Examples Of Ignorance In Frankenstein

The Knowledge of Ignorance Knowing how to read, write, and even tie your shoes may seem like the everyday norm to most, but for Victor Frankenstein’s creature, it is one of the leading causes of his destruction. Frankenstein is obsessed with the idea of creating a being superior to humans. However, when his creation turns into a murderous monster, he is quick to blame his relentless search for knowledge, but he is unable to see how his ignorance brought his downfall. In the Gothic novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the concept of knowledge being not only a blessing, but a curse is demonstrated through the creatures desire to learn, society’s lack of empathy for the creature, and Victor’s ignorance. As soon as the creature entered

Humankind is unable to see that in the beginning, the creature is innately good. Also, society’s ability to make a judgement without substantial amounts of knowledge drove the creature further towards self destruction. For instance, when the creature saves a little girl from drowning, he does not receive the praises that would normally be expected. Instead, the creature is shot, and “inflamed by pain, [he] vow[s] eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind” (Shelley 143). When the creature first gains awareness, it is not yet corrupted by the ills that society forces on him. However, society is making the generalization that ugly is equivalent to evil, which causes the creature to see himself as evil. Rosemary Jackson acknowledges that “naming the double [creature] is impossible for Frankenstein and society since it is themselves in alienated form, an image of themselves before they acquired names”(Jackson). In other words, the creature is an outsider because its name is unknown to society. Society not giving the creature a name, but referring to him as a “monster, ugly wretch [and] an ogre” it is telling the creature that he is wicked because they are associating his appearance with things that society sees as evil (Shelley 144). Thus, the creature realizes that he must be malicious because he does not have a name to define

Victor is so engulfed by his work that he is unaware of what is going on around him. He “bore onwards [with his work], like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success” and he wants to “pour a torrent of light into our dark world" (Shelley 55). Blinded by his yearning for making new discoveries, Victor thinks that his knowledge of the sciences will be enough for him to be successful. However, he does not understand that in order to create an auspicious relationship between him and his creation, he needs to have knowledge of society as well. Once his creation is animated, Victor is unable to see that all the creature wants is to be loved and accepted. The creature craves the maternal love that Victor denies him. From the beginning, Victor is unable to realize the significance of his creation. He describes how the creature’s “yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath... [and] his hair was of a lustrous black... [and] his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips” (Shelley 58). He immediately focuses on the negative features of his creation, and does not even attempt to learn the positive qualities. If Victor uses more social skills, rather than his knowledge of the sciences to manage his creation, all of the destruction the creation causes could have been