Knowledge In Frankenstein

Words: 1244
Pages: 5
Open Document
The knowledge that humans have gained over the years was mostly used to benefit themselves and civilization. Humans have learned how to build different types of buildings, how to bring purified water into homes, and to efficiently do certain jobs and activities. The results that human knowledge brings to civilization has mostly been positive, but sometimes the quest for knowledge is difficult and can take a terrible toll on a person. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, Walton, Victor, and the Creature all became selfish and suffered from solitude due to their inability to see past their hunger for facts, information, and skills. The attempts made by Walton, Victor, and the Creature to gain and acquire knowledge have all led them to feel …show more content…
One of the main reasons that Walton goes on this expedition is to gain knowledge that can possibly help mankind. Although his intentions are good, his obsession with finding the passage clouds his better judgments and leads him to feel sorrow. Walton claims that he “worked harder than the common sailors during the day and devoted my nights to the study of mathematics, the theory of medicine, and those branches of physical science from which a naval adventurer might derive the greatest practical advantage” (Shelley 12). Working hard and being studious are good traits to have, but since Walton had a great desire to attain knowledge, it caused him to be isolated from his crew. The isolation that he put himself through caused him to “bitterly feel the want of a friend”(Shelley 14). His quest for the North West Passage shows how knowledge is sorrow because in his quest Walton ended up being alone, which caused him pain because he had no one to talk to. Also since Walton spends a lot of time studying different subjects he does not have any time to do anything else. This leads to sorrow because he does not get to explore or see what life has to offer. Walton’s focus on finding the North West Passage and gaining knowledge does not leave any time to do anything else, which leads to his sorrow and …show more content…
Victor’s creation, the living example and a symbol of his knowledge, also caused him much pain. The Creature threatened to kill all those that were closest to him if he did not create a companion, the same way he created the Creature, for him. Victor refused the Creature’s demands and by refusing to create a companion for the creature he was scared of seeing the people who he “most loved die under the grasp of a demon whom I had created.(Shelley 183). The knowledge that Victor gained shows that all knowledge is sorrow because the creation he created with the knowledge is threatening to kill the people he love, which would cause him much grief. The creature killed Elizabeth and Henry adding to the sorrow that he had by creating the Creature. With everyone he loved taken away from his life, Victor was isolated again. Victor’s quest for knowledge and the Creature, who takes the form of his knowledge, brings nothing but pain and sorrow to
Show More

Related Documents: Knowledge In Frankenstein

Loss Of Knowledge In Frankenstein

Humans are constantly looking to expand their knowledge; usually, in difficult or controversial topics. This can become a dangerous road to take if one is not careful. We see how some of the risks that Victor Frankenstein takes and how these choices negatively affect him. However, we also see some decisions that affect Frankenstein in a positive way. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley depicts the consequences that knowledge can bring when used irresponsibly. Throughout the entire novel, Victor is fascinated…

Words 693 - Pages 3

Frankenstein Pursuit Of Knowledge

What is your view on Victor Frankenstein? Some people think that Victor Frankenstein is a terrible person for what he had done or created. Then there are some other people who believe that Victor is a good person for his experiments. Throughout reading the story there are a lot of themes and characteristics that appear in the characters of Frankenstein. There is so much evidence of showing the themes and characteristics of Victor as well as others. Surprisingly, the reason that there is a lot of…

Words 811 - Pages 4

Knowledge In Mary Shelly's Frankenstein

Knowledge is a valuable aspect for one to have in order to be successful. Although in Frankenstein by Mary Shelly brings evidence on how knowledge can bring danger,evil,and can be misused. I believe that this assertion is true in various bases one is how the monster in Frankenstein was created by Victor Frankenstein’s knowledge and the monster became destructive. Another Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde Dr.Jekyll used his knowledge and created a version of himself which which brought destruction.…

Words 422 - Pages 2

Frankenstein: Victor's Quest For Knowledge

At some point in our lives, we all get a thirst for knowledge. Wanting to obtain more knowledge represents a great attribute since you want to rise to the occasion and challenge yourself. Something always prompts us to explore the unknown. I believe that a sense of adventure and curiosity triggers our minds to search for more information. In Frankenstein, Victor gave in to his sense of adventure and curiosity in order to acquire more knowledge. However, his results did not turn out as planned. Certain…

Words 559 - Pages 3

Achieving Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the creature experiences the harm of desiring knowledge. Although knowledge supposedly provides power and benefits the human mind, Victor Frankenstein’s creature understands his dreaded existence through the acquisition of knowledge and develops a sense of maliciousness and misery, proving that knowledge can be harmful. Due to the creature’s need for knowledge he begins to understand his existence. While staying in the hovel the creature notices how beautiful the…

Words 146 - Pages 1

The Role Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Knowledge is something that many have been pursuing for centuries. Everyday, the world is full of people trying to learn something new and expand the knowledge that they already have. While some may say that with knowledge comes power, in the case of Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the Creature in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, knowledge only brings pain and misery. Readers follow the story of these three characters as they each go about their own journey. As Walton searches for a new…

Words 711 - Pages 3

The Pursuit Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is an ambitious scientist who reanimates a dead body and has to live with the guilt of what the creature has become. Frankenstein exhumes great potential in his studies but decides to focus it on the reanimation of human bodies as a result of the death of his late mother. Shelley asks the question of whether the pursuit knowledge of knowledge is worth the danger it may possess. Frankenstein’s area of study also reveals the god complex…

Words 826 - Pages 4

Essay about Frankenstein- Acquirement of Knowledge

“How the 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.” To what extent does Shelley’s Frankenstein support Victor Frankenstein’s view? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein explores the concepts of knowledge and science and the dangers involved with the pursuit and investigation of these ideas. The novel conveys Shelley’s attitudes towards science by portraying it as…

Words 1482 - Pages 6

The Importance Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

with no exposure to the outside world. A newborn could have no knowledge, no worries and they only explore to attain the main essentials of life. As they attain these essentials, they begin to develop knowledge, but an excess amount of knowledge could lead to disasters. The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley demonstrates through its characters that a neurotic desire for too much knowledge may ruin a person’s life. Victor Frankenstein, the main character of the novel, had a thirst for alchemy after…

Words 1264 - Pages 6

The Pursuit Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Mary Shelley is trying to convey how the pursuit of knowledge can be a dangerous endeavor, as well as the ideas of isolation and intolerance. Dr.Victor Frankenstein's ambitious desire of knowledge, as well as secrecy, allows him to be alienated from society. Through these traits he begins to lose his humanity, and becomes monstrous. Victor Frankenstein embodied the changing of science in the early 19th century, science that seemed to be a mystery, one that might be controlled by a man. He was fascinated…

Words 195 - Pages 1