Dangers of Knowledge as Demonstrated

¶ … Dangers of Knowledge as Demonstrated in Shelley's Frankenstein

We have all heard the phrase "knowledge is power" and many of us strive to be knowledgeable. Seldom do we ever take such a close look at this characteristic that we see the dangers involved but it helps if we do. Knowledge itself is not evil and knowledge alone cannot corrupt but the thirst for knowledge and what that knowledge means to the individual can be irresistible and harmful. Furthermore, that thirst and hunger for knowing more can lead to a very gradual destruction of the soul. One story that helps us understand the incredible danger lurking under the appearance of knowledge is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein embodies all of the characteristics of a successful scientist but he take things too far when his thirst for knowledge becomes his entire focus and he admits that he would kill to see his goal achieved. Knowledge is power but an unhealthy desire for knowledge is suicide.

A healthy thirst for knowledge is generally perceived as a positive thing. Individuals are regarded as brave and intielligent when they take on new challenges and try new things. However, we all know that there is a fine line between brilliance and insanity and Shelley paints a portrait of an individual that goes too far to fulfill his own desire. Shelley wrote Frankenstein at a time when the world was entertaining new ideas and pondering the possibilities of many mysteries. Shelley's novel was poised at a time in the nineteenth century when science welcomed new and exciting notions and the potential for simulated life was the topic of many enlightened discussions. Martin Garrett claims that Shelley was interested in such topics and especially with the idea that:

The principle of life, and whether there was any probability of its ever being discovered or communicated... perhaps a corpse would be reanimated with the aid of electricity, or perhaps the components of parts of a creature might be manufactured, brought together, and endued with vital warmth" (Garrett 33).

The prospect of life stemming from something scientific was certainly a very exciting subject for inquisitive individuals to discuss. Shelley was no doubt captivated by such ideas and when those kinds of thoughts are coupled with notions of alchemy and galvanism, the makings for a fantastical character are bound to occur. Hoobler agrees, noting that in creating Victor, Shelley was "borrowing from a stock figure from folklore and gothic novels - the sorcerer or alchemist who relentlessly seeks knowledge that should best remain hidden" (Hoobler 156). The key phrase in that statement is that should best remain hidden - a point Shelley makes with her curious scientist and his melancholy monster. Shelley created both the victim and the perpetrator in this novel with Victor emerging as the monster.

Victor meets his thirst for knowledge in a rather normal way. He is naturally curious and eager to learn but he is gradually consumed with this desire. This hunger becomes all that he thinks about and he neglects all other things in his life. Victor admits that he was fascinated with the very "principle of life" (Shelley 36).

He tells Robert, "I would sacrifice my fortune, my existence, my every hope, to the furtherance of my enterprise. One man's life or death was but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought" (13). Here we see that Victor realizes that he would kill if it meant that he could get what he wanted. He knows this about himself and he does not care. While a healthy fascination is a good thing, it can often lead to an unhealthy obsession. Victor realizes this about himself later in the novel when he reflects over the past few years and all that he had deoted to his quest. He states:

The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health, I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream had vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. (42)

As with many things in life, Victor does not realize what he has done until it is too late. In a rare moment of clarity, Victor understands what he has done but he is at a loss as to what to do about it. We know what when Victor lays eyes on the monster he experiences the law of unintended circumstances. His circumstances come from a lack of foresight into what the consequences of his actions could be.

Victor's first mistake is to believe that he could actually create life from somehting inanimate. He becomes over-confident and excited and he does not look at all of the possibilities. He does not consider the negative repercussions - only the posititive ones and this is fresh breeding ground for narcissism. He admists that he is "solely wrapped up" (36) with his creation. Perhaps the creepist thing Victor does is study death as an attempt to gain knowledge for creating life. This is not normal and the fact that Victor believes it is normal is a sign that he is losing his grip on reality. He admits that he studied "natural decay and corruption of the human body" (36), a spent "days and nights in vaults and charnel-houses" (36-7). Sleeping with corpses definitely qualifies an inidividual for being unstable at the least. In addition, Victor does not see anything wrong with his behavior. For him, it is status quo for being a great scientist. However, we know differently when Victor becomes conceited and begins to think that he has been chosen specifically by unseen forces of the universe to be the beneficiary of this special knowledge. Hoobler agrees noting Victor "flatters himself that he is working for the good of humanity rather than his own glory" (Hoobler 157). Victor also admits to Walton that he was "surprised that among so many men of genius... that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret" (Shelly 37). This statement illustrates Victor's deep obsession with his experiement and his incredible narcissism. It is intresting tonote how Victor moves from the inqusitive scientist to the self-consumed madman.

As humans, we should accept our place in the universe. Regretfully, Victor finds himself looking at his creature with fear and revulsion. In retrospect, he admits that he wrongfully thought that if he "could bestow animation upon lifeless matter, I might in process of time (although I now found it impossible) renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption" (39). His desire can be summed up in less than 30 words but the most astonishing thing is what Victor has lost in his great effort to gain. Victor's experience forces us to look not only at the consequences of our actions but also at our intent. Victor, at one time, had a very healty desire to learn. However, Victor could not differentiate between that healthy desire and an unhealthy thirst. He never slowed down enough to actually think about what he was doing. Instead, he kept pushing himself to finish his project at whatever the cost. It is important to note the consequences of actions. Hoobler states that, "Ironically, at the culmination of his research, the moment of his triumph, all Victor's pleasure in life ends" (Hoobler 159). The question we are left to ask is whether or not the knowledge was worth the price Victor paid. This knowledge is the driving force behind his need to become god-like.

While Victor never admits that he wants to be like God or a god, it is obvious to see from his actions. He wants to be admired in the scientific community and he wants the creature to depend on and possibly worship him. In short, it is all about him. He does not think of the creature nor does he think of what this creature could do to others.

Victor does come around by the end of the novel. After he has lost everything that is of importance to him, he begins to accept his fate. It is interesting that the creature comes to accept his fate much earlier than Victor does. When Victor finally does accept his destiny, we see a disheveled man pleading with Robert not to seek knowledge in the same way in which he has. At the end of his ordeal, he tells Walton, "You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been" (Shelley 15). In addition, he also says, "Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how happier the man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow" (38). Here the man understands his fate and realizes that he will have a difficult time trying to convince others not to follow in his path.