The Embodiment of Dangerous Knowledge
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The Embodiment of Dangerous Knowledge
In the journal The Monstrous Body of Knowledge, Alan Rauch states that “one thing is clear: the monster, whatever else it may be, represents a remarkable body of knowledge.” In other words the monster himself represents the knowledge of Victor Frankenstein. Based on Frankenstein itself, it is very likely that the monster is the sole embodiment of the knowledge acquired through the scientific experiments of Frankenstein. Rauch argues that “Frankenstein is a transgressive tale about the usurpation of reproduction (from god or woman); and that it is about Frankensteins seemingly willful misunderstanding of the value of the knowledge he gains in the context of reproduction” (section I). Rauchs argument means that he believes Frankenstein is a story about crossing the boundaries in reproduction.
Rauch points out that when Frankenstein is confronted with the undeniable problem of what to do with the knowledge that he has generated, he is at a complete loss. Frankenstein is unable to fully understand that he does owe his creature companionship. This idea of irrationality marks Frankenstein when he brutally dismembers the female creature in front of the monster. Rauch believes that as much as Frankenstein is repulsed by his new creation, he is incapable of contemplating the notion of a female embodiment of knowledge. This could be an argument, especially when Frankenstein cries out “never will I create another like yourself, equal in deformity and wickedness” (149). The thing that could be holding him back, is the fact that the female version may turn out more powerful than his first creation,and no one is ready to deal with those consequences.
The works of Paracelsus, Magnus, and Agrippa all influenced Frankenstein to understand science as a goal or product-oriented activity, rather than a process-oriented activity. In other words, Rauch believes that ” for Frankenstein the scientists objective is to transform one thing into another, rather than to investigate the ontological relationship between things” (section III). Also, throughout the novel, Frankenstein proves that he cannot pursue knowledge unless he is alone. Even when Frankenstein goes to university he is out of touch with everybody. “Frankenstein cannot help but use his science to create something that is as repugnant to society as society is to him” as Rauch puts it. Frankenstein sets himself apart from society and as a result, he creates a thing that will also be isolated from society.
Rauch states that “Frankensteins failure as a scientist is due in great part, then, to his inability to recognize and perhaps even understand what the monster represents” (section IV). Evidence shows that Frankenstein not only failed as a scientist, but he failed as a responsible creator. He was not aware how much his negligence would affect his creation. Frankenstein did not realize that the monster was a real-life form of his knowledge. When he was initially