Lack Of Unnecessary Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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It’s often said that knowledge is power. But there can always be too much of a good thing. The theme of seeking unnecessary knowledge is prevalent in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The 3 main narrators seek this knowledge constantly, and it is clear that it will lead to their own individual downfalls. The seeking of unnecessary knowledge proves to be the downfall of Victor Frankenstein, the monster, and almost to Robert Walton. A common theme in the novel is that the seeking of unnecessary knowledge can lead to your downfall, this is shown in one of the three main narrators Victor Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein develops a passion for reading at a young age. When he arrives at Ingolstadt he learns about chemistry and all these wonderful sciences…show more content…
The monster spends his time away from Frankenstein observing a family and learning how they interact. He learns English from them, as well as a small amount of history. He finds a satchel with clothes and some books the books are Sorrows of Werther by Goethe, Plutarch’s Lives, and most importantly Paradise Lost by John Milton. The monster reads it as 100% truth and thinks that humans are awful. Still monster wants to be accepted into this family, because he has nobody to talk with, and call a friend. He wishes to reveal himself to them and resolves to reveal himself to the blind one, thinking he won’t be judged if he can’t be seen. However he is chased away by one of the returning family members and vows revenge on humans and specifically Victor for creating him this way. The monster seeks to understand himself, “‘... What did this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination?’” (71-72). He wishes to be like everybody else, he wishes to understand himself. However, Victor created him as this disgusting monster and he won’t be able to find companions. The seeking of that knowledge of why he was made this way and who he was, led to his hatred for his “father” and to the murder of William and
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