Mary Shelley Frankenstein Examine the novel and compare and contrast Essay

Mary Shelley Frankenstein Examine the novel and compare and contrast the education of the Creature with the education Victor r - Essay Example So, with that in mind Victor and the Creatures education will be examined, comparing and contrasting their experiences good and bad, as the world around them fosters and hinders their educational goals. Victor as a child showed a keen interest in learning, â€Å"it was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn,† (23) at that young age, he displays an interest in the creation of life. Victor studies the philosophical work of Cornelius Agrippa, and later reads Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus. Victor states that despite schooling in Geneva, he was â€Å"self-taught with regard to my favourite studies.† (24-25) His father was not able to pass on scientific knowledge to him, so Victor found his own books to study, becoming interested in renewing human life, ridding it of illness and disease. Victor’s educational goals are fostered by the natural world around him. Upon seeing a tree struck by lightening and destroyed, he focuses his studies on science: â⠂¬Å"this almost miraculous change of inclination and will was the immediate suggestion of the guardian angel of my life† (26). At 17 yrs old Victor attends University at Ingolstadt. He’s advised by one professor that the books he’s been studying are irrelevant, and that he must learning afresh. Victor accepts this hindrance of his educational goals due to his â€Å"extreme youth, and my want of a guide on such matters† (29). However Professor M. ... The creature initially â€Å"knew, and could distinguish, nothing† (72). With time and experience the creature learns about food and the animals surrounding him. He also learns too about dangers such as fire, â€Å"I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain†(73). The creature learns survival skills of fire, shelter, food, drink and danger from humans as he is attacked and later shot at. By watching the De Lacey family and their interaction with one another, this fosters the creatures’ educational experience, and he learns about love â€Å"sensations of a peculiar and overpowering nature: they were a mixture of pain and pleasure, such as I had never before experienced† (76). From continued observations of the family he learns speech, empathy, compassion, he learns to read, in a Lacanian instance he learns to recognize himself, not in a mirror, but he views his reflection â€Å"in a transparent pool!† (80). He gains knowledge of history and civilization from listening to the family teach Safie, and from books he finds in the forest. With time and disastrous attempts to join in civilization which hinder the creature, he learns to both kill and to â€Å"work mischief† (103) by allowing Justine to take responsibility for his crime. The key differences between Victor and the Creatures education, are that with Victor’s learning, whilst still self-educated (like the creature), Victor had the experience of growing from a child to an adult in a family, with formal schooling and University experience, with professors who were able to recommend texts. The more knowledge Victor gains, the more he is respected and gains acclaim at the