Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

A detailed Summary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Education is generally regarded as a means of gaining valuable knowledge. However, it may actually be more destructive than constructive to others. This dangerous aspect of education is vividly shown in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein's misfortunes start from the moment he discovers Cornelius object into life again. The creation of the daemon is result of his efforts. Little does he know the consequences of his creation and the responsibilities that follow. In Frankenstein, Shelley attempts to portray how Frankentein's dangerous education from books influences his strong ambition and causes him to ignore responsibilities afterwards.

Frankenstein learns most of his knowledge from the books that he reads, but these are of the unusual kind. At the young age of thirteen, he is first exposed to the works of Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus who are "... ancient teachers of [Chemistry]" (p. 40). He becomes quite fascinated with his findings and begins his experiment on the basis of these books. If he had not stumbled across these books, he would not have create

d the daemon. It is too late when he realizes this-- he has already gone mad. For this he blames his father. When he had first discovered Agrippa, he had told his father, but he merely shunned the book. " 'My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this; it is sad trash' (p. 30). "If. . . my father had taken the pains to explain to me that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded, and that a modern system of science had been introduced. . . I should have certainly have thrown Agrippa aside, and have contented my imagination. . . by returning with greater ardour to my former studies" (p. 30). Had his father shielded him from the contents of Agrippa's book as well the others, Frankenstein would not have fallen prey to the fateful education of such works.

Unfortunately, Frankenstein's education does not prepare him for the obligations involved in such a creation. Rather than teaching him the way of life, he abandons him. "Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room..." (p. 52). The daemon is left all alone and must fend for himself in thi

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Approximate Word count = 746
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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