Examples Of Pursuit Of Knowledge In Frankenstein
Pursuit of Knowledge in Frankenstein From the moment one is born, one is exposed to the dangers of the world without any knowledge of what lies ahead. At the beginning, the only things needed for fulfillment is the essentials for life. When one lives in a society where knowledge is accepted amongst the encounters of others it may alter one’s interpretation of life itself. This may lead to either optimistic or pessimistic changes in desire, behavior, and decision making depending on the construal of others. Within the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, there are multiple demonstrations of the destruction of one’s life due to a compulsive lust for extensive knowledge. Victor Frankenstein, a scientist with a lifetime goal of the construction
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of an experiment that will allow him to achieve his personal pursuit in exceeding the limits of human knowledge. With his brilliance in science, he attempts the impossible, the unthinkable, the extraordinary; he goes beyond human nature and raises an inanimate being to life. By succeeding in his task, he mistakenly creates a horrendous monster that does not compare with his original motive. Instead, the creature brings Victor awful demise and he ceases to lose everything that he once cared for. The monster is brought into an unfamiliar world without any understanding and because of this he has a strong desire for knowledge throughout the story. He is fascinated by the language and nature of the human beings he encounters and strives to be accepted in their way of living. Unfortunately, the creature’s lust for knowledge leads him to a rampant loss of self-control subsequently the destruction of the town as well as the people that live within. Robert Walton is an explorer who travels to the North Pole in search for something as spectacular as Victor’s experiment of going above and beyond human knowledge. Walton can serve as an example of being at risk for his own destruction by chasing after the idea of unpossessed knowledge within his discovery. Eventually, Walton puts an end to his exploration after Victor’s paradoxical influence of the dangerous consequences in his expedition. He wishes to protect himself from the similar mistakes of Victor’s heedless scientific ambition. Walton can also be considered to have a craving for knowledge by his extreme passion in making his own discovery. His desire for more knowledge derived from his discovery which if he didn’t terminate, his obsession would take over, resulting in almost certain death. Towards the beginning of the story, Victor, as a young boy, grew up in Geneva where he was “deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge” (Shelley, 22).
This is where the hunger for substantial knowledge is first perceived through Victor Frankenstein. From then on, he was fascinated with the mysteries of the world and sought after the desire to discover new things. As Victor ages, he gains more and more knowledge by studying the discoveries of previous scientists. Unsatisfied, he decides to form his own, new discovery that goes beyond the perimeter of mankind. Victor’s mission to exceed the limits of human knowledge leads him to creating a monster that ultimately destroys his life. The monster he produces does not imitate his intentions and is distant from what he hoped. Following the birth of his creation, Victor is petrified with the abnormal features of the monster and urgently runs away. The monster blames Victor for his absurd appearance and misfortunes. In seek of revenge for abandoning him; the monster stalks Victor throughout his life and kills many of Victor’s innocent loved ones including his wife and best friend. Shelley demonstrates how Victor’s fixation with knowledge of the unknown controls his life and guides him to an unfortunate and dreadful
doom.
Similar to Victor and his creation, Walton, in many ways shows his strength of mind for chasing knowledge. Once his ship gets stuck on ice, Walton’s irrepressible desire in making a new discovery, puts the lives of his crew at risk. In one of his letters he writes to his sister it states, “what may not be expected in a country of eternal light” (Shelley, 1). What Shelley means by “a country of eternal light” is unpossessed knowledge and Walton reveals his desire to pursue this unpossessed knowledge by carrying out his exploration to the North. Similar to Victor, Walton is prepared to sacrifice everything in order to obtain that knowledge. When Victor arrives aboard the ship he expresses to Walton the tragic consequences of exceeding the boundaries of human nature. Walton realizes that Victor’s obsession with discovering the impossible destroyed his life and wishes to elude any troubles Victor went through.
During the course of the characters in Frankenstein, Mary Shelley presents both the positive and negative aspects to knowledge, but amplifies the destructiveness in knowing what no one else knows. Typically, the use of knowledge has many benefits but Shelley validates how seeking knowledge beyond its limits deprives the natural pleasures of known knowledge. She suggests that obsession with unattainable knowledge will lead to personal destruction. Victor and the monster endure this destruction when chasing after their desires. Unlike them, Walton realizes the consequences and discontinues his journey before the inevitable. It is also suggested that without appreciating the natural pleasures of life, pursuing knowledge is amiss and unsound.
Work Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 2nd ed. New York: Norton & Company, 1996. Print.
of an experiment that will allow him to achieve his personal pursuit in exceeding the limits of human knowledge. With his brilliance in science, he attempts the impossible, the unthinkable, the extraordinary; he goes beyond human nature and raises an inanimate being to life. By succeeding in his task, he mistakenly creates a horrendous monster that does not compare with his original motive. Instead, the creature brings Victor awful demise and he ceases to lose everything that he once cared for. The monster is brought into an unfamiliar world without any understanding and because of this he has a strong desire for knowledge throughout the story. He is fascinated by the language and nature of the human beings he encounters and strives to be accepted in their way of living. Unfortunately, the creature’s lust for knowledge leads him to a rampant loss of self-control subsequently the destruction of the town as well as the people that live within. Robert Walton is an explorer who travels to the North Pole in search for something as spectacular as Victor’s experiment of going above and beyond human knowledge. Walton can serve as an example of being at risk for his own destruction by chasing after the idea of unpossessed knowledge within his discovery. Eventually, Walton puts an end to his exploration after Victor’s paradoxical influence of the dangerous consequences in his expedition. He wishes to protect himself from the similar mistakes of Victor’s heedless scientific ambition. Walton can also be considered to have a craving for knowledge by his extreme passion in making his own discovery. His desire for more knowledge derived from his discovery which if he didn’t terminate, his obsession would take over, resulting in almost certain death. Towards the beginning of the story, Victor, as a young boy, grew up in Geneva where he was “deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge” (Shelley, 22).
This is where the hunger for substantial knowledge is first perceived through Victor Frankenstein. From then on, he was fascinated with the mysteries of the world and sought after the desire to discover new things. As Victor ages, he gains more and more knowledge by studying the discoveries of previous scientists. Unsatisfied, he decides to form his own, new discovery that goes beyond the perimeter of mankind. Victor’s mission to exceed the limits of human knowledge leads him to creating a monster that ultimately destroys his life. The monster he produces does not imitate his intentions and is distant from what he hoped. Following the birth of his creation, Victor is petrified with the abnormal features of the monster and urgently runs away. The monster blames Victor for his absurd appearance and misfortunes. In seek of revenge for abandoning him; the monster stalks Victor throughout his life and kills many of Victor’s innocent loved ones including his wife and best friend. Shelley demonstrates how Victor’s fixation with knowledge of the unknown controls his life and guides him to an unfortunate and dreadful
doom.
Similar to Victor and his creation, Walton, in many ways shows his strength of mind for chasing knowledge. Once his ship gets stuck on ice, Walton’s irrepressible desire in making a new discovery, puts the lives of his crew at risk. In one of his letters he writes to his sister it states, “what may not be expected in a country of eternal light” (Shelley, 1). What Shelley means by “a country of eternal light” is unpossessed knowledge and Walton reveals his desire to pursue this unpossessed knowledge by carrying out his exploration to the North. Similar to Victor, Walton is prepared to sacrifice everything in order to obtain that knowledge. When Victor arrives aboard the ship he expresses to Walton the tragic consequences of exceeding the boundaries of human nature. Walton realizes that Victor’s obsession with discovering the impossible destroyed his life and wishes to elude any troubles Victor went through.
During the course of the characters in Frankenstein, Mary Shelley presents both the positive and negative aspects to knowledge, but amplifies the destructiveness in knowing what no one else knows. Typically, the use of knowledge has many benefits but Shelley validates how seeking knowledge beyond its limits deprives the natural pleasures of known knowledge. She suggests that obsession with unattainable knowledge will lead to personal destruction. Victor and the monster endure this destruction when chasing after their desires. Unlike them, Walton realizes the consequences and discontinues his journey before the inevitable. It is also suggested that without appreciating the natural pleasures of life, pursuing knowledge is amiss and unsound.
Work Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 2nd ed. New York: Norton & Company, 1996. Print.