The Danger of Knowledge in Shelley's Frankenstein

Introduction: Knowledge as a Warning

"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" (Shelley 38).

Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein reveals Shelley's concern for mankind as it pursues knowledge. Through Victor's experiences, Shelley outlines how knowledge leads to corruption and destruction. Victor's thirst for creating life was a goal he accomplished, but things did not turn out as he planned, and as a result, the rest of his life is marked by one destructive event after another. Knowledge is dangerous, and seeking to become something greater than human is destructive, as we learn through Victor's experience.

Victor and Walton: Parallel Obsessions

The theme of knowledge is linked with corruption in the novel from our first impressions of Victor. He reaches Robert Walton a bedraggled man, whose only advice is to abandon any notions of acquiring knowledge. Shelley positions Walton in a situation where he needs to hear Victor's words because he, too, is consumed with knowledge and the desire to accomplish great things. He tells Margaret, "I cannot describe to you my sensations on the near prospect of my undertaking . . . I have often attributed my attachment to, my passionate enthusiasm for, the dangerous mysteries of the ocean to that production of the most imaginative of modern poets" (Shelley 7). Robert expresses his "love for the marvelous, a belief in the marvelous, intertwined with all my projects" (7).

He is no different from Victor, who wrote, "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" (42). If anyone could relate to Victor, it is Walton, who faces the danger of the "floating sheets of ice" (8) with determination. He does not see the risk involved, nor does he consider the unintended consequences that almost always arise. He wants what he wants and nothing will stop him. We see this determination when he writes, "But success shall crown my endeavors . . . What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?" (8). Here we see how men can cross the line from desiring knowledge to becoming obsessive.

When Curiosity Becomes Dangerous Passion

Knowledge in itself is not a bad thing — most will agree that knowledge is a good thing. However, when the pursuit of knowledge becomes a blinding passion, it is dangerous, and both Robert and Victor possess this kind of desire. They do not care what it takes to reach their goals as long as they reach them.

Victor's eagerness to learn begins quite innocently. His interest in science is normal, but his curiosity moves him beyond normal bounds. He wants to know more than what can be known and then to do more than what can be done. He becomes fascinated with the "principle of life" (36) and wants to understand how life begins. He admits, "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). This passage reveals just how far gone Victor is — he is at the point where he will do anything, even murder, to get what he wants.

Victor believes he can create life in his laboratory. He is overconfident and refuses to consider anything negative that could result from his endeavors. He fails to believe that any unintended consequences would be serious enough to make him regret his decision. He simply does not see what he does not want to see. We all do this at one point or another when we want something badly enough; however, Victor's choices involve other people, and he demonstrates that he does not care. He realizes he is "solely wrapped up" (36) with his experiment and remains indifferent. Here we see how knowledge becomes dangerous because it grows more important than life itself.

Conclusion: The Limits of Human Nature

Shelley proves this with Victor — a man mesmerized by the beauty of life. He saw that beauty and thought he could capture and recreate it, but found he was nothing more than a fool for thinking he could be greater than his nature would allow. Through the parallel stories of Victor and Walton, Shelley warns readers that the pursuit of knowledge is most dangerous not when it is idle curiosity, but when it becomes an obsession that blinds a person to the harm they cause — to others and to themselves.

Work Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Bantam Books, 1981.