Question

PART A: The full title of Mary Shelley’s novel is Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus. The subtitle refers to Prometheus, a mythological figure who symbolizes both the nobility of the quest for knowledge and the danger of overreaching in that quest. In the passage from Frankenstein, how do the two ideas symbolized by Prometheus interact and build on one other?
A.
R.W. possesses advanced geographic knowledge as a result of his explorations, but he has sacrificed personal happiness to gain that knowledge.
B.
R.W. believes firmly in his ability to achieve his goals, but he is challenged by the natural world he seeks to conquer.
C.
R.W. is extremely educated about his surroundings, but he makes a costly mistake about his location within those surroundings.
D.
R.W. is the only member of his crew to care about science for its own sake, but he overestimates what science can accomplish.

Answer 1

Prometheus and Frankenstein are related in the sensation that

A.

R.W. possesses advanced geographic knowledge as a result of his explorations, but he has sacrificed personal happiness to gain that knowledge.

Explanation:

RW is not entirely the focus of the novel and in fact is only a mouthpiece for the book for a small amount of the time.

The book is about Frankenstein and the monster but the theme of R W and his exploration of science counter balances quite frankly with that of Frankenstein.

Thus we can see how he has sacrificed personal happiness to gain that knowledge.

The terrible cost one pays for the sake of science is seen and compared to what is achieved for what is put up for the part and this comparison is rather dreary for him.