Thesis on "Marry Shelley"

Thesis 9 pages (2257 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Knowledge and Peril Explored in Shelley's Frankenstein

We live in a culture saturated with the desire of success and fame. Ambition dominates our society, where even 30 seconds of a You Tube video can generate fame on a certain level. Society marvels at discovery and the thirst for attention is fed through social media in countless different ways. The human creature has not evolved much since the Victorian age, though on the surface it appears it has. Deep down, the creature is hungry for the knowledge that can set him apart from all others and gain him recognition and fame for eternity. The modern man is not much different from the scientist of the Victorian age, searching for clues to the mysteries of life. When we examine Victor Frankenstein, we see a man not frozen in time but easily present in every generation as he reaches for something that sets him apart. A closer inspection reveals how Frankenstein is a victim of his generation: an era resting on the cusp of discovery, filled with curiosity and desire. Frankenstein represents the inquisitive aspect of Victorian society that turns toward science, knowledge, and exploration to answer some of the more complicated questions regarding man and his existence. Shelley's examination of one man's tragic success represents a worldview that some things are better left unknown.

Central to understanding the novel is appreciating the conditions under which the novel was written. Shelley was fortunate because she was surrounded by minds encouraging thought and curiosity. This characteristic of Victorian culture makes its way into Shelley's book. On a now-famous trip to Switzerland, Shelley passed time in the evenings discussing the "nature and the principle of life, and whether there was any probability of its ever being discovered or communicated" (Garrett 33). This principle of life struck a chord with Shelley, as it emerges in her novel along with the fantastical idea of a corpse being "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). These two notions are explored fully in the novel with Frankenstein's obsession with the origin of life and his desire to create a living being. Shelley knew about "discussions and developments in science" (35) and, according to Garrett, she had recently completed Sir Humphrey Davy's Discourse on Chemistry. In this dialogue, Davy claims chemistry allows man powers to be "creative; which have enabled him to modify and change the beings surrounding him, and by his experiments to interrogate nature with power, not simply as a scholar . . . But rather as a master, active with his own instruments'" (Garrett 35). Walter Houghton writes Shelley lived in an age of "science, new knowledge, searching criticism, followed by doubts and shaken beliefs" (Houghton 11). Here we see another aspect from Shelley's culture used in the novel. By paying attention to the creative energies around her, Shelley had everything she needed for the groundwork for her novel. The curiosity of life from many angles was at the forefront of many minds and it became one of the most frightening characteristics of Frankenstein.

A predominant theme in Frankenstein is the peril of knowledge. Frankenstein is a young student that falls under the impression of new thinkers in the scientific realm. Richard Graham writes that the achievements in science during the Victorian era have "far more exceeded the sum total of achievements during all the human centuries preceding" (Graham 452). He notes it is no wonder that the "scientific spirit" (452) found its way into Victorian literature. He points out that this spirit brought an imaginative aspect to the literature of this day, "furnishing it with endless new material" (452) presenting it in "forms which the unassisted imagination could never have conceived" (452). At first, knowledge does not appear to be any risk but as we learn more about Walton, we see how its lure can hypnotize. 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 or modern poets" (Shelley 7). He mentions his "love for the marvelous, a belief in the marvelous, intertwined with all my projects" (7). Here we see a man driven by the unknown. His determination is enough to push him through the cold and ice. Walton is proud of his passionate enthusiasm and has no intention of turning away from the dangerous mysteries that lay before him. His thirst for more is compelling and hazardous, as is temporarily blinds him to eminent danger. He cannot see the real danger involved with what he is doing; he does realize there are dangerous aspects to his expedition but he refuses to believe that he will be overcome by them. His ambition is commendable but also shortsighted. He writes, "Success shall crown my endeavors . . . What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?" (8). This passage reveals Walton's motivation. He represents the curious peoples of Victorian society that faced the unknown with little fear. He was determined to discover something and he was also determined to stop at nothing until he achieved his goal.

Walton encounters Frankenstein in time to learn from him. When he first looks upon the man, nearly frozen, he thinks he is wild and even mad but the truth is that the two are more similar than he could have ever imagined. Frankenstein happened upon Walton's vessel searching for the creature he made, after a long session of self-aggrandizing behavior. Frankenstein's mission began as innocently as Walton's did: with a simple curiosity for the unknown. Both men refuse to heed the warnings of their elders. Frankenstein's father when tells him that Agrippa is "sad trash" (24) and Walton's uncle forbids him to follow his dream of life at sea. Frankenstein's desire for knowledge emerges in a somewhat normal way. He is an inquisitive and eager student but he curiosity gets the better of him, as it becomes a passion he cannot control. Because this particular passion is connected to learning, we might excuse it, as Frankenstein does, for the sake of science or knowledge. However, Frankenstein begins to exhibit strange behavior indicating he is becoming obsessed. He becomes overwhelmed with the task of discovering the "principle of life" (36). He tells Walton he 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 statement conveys the depth of Frankenstein's commitment to his project. He would kill if it meant accomplishing his goal. The fascinating aspect of this passage is how Frankenstein knew this about himself early in his endeavor but did not see the dangerous potential attached to it. In short, he did not care. Killing a man for the purpose of his goal was justified in his mind. He was going to do what he wanted to regardless of what it meant. It takes heartbreaking tragedy for Frankenstein to realize the scope of his obsession. He comes to realize the folly of his thirst for knowledge and admits to working for two years for "the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body" (42). This was the dream for which all else came second. Walton senses something similar in Frankenstein's character. As he listens to his tale, he recognizes the hunger Frankenstein describes. He also has the added advantage of witnessing the damaging results of such a passionate drive. Walton hears Frankenstein say word for word how his speculations were for naught and he watches the man die alone. Frankenstein saves Walton's life.

Frankenstein is a product of society in that he believes he can create life. In short, he becomes god-like with his monster. Shelley incorporates this aspect from her era and takes it to a reasonable level. Frankenstein is very human in his confidence; in fact, he is over-confident. He is so mesmerized with the possibilities of success that he does not consider failure. Frankenstein looks to science and mankind as a union made in heaven meant to solve one of the greater mysteries of life. This is a grand notion but Frankenstein demonstrates how mankind is unfit for this challenge. The endeavor is quite narcissistic. He becomes "solely wrapped up" (36) with this science and death. He believes that he can glean some insight into creating life by examining death and Shelley allows this to happen. While Frankenstein studies "natural decay and corruption of the human body" (36), and spends "days and nights in vaults and charnel-houses" (36-7), he is illustrating the lengths man will go to get what he wants. While this behavior certainly seems strange, Frankenstein sees it as completely normal for a scientist seeking truth.… READ MORE

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