Nature V.S. Nurture in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein Mary Shelly's Frankenstein discusses the nature of human begins, whether it is simply one's natural instinct to act maliciously or if it's one's surroundings and environment that impact their behavior. Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist of this intricate novel, answers this question in two ways, as both the product and the perpetrator of how it is both in the nature of a person, and their nurturing that develops their behaviors, and in the case of this plot, malicious behaviors. Since a young age Frankenstein desired knowledge, constantly seeking for greater wisdom, while his father did not care for this. His passion for learning wasn't something that his parents conditioned him into, and
The scientist Victor Frankenstein calls his creation a “wretch” and assumes that it is evil solely based on it's appearance. Shelley chose to write her novel to criticize and comment on human nature’s form of judgment. In order to accomplish her writing purpose she shares Frankenstein’s reaction to his creation's existence through imagery and foreshadowing. Shelley shared Frankenstein’s reaction to his creation
Unlike Victor Frankenstein’s birth, the creature searched for glory from a beginning of loneliness and a craving for love from the humans he wished to be. Even though he was unfamiliar with the typical childhood when he was first ‘awakened’, the monster knew he had “no money, no friends, no kind of property”, and he wished to change that (128). He wanted what everyone else got freely, and even with this unfairness, he tried desperately to earn these ‘normal’ assurances he didn’t already own—like acceptance. When the creature was furiously denied these privileges, he turned away from humanity and their prejudice and looked to his own race, demanding a similar undead wife from Frankenstein. “‘You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being.
In the novel Frankenstein, the author Mary Shelley shows the everlasting power of nature by limiting the knowledge man can learn about it. Throughout the book there are many times when Victor yearns for nature in order to heal him from the misery and violence in his life. This misery and violence are caused by his determination to learn more about the natural world. The monster Victor creates, due to his loneliness, defies the unwritten rules of nature and exemplifies the supernatural aspect of the novel. Victor’s mood completely shifts when he is around nature and he instantly feels calmer when near it.
Frankenstein exposes the dangers of scientific exploration, the destruction reaped by progress for progress’ sake. Shelley cautions against playing God without consideration for the natural order, using the relationship between masculine power and feminine fragility to parallel the interaction between science and romanticism. The novel extols the romanticism of nature’s indescribable splendor and energy, and villainizes many of the concepts of the scientific revolution, especially those that encourage irreverent exploration, or the glorification of oneself. The turmoil of innovation and progress distracts from the values of the past, completely antithetical to a higher power. Author Fritjof Capra argues that nature exists as an inherently feminine power to for exploitation, yet Shelley’s text reinforces the notion of nature as both a feminine and masculine force, contrary to Capra’s assertion.
The story’s about the creation of the monster, most readers will think it is Victor’s creation, however the transition of Victor Frankenstein throughout the book is the prove that he is the real monster in this story. As the novel goes, the peruser understands that the genuine terrible activities are made by Viktor Frankenstein: first he rejects his own creation, at that point he basically charges to overlook what has happened, then his brother is killed by the monster and he gives a blameless young lady a chance to get hanged assuming liability for this death. Victor 's outrage towards the monster he created is by all accounts his very own irritation towards himself as he understands the time he has squandered, the friendships and relationships that he ruined just to create something that will ruin his life. He accuses the monster for his compulsion. The feelings of trepidation and agitation the Victor is encountering are explained in his dreams.Subsequently, Mary Shelley 's "Frankenstein" is an appalling novel in which the fault of one individual prompts to the deaths of his loved ones.
The moment Victor Frankenstein successfully infuses life into his creation he is overcome with horror and disgust. Without further examination he is certain to have created a monster, not a human being (Shelley 35-36). However, despite his grotesque appearance, Frankenstein’s creature was not born malicious. During the first stages of his existence, unbeknownst to Frankenstein himself, his acts are motivated by innocence and virtue, which even earns him the title “good spirit” (79). Frankenstein did not create a monster.
He never offers any affection towards the poor creature. All of the death and turmoil tie back to Victor and his blind ambition and fear of real responsibilities. The creature had simply had experiences that morphed his personality and drove him to terrible acts. If Frankenstein had simply taken care of the creation and gave him the correct guidance, lots of needless death could have been
He copies what others do around him; like a baby, he can only act in ways he has been self-taught. If Victor Frankenstein had spent more time with the “baby”, the monster would not of done the evil and devastating things to mankind. Showing Victor’s love, and make the monster feel safe and secure would have made the Monster less barbaric in his actions. Victor could have prevented the Monster’s turn towards a murderous future and protect him from the people of the world around him. Both Nature and Nurture fit into the Monsters wretched attitude and abominable
Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, is enriched with a dense story line filled with motifs, idioms, and allusions that relate to reality and human life. Throughout the book, the common idea of a “monster” being created by man and is continuously emphasized in order to relate to readers on a personal level. How the “monster” thinks, feels, and acts towards society is a mirror image of how close Victor’s creation is able to show human like qualities. Perhaps the most interesting idea that Shelley introduces is how the Monster is created; by Victor Frankenstein showing parts of different humans together. Rather summarized, the monster was created by scientific methods based on the advancement of the technology.