"Every minute," continued M. Krempe with warmth, "every instant that you have wasted on those books is utterly and entirely lost. You have burdened your memory with exploded systems and useless names."
Chapter 3
Context
Professor Krempe responds harshly after Victor mentions studying medieval alchemists like Albertus Magnus and Paracelsus, dismissing these authors as obsolete and worthless.
Analysis
Krempe's repetition—"Every minute," "every instant"—and absolute terms—"utterly and entirely lost"—perform the very dogmatism he's critiquing in the alchemists. The metaphor of "burdened your memory" treats Victor's mind as a physical space overstuffed with junk, implying learning can be undone by simply discarding and replacing content. This mechanistic view of the mind mirrors the reductionist science Krempe represents, which Victor claims to find uninspiring.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Krempe's contemptuous dismissal of Victor's learning ironically demonstrates the same closed-mindedness he attributes to the alchemists—his hyperbolic language reveals he's as dogmatic as the outdated thinkers he condemns.