In Shelly's 'Frankenstein' the theme of Knowledge is cultivated for multiple purposes. These included the effects of scientific advances, the demystification of nature, nature's revenge, and social relations in the Romantic era. Examining knowledge in relation to the characters of Victor, Walton and the Creature one can see that the theme of knowledge is used as a warning against the Enlightenment and as a personification of the social injustices of the time. Frankenstein, in his Faustian quest for knowledge, comes to symbolize "the man of science" within the text. His family background and social position place him as a man of the Enlightenment. It is therefore arguable that Frankenstein represents the empirical strand of Enlightenment science and thus his quest for knowledge symbolizes a major push for scientific knowledge in the 19th century. However, Shelly describes Frankenstein's project as a defilement of nature. This is seen in Frankenstein's assembly of the creature. He thus works within the same "citadel of nature" [...] He collects pieces of the dead "with profane fingers", his task is "hateful", he becomes "insensitive to the charm of nature", and the seasons pass unnoticed. The Monster was born as a product of nature - its ingredients are one hundred percent natural - yet by the fact and process of its creation it is unnatural. Here Brooks argues that although the creature's components are essentially natural, the means by which they are assembled are unnatural, so nature will contaminate. For example, “profane” and “repugnant” seem like almost evil descriptions of Frankenstein's work. This quote also suggests that the influence of nature is lost from Fra...... middle of paper ......ure. Ultimately, like Frankenstein, the forces of nature punish Walton. “I am surrounded by mountains of ice, which admit of no escape and threaten at any moment to crush my ship” Walton's entrapment in the ice serves as nature's revenge for the invasion of his territory. Therefore the expedition is canceled for the safety of the crew and the knowledge is never gained, however it can be argued that Walton realizes that the knowledge is not worth sacrificing unlike Frankenstein who loses everything. Since both characters are punished for acquiring knowledge, comparisons can be made to Prometheus. Frankenstein has been called a "modern-day Prometheus" due to the similarities of their actions and eventual punishment. This can be seen as a further repetition of Shelly's warning against the misuse of knowledge.