In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the paradoxical quality of the concept of "discovery" echoes that found in Milton's Paradise Lost: the initial discovery is joyful and innocent, but ends in misery and corruption. Walton's and Frankenstein's ambitions (respectively to explore new lands and shed scientific light on the unknown) are formed with the noblest of intentions but with a fatal disregard for the sanctity of natural boundaries. Although the idea of ​​discovery remains idealized, human fallibility completely corrupts any pursuit of this ideal. The corruption of discovery parallels the corruption inherent in all human life, in that a child begins as a pure, blameless creature, full of wonder, but hardens into a self-centered, greedy, and overly ambitious adult. Only at the end of the novel does Walton recognize that he must abandon his own ambition (the mapping of previously uncharted lands), out of concern for the precious lives of his crew. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first two occurrences of the word "discovery" appear quite early in the novel, in Walton's first letter to his sister. He compares his feelings during the expedition to the joy of a child (14). Walton reminds him of his uncle's large library of "discovery" literature (tales of sailors and adventurers), all of which he devoured as a child. He recounts his disappointment when his father forbade him, on his deathbed, to “throw into maritime life” (14). Walton later tells Frankenstein that his crew is on a "voyage of discovery"; it is only at the mention of this word that Frankenstein agrees to board the ship (24). Once on board, Frankenstein tells his story. Frankenstein was also possessed by a youthful obsession: the desire to acquire scientific knowledge and create an indestructible man (40). He notes that science is "a perpetual desire for discovery and wonder" and tells Walton that he has solved the most inscrutable of scientific mysteries: the principle of life (49). Although the “stages of discovery” were diligently executed, his “astonishment” quickly gave way to “pleasure and delight”; the “shattering” nature of its realization erased all the sinister steps that had led to its realization (51). The catastrophic effects of the “discovery” appear, in a slightly different form, in two other places in the novel. The creature's first victim is William, Frankenstein's brother; a young girl, a friend of the Frankenstein family, is wrongly accused of the murder. Ernest Frankenstein remarks: "For us, the discovery we have made [of the young girl's guilt] completes our misery" (76). The monster describes his reading of Ruins of Empires and cries over the section detailing the "discovery of the American hemisphere...and the unfortunate fate of its first inhabitants" (116). Walton's idea of ​​discovery consists of pure adventure and childishness. pursuit of glory. “I will satisfy my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited; my attractions push me to begin this laborious journey with the joy that a child experiences when he embarks in a small boat for an expedition of discovery on his native river. " (14). Walton's memory of his father's deathbed ordering his son not to become a sailor reinforces the reader's sense of childish naivety, while foreshadowing the disastrous end of his eventual voyage. Frankenstein needs to be informed that Walton's ship is on a "voyage".discovery”: as Walton says: “On hearing this, he seemed satisfied and consented to come on board” (24). He can only partner with those who are also eager to innovate. However, the discovery begins to acquire negative associations the moment Frankenstein begins his narration. What one discovers may be worthless or misleading, as Agrippa's childhood reading of Frankenstein makes clear: "A new light seemed to dawn in my mind, and, leaping for joy, I shared my discovery to my father. My father casually looked at the title page of my book and said, “Ah! Cornelius Agrippa! My dear Victor, don’t waste your time on this; "it's sad trash" (38). Shelley again associates the word "joy" with "discovery", and once again contrasts the initial optimism of this discovery with its disappointing result. But Frankenstein's father does not give the reason for his contempt (the fact that Agrippa's work has been refuted and is obsolete), and so the young scholar continues "to read with the greatest avidity" he must satisfy his desire for knowledge (39). Indeed, he harbors grandiose dreams of “discovery [that] would banish disease from the human body and make man invulnerable to any violent death” (39-40) The ambition of Frankenstein and Walton is based on flaws! : naivety, fallacious reasoning and the selfish desire for glory. facade of idealism, and reveal the human weakness and greed that lie beneath. Frankenstein's first experiments lead him into a cycle of "scientific research [in which. ] there is continuous nourishment for discovery and wonder” (49). his discovery of the principle of life. He admits that a “divine miracle could have produced it, but the stages of discovery were distinct and probable” (51). As with other discoveries, the thoroughness of his scientific projects contrasts sharply with the poverty of his moral projects. His ecstasy at his triumph serves to completely envelop the systematic science that preceded him: “[All] the steps by which I had been gradually led to [the discovery] were erased, and I saw only the result” (51 ). Shelley questions the necessity of such a triumph: as Clerval's father says before granting Clerval his "journey of discovery to the land of knowledge": "'I have ten thousand florins a year without Greek, I eat copiously without Greek.'” (59) The result of Frankenstein's obsession with “Greek,” or superfluous knowledge, is the discovery of his brother's corpse. The scientist is no longer interested in science for its practical purposes: he is inspired by his passion to free himself from human limitations and become a god. To achieve this worthless goal, he must submit to incessant solitary labor, abandon marriage, and exile himself from human society. The creature demonstrates the purest uses of discovery; but his discoveries are those that everyone makes. He wishes to join human society to learn language, the mystery of emotions, the glories and tragedies of history, and the nuances of family life. He begins as a prehistoric man or, more importantly, as a child discovering fire, food and shelter. He thus ensures his physical survival, while aspiring to emotional fulfillment. He considers language "a divine science" and his vocabulary evolves from simple nouns to a complex catalog drawn from Milton and Goethe. The expulsion of the creature by the family shifts the discovery from the active voice to the passive voice: the creature no longer makes discoveries but, while raging in the woods, it is discovered by a brutal and terrified human after another. Shelley imbues her efforts to acclimate to humanity.