Frankenstein's Quest For Knowledge example essay topic

When Mary Shelley started writing the story of Dr. Frankenstein, she did not realize the true potential of her work. She was simply writing a short story to pass the time. Shelley had no idea her story would evolve and grow as the years pass. She had no idea it would launch a whole genre of horror stories and an array of movies that have captivated the imagination of every generation including our own.

The story of Dr. Frankenstein taps into the darkest crevices of the human condition. Our so-called "quest for knowledge" has lead to many advances; It is human nature that drives us in our curiosity, but a lot of the time we do not take responsibility for our creations, and that is why many of our species' endeavors have resulted in tragedy. Dr. Frankenstein set out to create a "perfect creature" when he began his endeavor. But moments after his creature came to life he turned away in disgust. He ran away from his baby if you will. "Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bed-chamber" (P. 56) Compare if you dare: Frankenstein's actions to those of a mother giving up her child for adoption.

What right has the creator to turn on his / her creation Doesn't the magic of creation carry the burden of responsibility Yes of course it does. If you create a living being you have the responsibility to protect and nurture it. That is the very nature of creation. According to the "monster" all he wanted was for Frankenstein to create a companion for him.

Was he not, in this case, making the same mistake as Frankenstein himself What would have become of his companion if HE turned away from her in disgust Well, unfortunately Frankenstein decided not to create another "fiend because he saw the potential for evil that existed there. But I, for one, believe that Frankenstein should have created a companion for the fiend. Any human can understand the simple need for companionship and the madness that can come from total seclusion and loneliness. "You may render me the most miserable of men, but you shall never make me base in my own eyes. Shall I create another like yourself, whose joint wickedness might desolate the world. Begone!

I have answered you; you may torture me, but I will never consent". (P. 138) Refusing to help the monster was a mistake. Creating the fiend was also a mistake. A mistake that was excused by the so-called quest for knowledge all scientists appear to be on. Frankenstein was on a quest for knowledge, one that he thought to be of utmost importance. He was after the most sacred treasure of all. He was after life itself.

In the end, did Frankenstein succeed Well that depends on your definition of life. Some might say that a man is just the sum of his parts. Others might say that a human being is more than that. I believe a person is not just the sum of his or her parts. I think a human being requires love and respect. Without these things, any human could turn out like Frankenstein's monster.

Indeed, Frankenstein's monster did not receive any of that love in his lifetime and for that reason, he never knew what it was to be human. Every scientist has his Holy Grail. The one goal in his lifetime which he strives for and pours years of hard work into. "No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success. Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world". (P. 52) Whether it's curing cancer or explaining why the universe is the way it is how far can a scientist go before it is too far When J. Robert Oppenheimer was working on the atomic bomb, he was taking into consideration how many American lives it would save.

He was thinking about ending the war and bringing peace to his people. By the time he saw the true destructive power of his creation it was already too late; in the months that followed, a great many people died. In thinking about the quest for knowledge one begins to think about how far us humans can take exploration before it becomes exploitation. "Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow". (P. 52) The story of Frankenstein opens up a huge array of moral and ethical dilemmas.

That is perhaps why it has been so successful. One cannot presume to judge why Shelley made Frankenstein's monster so human, and yet so evil. Frankenstein's quest for knowledge created the physical being, but because he did not take responsibility for his creation the monster turned out evil. Maybe the monster really was made in man's image and that in itself was the reason behind his destructive nature.

By Gil Hag i.