Summary:
Analyzes a number of literary sources for the premise that man's quest for happiness often leads to misery. Considers examples from Frankenstein, Paradise Lost and the Bible. Discusses the fate of characters who succeed in finding what they believe will make them happy.
"Why does that which makes a man happy have to become the source of his misery"
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
"The Sorrows of Young Werther"
Curiosities Backhand
Curiosity; the desire to know. The human race continually fights a battle against the unknown. At times, man's conquest of the unknown leads to his downfall. In Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, the monster is left in painstaking solitude after the abandonment of his creator, Victor Frankenstein. He has no knowledge of the world around him. His curiosity ultimately leads to his own misery and violent behavior. This lack of social acceptance plays a crucial role in the monster's quest for knowledge of mankind. As the monster gains more knowledge of the world around him he becomes disillusioned by his loneliness. In particular, the relationships that other beings are involved in finally leads.....
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