Young Frankenstein grew up with a thirst
for knowledge which he satisfied by reading the works of ancient philosophers. Frankenstein’s
father’s indifference towards his son’s interests only fueled Frankenstein’s
desire to learn. Frankenstein delved into the sciences on his own and dreamed about
the glory that would be bestowed upon him if he discovered a way to cure
diseases and make man immortal to all but a violent death. Frankenstein’s
internal drive to accomplish this goal was most likely only made stronger by the
death of his mother and the grief that her loss caused his beloved sister
Elizabeth. Upon arriving at the University of Ingolstadt, it was brought to his
attention by a professor that the scientific works he had used to teach himself
were outdated. This revelation, along with grief over the death of his mother,
both contributed to the mania that led Frankenstein to his downfall. The desire
to acquire knowledge and surpass the limits of modern science consumed
Frankenstein; “more, far more, I will achieve… I will pioneer a new way,
explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation”
(page 48). He became manically obsessed with his project and the result was
both incredibly amazing and terrible at the same time. The feat he accomplished
by infusing life into an inanimate body satisfied his goal of achieving more in
realm of science. However, going against nature by producing life out of death created
something evil, which Frankenstein paid for with the death of his brother
William for which he is indirectly responsible.
I really enjoy the theme of excessive ambition in Frankenstein because we can see it so well in not only Victor, but Walton as well. Both endure hardship in different ways because their inherent sense of curiosity knows no limits. Shelley does a great job at using the characters as a conduit to really shed light on how pushing the limits of human understanding can be dangerous and even lead to your downfall. Walton and Victor are consumed by their desires to have a lasting impact and become pioneers in their respective fields, but they never stop to ask at what expense? We know for Victor that this moment of realization doesn’t come until far too late when the creature opens his eyes and what he once considered beguiling becomes the most repugnant sight he has ever seen. I think this speaks to human nature in a few different ways. It demonstrates how humans are much more capable than they believe themselves to be. Victor’s reaction to the creature suggests that he was almost surprised with what he had accomplished, even though he had spent so many hours working towards it. It also illustrates that ambition can blind you and when you become fixated on a single goal it consumes you and lose sight of what matters, like Victor did with respect to his friends and family. Lastly, it shows that we are not above destroying ourselves. Victor does this by indirectly causing the death of a loved one and Walton might lead himself to his own downfall as well if Victor’s story doesn’t serve as a cautionary anecdote. Even now Walton finds his ship surrounded by ice inhibiting his progress, but he does not heed his crew’s concern. I think in many ways Shelley’s work serves as a cautionary tale telling the reader to be more considerate of what steps they take in achieving goals and how those decisions might have adverse effects.
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