Dangerous Knowledge In Frankenstein

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Albert Einstein once said, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot.” Einstein believes that there is a point where the acquisition of knowledge becomes dangerous for humans. The theme of dangerous knowledge and the effects it has on people is explored extensively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Throughout the book, Frankenstein and the creature are corrupted by knowledge that changes their outlooks on life. In both cases, the information that corrupts the characters was not meant for them to be discovered. When Frankenstein is discovered in the artic by a sailor named Walton, Frankenstein is taken on board of Walton’s boat. Frankenstein then tells Walton his about his quest for information and it changes Walton’s perspective…show more content…
However, his discovery that he is not shatters his world and, and the acquired knowledge was dangerous for himself and many others. Knowledge has the possibility to present both threat and promise in many situations (Rauch 1). In this case the knowledge obtained by the creature contained no promise, just threat. In contrast, Frankenstein telling his story to Walton convinces him to abandon his reckless pursuit of knowledge. Walton originally has his mind set on nothing but mapping out the North Pole. He feels this way, even though he is risking the lives of him and his men. Frankenstein’s experiences serve as a sobering lesson to Walton. In Frankenstein, Walton represents Shelley’s idea of a reasonable passion for knowledge (Lorring…show more content…
In some cases characters recklessly pursued knowledge not meant for them to know, and they paid the consequences. In other cases, characters stumbled upon knowledge that changed their outlook on the world. These characters lives were destroyed; their former picture of the world distorted. Frankenstein’s life is forever changed when he discovers he has the ability to restore animation to formerly lifeless objects. The creature that he creates ultimately causes chaos and destruction that Frankenstein could never imagine. The creature’s discovery that he is hated by his own creator disturbs him greatly. The havoc that is inflicted because of this is a lesson from Shelley on the boundaries of human intelligence. Frankenstein is an ode to how one man’s pursuit of dangerous knowledge can domino effect to cause lots of problems. Ultimately, Mary Shelly uses Frankenstein and the creature’s pursuit of knowledge to show the boundaries of what mortals should be able to
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