential growth of the problems that Victor has created as a result of his desire for knowledge. Not only did he create the destructive monster, but now the monster is using a hunger for knowledge, the very thing that created it, to do even more damage. This root cause is linked to everything that is causing Victor’s suffering. The monster also compares his relationship to Victor to that of God and Adam, wishing that he had the same supplication to his creator that Adam did, “I remembered Adam’s supplication to his creator.
Knowledge is power and power is what leads to self destruction of Victor Frankenstein; an easily influenced man who sows he is not the male figure he wants to be. Victor lived a simple life, starting as a child who has everything he possibly could possibly want; a family, a house, an above all happiness. However, it all alter when he loses his mother, the traumatic event causes the family to switch gear and face he heart ache to something else. Escapism through knowledge is what led Victor's secrecy. " The world was to me to secret which I desire to divine, curiosity, earnest research to learn hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember.
The idea of knowledge in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley interprets knowledge as an evil pursuit. The knowlege is misused, due to Victor, the monster, and the interference with nature. Theses reasons are different perspectives that lead to tragedies. The novel Frankenstein identifies Victor's desire to gain knowledge as misusing it.
Knowledge is like a perennial weed, if not tamed, then it can not be controlled and will become dangerous. Perennial weeds are spread by seed and if the entire root is not pulled out it can reproduce from the leftover roots which will cause the lawn to swarm in perennial weeds, unless they are tamed. Likewise, knowledge, unless people know their limits, will cause dangerous things to happen. This can be true for Mary Shelley's science fiction literature, Frankenstein, which talks about a crazy scientist, Victor, who gives life to the most abhorred being. He later encounters a captain of a ship, who has the same personality as him, passionate about his own understanding of the world around him, and Victor starts telling his tale, hopeful that
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
“If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us” Adlai E. Stevenson. The politician explains his perception of creativity in this quote along with its connection to ambition by relating determination and faith to the discovery of knowledge. He believes that nothing can restrict our drive to seek information when one entirely devotes himself to the pursuit. Similarly, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton, and the creature all attempt to acquire arcane knowledge at any and all costs. Their ambition drives them to take risks and even put the lives of themselves and others on the line.
Often we find that the knowledge we want to discover isn’t easily acquired. Well in the gothic fiction Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, a man named Victor creates a monster that will soon bring death and agony upon him and his family. Throughout this story, we find out that the pursuit of knowledge the monster hopes to gain is dangerous as evidenced by society, curiosity, and death. To begin, society causes the monster to become angry and take it out on others. The creature wants to be a part of society, and wants to be part of a loving family, but is rejected by the De Laceys.
Monsters are often classified based upon their appearance and inhumane characteristics. In the book Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein tears apart graveyards for the formation of a new being, which is brought to life with electricity. Frankenstein was fascinated with life itself and wanted to create this being through the dead with the use of science. After multiple years of suturing this new being together Victor succeeded in bringing this creature to life. Although realizing what he had just created Victor is repulsed by this new being and calls him a Monster.
Mary Shelley’s notorious novel, Frankenstein, is published in 1818. Famous for its gothic elements, this novel explores what happens when a young scientist is overcome with a desire for scientific knowledge. This doctor, Victor Frankenstein, brings life to an inanimate collection of bones and flesh, but his own work terrifies him. Victor abandons his monster, which causes the monster to seek revenge against his creator. Moreover, supernatural forces are a common characteristic valued in Gothic tales, and Shelley’s novel is no exception.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Critical Analysis About the author Naomi Hetherington is a member of the University of Sheffield, the department of lifelong learning. She is an early researcher in sexuality, religious culture, the 19th-century literature, and gender. She holds a BA in Theology and religious studies, an MA and a Ph.D. in Victorian Literature. She currently teaches four-year pathway literature degree at Sheffield University for students who have already attained foundation degrees. Among the books, she has written the critique of Frankenstein.
