Frankenstein: Ego Unbound Anonymous College

The desires of discovering the secrets of the universe and becoming famous have always been human vices, but these quests mainly lead to ruin. In some people, these basic human drives escalate to dangerous proportions. Mary Shelly uses Frankenstein to express her views on the dangers of ambition, science, and egotism. The novel introduces three characters, each in his own pursuit of knowledge, who have to face the reality of their own ambitions. The characters of Walton, Frankenstein, and the creature are used to illustrate the consequences of being overzealous in the pursuit of fame and knowledge. Even though it was written at the beginning of the nineteenth century, Frankenstein can be seen as a parable that will always be pertinent to scientists of any century.

The novel starts with a series of letters from Walton, a man on a quest to discover the secrets of the Arctic Circle, to his sister. Through these letters Walton’s desire for fame, through discovering the undiscovered, is shown. He writes these letters to his sister to alleviate her fears and to show her his determination to complete his adventure. In these letters Walton shows his disregard for anything other than his possible discoveries. Walton mostly talks...