Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge Flashcards
What is Walton’s ambition?
-Walton desires to uncover mysteries through his expedition.
-He believes that he will be a pioneer in his explorations and has a sense of entitlement regarding his success.
What is Victor’s ambition?
-Victor develops a thirst for knowledge in childhood, but later comes to understand the dangers attached to this.
-In his studies at university, Victor is not satisfied to learn merely what the professors can teach him, but instead believes he must push past this so he can benefit mankind.
-He believes that he can go further than the natural order, and his desire to create life can be seen as an attempt to bypass biology itself, entirely removing the female’s role in the act of creation.
What effect does Victor’s ambition have?
-Victor’s ambition entirely takes over his life, initially causing him to neglect his friends and family, and later preventing him from speaking up for what is right.
-In contrast to Victor, Walton eventually listens to the imploring of his crew and abandons his ambitious plan.
What is the Monsters ambition?
With no formal education in place, the Monster attempts to acquire knowledge himself through reading, observing and experiences.
‘“Do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose? My life might have been passed in ease and luxury; but I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path.”’ (Letter 1)
Walton seems to exude a sense of entitlement as he believes he ‘deserves’ to accomplish his purpose, perhaps feeling that the work he has put in necessitates a reward.
‘“Every minute,” continues M. Krempe with warmth, “every instant that you have wasted on those books is utterly and entirely lost. You have burdened your memory with exploded systems and useless names. Good God! in what desert land have you lived, where no one was kind enough to inform you that these fancies, which you have so greedily imbibed, are a thousand years old, and as musty as they are ancient?”’ (Chapter 3)
Through Krempe, we are given the sense that not all knowledge possesses the same value and that Victor has been wasting his time.
‘I may there discover the wondrous power which attracts the needle; and may regulate a thousand celestial observations, that require only this voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent forever. I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man.’ (Letter 1)
-Walton’s aims are lofty, and his language reflects this.
-It seems important to him that he will accomplish something ‘never before’ done.
‘Every night I was oppressed by a slow fever, and I became nervous to a most painful degree; the fall of a leaf startled me, and I shunned my fellow creatures as if I had been guilty of a crime.’ (Chapter 4)
-Shelley presents the pursuit of knowledge as self-destructive.
-Because of his complete dedication to his studies, Victor has become physically unwell.
-He also seems to have been impacted mentally, avoiding the company of anyone else and feeling particularly nervous.
‘I discovered the names that were given to some of the most familiar objects of discourse; I learned and applied the words, ‘fire’, ‘milk’, ‘bread’ and ‘wood’. I learned also the names of the cottagers themselves.’ (Volume Two: Chapter 4)
-The Monster is presented as having a desire for knowledge, which he is able to acquire through ‘great application’.
-Although the knowledge the Monster acquires seems insignificant in comparison to Victor’s, perhaps Shelley is seeking to highlight another connection between the two characters.
