Frankenstein, By Mary Shelley - 1416 Words

Mary Shelley: Frankenstein Knowledge is given to those that understand the power it holds, this power could either destroy or help one in their path to success. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, we see this idea being practiced by individuals in the novel. However, they are incapable of seeing the dangerous potential outcomes of misunderstanding knowledge and the power it offers, leading to their ruin. We see the suffering as a cause of knowledge through Victor Frankenstein’s creation of life, The Monster’s dream of fitting the norm, and Robert Walton’s dangerous journey to the North. The characters in Frankenstein pursuit of knowledge leads to certain destruction, showing us the potential negative outcomes of misusing knowledge. As the†¦show more content†¦Frankenstein had many choices, one better than others, and ones that could have saved his family. Yet, Frankenstein made a choice that one may consider incredibly heroic or undeniably foolish, he was worried that The Monster and his female companion would create a ‘race of devils’. This worry is understandable, but instead of dumping the remains into the ocean knowing The Monster is watching, he could have went to more covert means because he knew what The Monster was capable of doing. Moreover, Victor Frankenstein was given multiple warnings to stop his studies, but he chose knowledge over the wise opinions from the people in his life. In one case M. Krempe tells Victor, â€Å"every instant that you have wasted on those books is utterly and entirely lost. You have burdened your memory with exploded systems and useless names. Good God!† (43). In this example, it can be seen that Victor was given warnings from M. Krempe, but one could also see the idea that these warnings represent foreshadowing. As a reader the end result of Victor’s knowledge is known, so one could conclude that if Victor had listened to the warnings his pursuit of knowledge would have ended positively. Lastly, Victor’s pursuit of knowledge held him back from visiting his family and focusing on what he cared most about; Elizabeth his only true happiness. In the novel Victor states, â€Å"The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for