Gilsinger 1
Amanda Gilsinger
10th Honors English Lit/Comp
11 August 2014
The Power of Knowledge, As Seen in Frankenstein Percolating under the surface of Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein is the pursuit of knowledge and the negative effects that it can have on one’s life if gone awry. The quest by Victor Frankenstein for the “chemical of life” significantly affects his overall well-being, compelling him to abandon his family and secretly work on his project while attending college. His passion for science is corroborated when he says, “From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole occupation” (51). This claim reinforces Victor’s insatiable motivation to attain …show more content…
His first awareness of this reality occurs when he says, “Increase of knowledge only discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was. I cherished hope, it is true; but it vanished when I beheld my person reflected in water, or my shadow in the moonshine, even as that frail image and inconstant shade” (133). Applying his studies further, the creature sadly comes to understand that he was created for someone else’s purpose and then abandoned. It would have been better for everyone, especially Victor, if the creature had not deduced …show more content…
Without proper information, the characters are often in great danger. Henry Clerval was an unsuspecting victim tracked to his death by the creature, which
Gilsinger 5 may have been prevented had his best friend Victor shared his dilemma. Also, Elizabeth is not told before her wedding that Victor is in grave danger, and so is unprepared when she becomes the real target of the creature’s violence on their wedding night. Perhaps if she and Victor had discussed the deadly threat together, a lifesaving plan could have emerged. The best decisions are made with the right amount of accurate facts. In watching his family suffer immensely, Victor realizes the pure evil that has been caused by his creature’s actions, but also finds fault within himself. The title of Frankenstein not only symbolizes the loneliness and frustration that Victor feels during his lifetime, but also the creature’s alienation from society, all resulting from the obsessive pursuit of knowledge. The struggles of both Victor and his creation demonstrate the importance of knowledge along with the ramifications or benefits it may bring in certain
Amanda Gilsinger
10th Honors English Lit/Comp
11 August 2014
The Power of Knowledge, As Seen in Frankenstein Percolating under the surface of Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein is the pursuit of knowledge and the negative effects that it can have on one’s life if gone awry. The quest by Victor Frankenstein for the “chemical of life” significantly affects his overall well-being, compelling him to abandon his family and secretly work on his project while attending college. His passion for science is corroborated when he says, “From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole occupation” (51). This claim reinforces Victor’s insatiable motivation to attain …show more content…
His first awareness of this reality occurs when he says, “Increase of knowledge only discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was. I cherished hope, it is true; but it vanished when I beheld my person reflected in water, or my shadow in the moonshine, even as that frail image and inconstant shade” (133). Applying his studies further, the creature sadly comes to understand that he was created for someone else’s purpose and then abandoned. It would have been better for everyone, especially Victor, if the creature had not deduced …show more content…
Without proper information, the characters are often in great danger. Henry Clerval was an unsuspecting victim tracked to his death by the creature, which
Gilsinger 5 may have been prevented had his best friend Victor shared his dilemma. Also, Elizabeth is not told before her wedding that Victor is in grave danger, and so is unprepared when she becomes the real target of the creature’s violence on their wedding night. Perhaps if she and Victor had discussed the deadly threat together, a lifesaving plan could have emerged. The best decisions are made with the right amount of accurate facts. In watching his family suffer immensely, Victor realizes the pure evil that has been caused by his creature’s actions, but also finds fault within himself. The title of Frankenstein not only symbolizes the loneliness and frustration that Victor feels during his lifetime, but also the creature’s alienation from society, all resulting from the obsessive pursuit of knowledge. The struggles of both Victor and his creation demonstrate the importance of knowledge along with the ramifications or benefits it may bring in certain