Throughout the novel Shelley has much to say on the concept of knowledge as she includes many remarks like when Shelley’s warning us, readers of the danger of knowledge when it is used to obtain power. “What had been the study and desire of the wisest man since the creation of the world was now within my grasp”. The use of the word ‘grasp’ an ‘creation’ suggests that Frankenstein wants to become mnipotent and play god. Remarks such as that show Shelley’s critical views on her society, on issues such as science, how a man can become obsessed with something dangerous to either themselves or others , probably both , this also could be seen as another reference to her own husbands obsession with knowledge and this warning is actually to him.
Frankenstein experience in university is very important in the text as that is where he forms his strong friendship with Henry clerval, guided and ridiculed by his professors and the actual place where he created the creature.
Frankenstein’s first experience of university were feelings of isolation and melancholy which worsened through the ridicule of his work by his first professor ‘Kriempe’ who tells him not to waste his time on the ‘trash’ that he has read up until now. This maybe Shelley suggesting that ignorance isn’t a bad thing because once Frankenstein starts delving into new areas which allows him to create the creature which causes so many problems.
Shelley shows us this ‘ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise’ in the paragraph in which Frankenstein realises that the creature he has created is not beautiful as he intended but a monster in his eyes “I had selected his features as beautiful, Beautiful!....Great God!” This quote is Frankenstein in hindsight looking at his creature and realising his folly. The use of the words “Great God!” show that his wisdom was of no use.
Even though his professors didn’t really guide Frankenstein in the right way, Frankenstein still follows there wisdom to folly, in the creation of the monster. Shelley highlights clearly in the text the flaw in education several times in the novel, this may suggest Shelley’s own critical view on her education as she, like Frankenstein had to educate himself as his father gave him no direction. Because this lack of direction Frankenstein rebels,( just like Shelley when she was sent to Dublin she rebelled with her future husband Percy Shelley, they ran off and eloped)he is not given enough guidance from the professors and seeks for more and then turn the creature is not given any guidance from Frankenstein his creator and so is self taught like Frankenstein and the consequences are tragic.
This clearly shows Shelley’s own miss coming on her own education as she uses her experience to make the novel realistic and showing what could happen in her own life if she was in the exact situation as Frankenstein, though she only created the novel instead of monster that Frankenstein created.
Frankenstein’s experience of learning is limited as he was given no obvious morals; his knowledge in certain subjects is far superior then that of others. Frankenstein views knowledge as power, we see this in his creation, he had no responsibility for or the havoc the creation created, he just blamed the creation never himself until the end.
This arrogance was formed early on in Frankenstein’s childhood; his father was in able to explain all his questions, which makes him thirstier for knowledge, even though his father discourages Frankenstein from his quest he encourages him to seek further education in university where the father is implicitly criticised in chapter 3 by Mr. Kriempe when he says, “where no one was kind enough to inform you”.
Frankenstein learns in the end, bitterly after all his mistakes and the carnage the creature has produced, he even starts to create a female for him although he later aborts it. The process is long and foreboding; he only reveals his secret in the end when everyone has died.
Like Frankenstein the monster was not given any direction by what essentially was his figure. He too is self taught but unlike Frankenstein he suffers a more obvious abandonment issues because of his obvious flaws, but Shelley conveys key moral messages here as she tries to create sympathy for the creature through the role reversal of the beast and the man, which occurs many times within the novel and leaves us the readers frustrated as the one we should sympathise is unclear.
Frankenstein created the monster, uncaring of the consequences, abandoning him which creates dislike for Frankenstein but the monster then kills all his family in the end which creates empathy for Frankenstein, but Shelley introduces the theme of betrayal as he knows who is causing the deaths of his family and friends yet he still doesn’t say anything until the end, where he is thought to be insane.
The monster himself does not have enough knowledge about himself and his outward appearance and society and perhaps Shelley is using him to symbolise her concerns about scientific developments and industrial developments around her. His was a time of change and this could worry society. His rejection is all the more horrific because he is so innocent to it, which creates sympathy but his vengeance against Frankenstein including the systematic killing of all his loved ones causes the readers to be unsure whether his actions where not his own as Frankenstein gave him no direction or the killing was his own choice, therefore the readers do not sympathise with the monster. Shelley is also saying how important knowledge is here.
I personal think Shelley wrote this novel to voice her opinions the only way she could in such a strict society that did not allow women to have opinions. Shelley took many things from her own life which she criticised through the novel to make it more realistic and the only way she could criticise her own up bringing especially how her father took her own education.
The fears stated in the novel are still valid today as the morals of whether we should play god through the technological advances in science, Shelley’s novel has clear moral consequences and a perfect example of what could happen if we as a society start to follow Frankenstein’s footsteps and create a monster with the same potential as the one in the book to create havoc and destruction, would probably destroy us.
