More handpicked essays just for you.
Frankensteins theme of knowledge
Dangerous knowledge theme frankenstein explained
Theme of knowledge in Frankenstein articles
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Knowledge can be good or bad; it all depends on the person who wields it. This is a theme Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein proves throughout the story. Shelley uses literary devices such as characterization, tone, and irony in Frankenstein to teach readers that knowledge is benevolent in the hands of the selfless, but dangerous in the hands of the overly ambitious. Knowledge is a common theme portrayed throughout Frankenstein. The majority of the characters in the novel seek to wield information at some point, including Frankenstein, Monster, Elizabeth, Clerval, Walton, more minor characters like the judge and jury in Geneva, and many more. Throughout the novel, characters who attempt to obtain learning typically fall into one of two …show more content…
One of these is Henry Clerval, Frankenstein's best friend. In many ways, his character is a foil to characters like Frankenstein and Monster. He is focused on the, “moral relations of things” (Shelley 19). Clerval is further described as being “perfectly humane, so thoughtful in his generosity,” and full of, “kindness and tenderness” (Shelley 20). While Clerval still, “desired the intercourse of the men of genius and talent who flourished at this time,” he desired to use the knowledge he gained for the good of others, “assisting the progress of European colonisation and trade” (Shelley 114-115). Of course, Clerval still dies in the novel, but this is a result of the war between Frankenstein and his Monster, not as a result of Clerval's innocent pursuit of information. In fact, it is safe to infer that had Clerval not been Victor’s friend he might have prospered with his wisdom, which shows that a selfless attitude combined with the attainment of knowledge leads to good …show more content…
The number of characters who misuse their learning because they are ambitious far outweighs the number of kind people who use their learning to help others. The judge and jury of the trial of Justine, “had rather that ten innocent should suffer than that one guilty should escape” (Shelley 57). Due to this mindset, they go about obtaining information in entirely the wrong way. They assume she is guilty. So when they learn of the locket and how it was found to be in Justine’s possession, they condemned her without a further examination of Justine's character. They did not care that she was, “the most amiable and benevolent of human creatures” (Shelley 56). They only cared that their knowledge of the crime dictated she be found guilty. So they punished her with death without further remorse (Shelley 60). The desperate tone of this portion of the novel conveys just how obvious it was that Justine was innocent, and just how unjust it was for the jury to find her guilty when they only had a few pieces of observation rather than the entire picture. The judge and jury's desire to find Justine guilty ultimately led to their misuse of the knowledge they obtained, and disaster for everyone
In the gothic novel Frankenstein, humans have a bottomless, motivating, but often dangerous thirst for knowledge. This idea was clearly illustrated throughout the novel by Mary Shelley. The three main characters in the novel shared the thirst for knowledge that later led to their downfall. In the novel, knowledge is a huge theme that led to atrocious life for anyone that tried to gain it. Knowledge is hazardous; therefore, I support Dr. Frankenstein’s warning about knowledge being dangerous and that knowledge shouldn’t be gained.
Investigating The Ways in Which Mary Shelley Explores the Theme of Knowledge In Frankenstein Mary Shelley explores the theme of knowledge in Frankenstein in many ways; firstly, she uses a frame narrative to show different peoples views of, and reactions to, the same information and to combine lots of different writing styles into one piece, this technique also allows the story to move along fluidly as it can come from many places and people. She uses lots of imagery, personification and metaphors to describe the scenes, which adds a sense of realism to it and allows the reader to picture the scene instead of just being told about it. Shelley portrays that knowledge can empower, but also that it has the power to destroy if not used carefully. In order to fully understand what Mary Shelley has done, we need to firstly study; the portrayal of Captain Walton, Frankenstein’s ambition and how this creates suspense.
Mary Shelley’s novel arises several questions relevant to the present day. A question that arises from the novel is whether man is born evil or made evil from his life experiences. The debate on whether how far man should pursue knowledge exists today as well as other questions challenged in the novel therefore “Frankenstein” is a popular novel at present as much as it was in the past.
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.
In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the main theme revolves around the internal and external consequences of being isolated from others. Being isolated from the world could result in a character losing his/her mental state and eventually causing harm to themselves or others. Because both Victor Frankenstein and the creature are isolated from family and society, they experienced depression, prejudice, and revenge.
Albert Einstein once said, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”. So is a lot.” Einstein believes that there is a point where the acquisition of knowledge becomes dangerous for humans. Mary Shelley extensively explores the effect dangerous knowledge has on the characters in her book Frankenstein. Throughout the book, Frankenstein and the creature are corrupted by knowledge that changes their outlook on life.
Knowledge accompanied by wisdom, is a blessing. Knowledge helped scientists. make the most destructive weapon known to mankind, a nuclear bomb. It was lack of wisdom that caused United States of America to use it as a means of mass destruction, as illustrated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Knowledge not accompanied by wisdom, is a curse. Victor Frankenstein, protagonist in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, is awed by the science of chemistry and natural philosophy. His desire to gain knowledge leads him to research the secret of life, and after years of research, Victor is convinced he has discovered the meaning of life. With knowledge as his most powerful weapon, Victor embarks on a journey to create something extraordinary out of old body parts. One desperate night, Victor brings his creation to life. However, one glance at the creature was enough to make him realize that he had not created something beautiful, he created a monster. Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein demonstrates how knowledge can be dangerous by the damage caused by both the monster and Victor.
...ou, Clerval, my friend, my benefactor—’” (Shelley 129). Victor feels guilty for the actions of his creation but is too much of a coward to confess to anyone about what he has done. His selfishness and secrecy cause his friends to suffer and also make him a tragic hero within the novel.
Victor Frankenstein, blinded by pride, remained unaware of how his experiment would affect not only him, but the world around him as he formed his new discovery. His secret to creating life only caused more life to be lost. Because of Victor’s reckless behavior, he caused the depressed and lonely world around his own creation, one who, in the end, Victor did not want to take responsibility for making, no matter how remarkable. The Creation, a being of unfortunate circumstance, exemplifies how knowledge has dangerous and everlasting effects if not used safely or for good intentions. Unfortunately, The Creation leaves his own damage behind as well, again showing how knowledge is harmful, by killing Elizabeth, Victor’s wife, Henry Clerval, his dearest friend, and other members a part of Victor’s family and friends. This demonstrates how knowledge, if not used wisely, can lead to death and suffering. The power of knowledge, in Mary Shelley’s writing, is a gift bestowed on those who can handle the power responsibly, as opposed to using it for selfish boasting. In contrast, she uses these two characters to show the importance of being knowledgeable in both science and responsibility and the unforgivable mutilation that comes if you fail to overcome
When Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein is analyzed, critics comes to a conclusion about Victor Frankenstein's creation. The creature invokes the most sympathy from the readers than any other character in the novel. Because he is abandoned by society which manipulates the creature to do evil things despite his good heart. Therefore Shelley's message throughout the novel is that a person is not born evil, they are made evil.
Education is a tool to advance an individual and a society; however, education can become a means to gain power when knowledge is used to exercise control over another. In Frankenstein, knowledge becomes the downfall of both Victor Frankenstein and the Monster. The novel explores the consequent power struggle between Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the dichotomy of good and evil, and the contrast between intellectual and physical power. Finding themselves in mirroring journeys, Victor Frankenstein and the Monster are locked in a struggle for dominance. Through these two characters, Mary Shelley explores the consequences of an egotistical mindset and of using knowledge to exercise power over others.
...Frankenstein and the creature. The situations that each character experience are lessons about how seeking prohibited intelligence comes with extreme consequences. Frankenstein is a Gothic novel which means it involves the supernatural; however, because it contains religious qualities it is more appealing to the common people’s idea of knowledge. Mary Shelley achieves her goal of informing the audience that man should not seek or possess the level of knowledge that God acquires. One should learn from the situations present in the novel because life comes with an enormous amount of knowledge; going after the unknown is an act of rebellion against God.
The theme pursuit of knowledge is consistent throughout the text, shown by three of the main characters in Frankenstein. The theme is shown in many different aspects by all three characters. The pursuit of knowledge lead to Victor’s destruction. The pursuit of knowledge lead Victor’s Creature to becoming aware of himself and point of view society has on him. The pursuit of knowledge helped Robert Walton realize his strive for success has lead him to discovering the consequences of his pursuit of knowledge can effect other people. Through the book Frankenstein the reader can infer that the pursuit of knowledge can lead to a destructive future.
The theme in a piece of literature is the main idea or insight on characters. Most pieces of literature do not limit itself to one but many other themes all collected into one. This is just like in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This horrifying story was produced in 1818 and has several themes that she portrays throughout. The theme of dangerous knowledge is unmistakably seen theme in Frankenstein. In Frankenstein we see this theme through three of the main characters, Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton and the creature. We can see how their desire for knowledge can take them places and show them eventually what they are looking for. Sooner or later it will take them to dangerous and unwanted places. The desire for knowledge can eventually lead one to its grave. Victor Frankenstein’s scientific endeavor, Robert Walton’s search for the North Pole, and the creature’s kind heart but scary features creates this theme of dangerous knowledge.
Mary Shelley's Attitude to Knowledge in Frankenstein Mary Shelley is a gothic writer, who (through this novel 'Frankenstein') has been able to create a hybrid form of gothic literature, a gothic/horror genre which allows Shelley to convey a more realistic terror, one that resides within the psyche instead of a form outside , an example would be Ghosts. Her knowledge on different subjects allows her to create a realistic world in the novel, possibly even criticising her own husband Percy Shelley, who searched for knowledge and in doing so became egotistical and self obsessed like a true romantic just like Frankenstein and other romantic characters like him. Shelley was always surrounded by intelligent people, which were mainly her father and his inner circle that also included her husband. These people encouraged Shelley to educate herself and develop her own opinions. Shelley found the gothic genre a perfect place in which she could air her thoughts, such as a critical view of certain powers in her society and imply things about the industrial revolution through subtle remarks in the novel.