Moxley #2

In Mary Shelley's gothic novel Frankenstein, the individual's quest for knowledge is a theme that can be traced from the book's inception. In the first segment we read, the original narrator Robert Walton is bound for the North Pole, feeling the pull of adventure and the need to "satiate my [Walton's] ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and...tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man."(pg. 1) Walton then passes the torch to Victor Frankenstein, who recounts a tale of an ambitious young man, who as a child could not put down books on philosophy and science, and then went on to become an accomplished scientist dedicated to uncovering the 'spark of life'. Frankenstein's thirst for information led him to his most memorable discovery, as he creates a monster similar in shape and physiology to a human, but more terrifyingly powerful than he could have ever anticipated. Later on, as the second segment that we read begins, Frankenstein's creation describes his own story of discovery, as he is 'born' into the world so ignorant that he can't even distinguish between his own senses and thoughts: "No distinct ideas occupied my mind; all was confused. I felt light, and hunger, and thirst, and darkness; innumerable sounds rang in my ears, and on all sides various scents saluted me: the only object that I could distinguish was the bright moon..."(pg. 71) When the monster eventually learns the nuances of his own being, he finds that he is unlike other two-legged creatures, and flees to a small hovel he finds in the woods. There he comes across a small peasant family, and begins to watch them closely as he discovers emotion and language, desperate to learn more. "My thoughts now became more active and I longed to discover the motives and feelings of these lovely creatures; I was inquisitive to know why Felix appeared so miserable and Agatha so sad."(pg. 80) All these men seek knowledge, and they even seem to crave it like they would a daily staple necessary for survival. So far we have only seen it lead the monster and Frankenstein to ruin, as Frankenstein was so bent on uncovering the elements of life that he created the monster, who in turn was so curious about humans that he went to speak to the family he had observed; upon discovering their immediate distrust and disgust in his presence, the monster becomes corrupted by hatred and pain and eventually goes so far as to kill Frankenstein's brother for revenge. We have yet to see how Walton is eventually corrupted by his personal drive for knowledge, but if his story continues with Shelley's current trend, he will surely end up no where good.