The Dangerous Nature of Knowledge in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Term Paper Sample)

The Dangerous Nature of Knowledge in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
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Frankenstein is a gothic and romanticist novel by Mary Shelley about a scientist names Victor Frankenstein, whose obsession with the secret of life in him creates an uncontrollable monster. The novel is set in the Swiss Alps where Shelley had vacationed with his future husband and poet, Pacey Shelley, and in the company of Lord Byron. Shelley wrote the novel following a challenge among the three friends to see who would write the most horrific and gothic story.
In the story, a young scientist and philosopher Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with creating a new life. He patches together old parts and using his knowledge in chemistry, gives life into his creation. The creature, however, turns out to be an ugly monster that frightens him. He attempts to destroy the monster, but it runs away and kills Victor’s brother to hurt him. Victor narrates this story after encountering another character who is obsessed to make a great discovery to become favors. Victor dies before he can kill the monster. When the monster learns of its creator’s death, it grieves and sets off to the nethermost ice so it could die too.
The historical context of the novel points to a period when there was growing thirst for knowledge, especially in the science (Keen, 2004, p. 40). The early 19th century, it covers the period when man was on course to not only inventing technologies that will help in exploiting the environment, but also destroy life. The romanticist period to which the work belongs was a time when artists were fascinated with nature and the creative imagination, which allowed them to explore novel ideas. Shelley’s early life thrust her into the romanticist movement and romanticist ideas following the death of her mother during her birth (Mellor, 2012). She was brought up by his father, a member of a group of radical thinkers in Britain. This early exposure to cutting-edge ideas shaped Shelley’s imagination and romanticists thinking, which is visible in Frankenstein.
While the tale in Frankenstein is supposed to be a gothic novel, it captures the imagination of early 19th-century scientists. The novel advances the idea that knowledge could be dangerous if it is misused (Baker, 2016). The creation of a monster instead of a normal creature suggests that even the best of intentions in scientific experimentations can go wrong. The 18th century was the time when different nations were striving to explore and conquer the world. One way that they could achieve this was to invent arms that were superior to those of their enemies. However, the quest to invent arms for the purpose of defeating enemies also became the means through which the human race can destroy itself. The fate of Victor shows that man’s quest for excessive knowledge is dangerous because it leads to inventions and ideas that are harmful and destructive, such as the monster that he created. It also shows that man’s obsession for knowledge leads to ideas or inventions that man can no longer have control on. A good example is the scare of nuclear weapons, for which there is no safe counter measure in the same way Victor did not have a counter measure for the monster he had created.
The relationship between Victor and his creature illustrates the Romanticist imagination of the early 19th century. This was a period when man had not developed fully knowledge of the universe and the origin of life, thus relying on myths and religious beliefs to explain the universe, life and nature. The relationship between Victor and the monster symbolizes the relationship between man and his Creator. The fact that Victor had unwittingly created a creature that he cannot control alludes to the idea that the Creator had created a human race that He cannot control, and had perhaps given up on it- the reason why men did not know about the whereabouts of their Creator. May be he was off somewhere running away, or trying to invent something that can destroy humanity. This idea reflects the free thinking and imaginative nature of Romanticist artist and their ability to conjure ideas that were against the current conventions.
The novel is relevant to the modern audience in its depicti...