Education and Overconfidence in Frankenstein
Prometheus stole fire from the Greek Gods and gave it to the humans. To punish him, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock where an eagle picked at his innards. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is subtitled The Modern Prometheus. It takes place in the 19th Century, when modern technology was limited. Frankenstein is about well-educated men who try to push the limits but fail. Like Prometheus these educated men are tortured after their overconfidence causes them to fail. Mary Shelley demonstrates that education causes one to be overconfident through Frankenstein, the Creature, and Robert Walton. Victor Frankenstein's education causes him to be over ambitious. Frankenstein was never forced to learn. He loved learning; "We loved application, and our amusements would have been the labors of other children" (923). Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Alberta Magnus introduce the science of alchemy and magic to Frankenstein. His self-esteem grows as he noticed his improvement in chemistry and natural philosophy. "I made some discoveries in the improvement of some chemical instruments, whi
Walton writes a letter to his sister, he states how lonely he is, "But it is still a greater evil to me that I am self-educated" (915). Walton's education causes him to be arrogant. One of the cottager's love interests, Safie, is taught how to speak the native language. While wandering through the woods the Creature finds Paradise Lost, Plutarch's Lives, and Sorrows of Werter. Victor Frankenstein, the Creature, and Robert Walton are examples of overconfidence from education. Walton has little knowledge about the sea and sailing. The Creature learns about life and emotions through the cottagers. Walton's uncle does not allow Walton to pursue a "sea-faring" life. ch procured me great esteem and admiration at the university" (931). The Creature's confidence increases when he learns the language quicker than Safie. Frankenstein's father made sure that Victor would not be scared of supernatural horrors; "Darkness had no effect upon my fancy; and a church-yard was to me merely the receptacle of bodies deprived of life" (931). Walton's pride and his extensive sea-faring experience cause him to be overconfident. He finds a hovel next to a cottage.
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