Victor defied
the natural world and created life out of death by acquiring vast amounts of knowledge
and intellectually surpassing his superiors. However, this new knowledge that he
possessed proved to be incredibly dangerous to Victor. At the moment Victor
succeeded in his endeavor and the creature’s eyes first saw light, the danger
that resided in Victor’s knowledge came to life in the form of the monster. The
possession of this knowledge on how to create life was a danger to Victor because it isolated him
from society in a way that constantly tormented him. He felt an “insurmountable
barrier” between himself and society due to the knowledge that he alone possessed
(171). Victor felt that he had no right share the joys of society with his fellow
men and he feared that society would “abhor me and hunt me from the world did
they know my unhallowed acts and the crimes which had their source in me” (200).
Knowledge was also a danger to Victor when the monster learned to read and acquired
information that guided him to Victor’s family. After being isolated from
society by his secret, Victor’s family was all that he had left. The monster,
which was the product of Victor’s knowledge, was in some way responsible for
the deaths of five of Victor’s loved ones. After they were gone, the only thing
Victor had to live for was destroying the monster he had created, which eventually
lead to his demise. Therefore, knowledge was entirely responsible for the wretchedness
of Victor’s life.
Is knowledge really Victor’s downfall? Or is it simply a failure to act that leads to Victor’s “wretched life?” Knowledge is first empowering in the novel. The monster is born out of fire, a metaphor for knowledge. With knowledge, one can take control of his or her destiny. People in parts of the world don’t have control over their destiny because of a lack of education. Victor doesn’t have that problem. He has plenty of knowledge but doesn’t know what to do with it. He is so concerned with his self-image—notice how many times the word countenance is used in the novel. He is too wrapped up in his own ego to make an active change in his life. He has the power to use his knowledge to help others. I argue that Victor’s failure to act on his knowledge is his true downfall.
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