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Analysis of frankenstein by mary shelley
The monstrous in frankenstein
Analysis of frankenstein by mary shelley
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Obtaining knowledge is seen as a positive objective, but sometimes it may come with a negative outcome. Attempting to discover something new without thought of morality can bring you disastrous events. Learning something new can disappoint you and leave you with no option but to walk away. An attempt to get knowledge secretly can make people uncomfortable with you. Knowledge can be thought of as power, and if you can’t limit yourself; this can damage people’s life and lead to loss of trust.
Frankenstein’s pursuit for knowledge causes his him to tirelessly work to create a living thing. But, this pursuit for knowledge is dangerous because man has his place in the world and should not try to go beyond it. By creating another living thing, he transcends the barriers of man and assumes a role similar to that of god. Frankenstein says that his work is “ Not befitting the human mind” (56). By creating another thing even though it is “not befitting the human mind”, Frankenstein is spurning his place in the universe.
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.
Eventually, light could be a sign of knowledge and enlightenment that need to be using it cautiously and wisely; however, if it manipulates beyond the capacity of someone’s knowledge, it could be destructive and mortal like Victor does. Victor uses his knowledge to the extent to create a life form although this creature is causing negative effects on him and his family, yet his intelligence which is being creative doesn’t succeed him in life because he goes beyond his capability and couldn’t control the scruffy of the destruction he made instead the new creature ends up murdering loved ones. Even Victor himself affirms that, “[H]ow dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge…, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow”
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.
Knowledge is the information gained by epeirience and education. Many people believe that knowledge is always benificial. That concept is not always the case. It is true that knowledge is valuable , but some knowlege could become a curse and also overtaking. Mary Shelly illustrated the two sides of knowledge.
Knowledge is such a powerful thing, even so powerful that people used to fear it. Nowadays it seems like we are addicted to science and coming up with innovative creations while in the past people feared all we could do with science and where it would take us. They may have thought it would make us too powerful as a society, or they just wanted to stick to what they truly believed in. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the knowledge of science is interpreted as positive by Victor and the monster but upon deeper analysis we see the application of science is the downfall because of the fear of science and having too much knowledge during the Romantic era. Victor Frankenstein always wanted to learn more.
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.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one the most iconic books ever made. And with beautiful diction, vivid imagery, subliminal philosophy: it’s evident Shelley had experience in storytelling. Within those philosophical undertones, the idea that knowing too much is more malevolent than it is benevolent. A single scientific discovery—like learning how to create life—can lead to either domestic or international unextinguishable anguish. Are smarter people typically more depressed?
Mary Shelley was an English novelist, short story writer and was best known for her book “Frankenstein”. The book was written in 1816; but was not published until 1818. The main reason why she wrote this book was because of a contest between her and 3 others that were also on vacation, with Mary and her husband Percy. As a result, she won the contest and therefore was urged to publish the story, in which she did in 1818. All of them were at Lake Geneva, it was the coldest summer on record that year, that is what sparked Lord Bryon to start the contest.
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.
Of course, there's no doubt to why Frankenstein was fascinated by the lightning that struck the tree as a fifteen year old. Due to the fact that the tree that it struck, and the damage that it dealt, shows that it could be capable of many great things than just destruction alone. However, after achieving that by using the power of lightning to reanimate the dead, the horrors that have struck him from having his monster run amok, has broken him. His brother, friend, and cousin whom he was about to marry died by the Monster's hands, and the thought of building a mate that he was forced to create by the creature traumatized him. He was being broken like a blasted tree from the moment he noticed the deformity and wretchedness he saw in the creature's
While writing Frankenstein in 1818, Mary Shelley included the theme of forbidden knowledge, or the avenue of scientific discoveries that should not be pursued. In the beginning this iconic tragedy, the reader is introduced to Victor Frankenstein a seemingly crazy “mad scientist” who attempts to be God. Throughout the novel, Dr. Frankenstein “embarks on a quest to create life” (Danny), which ultimately leads to his self demise. Although written nearly 200 years ago, Mary Shelley’s theme of forbidden knowledge has never been more applicable. Just as Victor Frankenstein created the monster without stopping to think about the lethal consequences of such action, scientists in the 21st century are genetically engineering babies with three parents to cure mitochondrial diseases, without regarding the possible consequences of genetic mutations and abnormalities in the procedure and as a result, should be treated with extreme caution.
The Dangers of Knowledge Frankenstein, a novel written by Mary Shelley, is notoriously accredited for its development and implication of multiple themes. Set in the 1700’s, Frankenstein is a gothic fiction telling of isolation, knowledge, and nature. The biggest of these being knowledge and inevitably its consequences. With knowledge comes question; What poses the most danger? The knowledge itself, or the journey to gain information?
