Frankenstein The Aquirement of Knowledge is Dangerous
‘Sorrow is knowledge: they who know the most/ Must mourn the deepest o’er the fatal truth, / The Tree of Knowledge is not that of life’ - Lord Byron The pursuit of knowledge is at the heart of Frankenstein. While the pursuit of knowledge in itself is not ordinarily bad, it’s the eventual crossing of the respected line to that of forbidden knowledge that will eventually cause severe troubles. This pursuit of forbidden knowledge is shown in many ways throughout the text with characters such as Victor attempt to pursue the depths of knowledge beyond the accepted human limits and access the secret of life. ... He is very fond of acquiring knowledge. ... ’ He is an explorer, chasing after that “country of eternal light” – unpossessed knowledge. Through this journey is where he becomes acquainted with Victor Frankenstein. Walton admits his obsessive dream to Victor, to break through the boundaries and how he is willing to risk everything to gain this forbidden knowledge. ‘One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought, for the dominion I should acquire and transmit over the elemental foes of our race.’ Frankenstein recognizes the same madness he himself once, had, as he says, ‘Unhappy man! ... He understands they share the same madness – the desire to go beyond the allowed human limits of knowledge. Frankenstein says, ‘You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been.’ This is one of the first indications in the book, of the thought that knowledge might be dangerous, or that ignorance is bliss. ... Many Romantics however, believed in the supremacy of knowledge and the revered ability of the human mind to decipher natures forbidden secrets. This passion for forbidden knowledge also relates to an obsessive fascination with power. Even today, forbidden knowledge is seen as a goal for most scientists with such discoveries as IVF, “designer babies”, cloning, surrogacy, steam cell research etc.