The Nature Of Nature And Nurture In Frankenstein
Right when a baby is born, they immediately begin to seek for someone to trust and provide for their basic needs. As an individual grows, they develop their own personality and characteristics, but this begs the question if a human’s personality and characteristics are determined more on nature or nurture. Which leads to the question: what characteristics make a human really a human? In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein creates a monster from the dead using body parts from the dead. Instantly, Victor abandons the monster who later turns to murder. These murders help him to cope with the isolation he feels from society and his creator. The monster is more human than Victor because he shows compassion, courage, and the need for human connection. Throughout the story, the monster shows considerable amounts of compassion for others than Victor does. The monster says, “...the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the …show more content…
When the monster first settled down near the cottage, he began to steal food from the poor cottagers. After a few days of stealing, the monster notices the negative impact he has inflicted on the cottagers. Anonymously, he begins to gather firewood for them. Compassion is displayed by the monster by gathering firewood for the cottagers, and he does not show this compassion for his own personal reputation. After watching the cottagers for a while, the monsters says, “The gentle manners and and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me: when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joy” (Shelley 79). The monster feels sympathy and compassion for the events the cottagers experience. In life, humans generally feel for others when they hit rough patches which causes
The Innately Good In Mary Shelly's Frankenstein
1126 Words | 5 PagesThere will always be a controversy amongst the human race whether or not humans are innately good. If so, then the influence of society plays a major role on maintaining one’s good will. The theme humans are innately good is evident in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein through the actions and character development of the creature. Initially, the creature is innately good even though his creator abandons him, he continuously proves to be good through is acts of kindness and generosity, although, he is corrupted by rejection from society and his creator, turning him into a real monster. The creature holds onto his innocence and remains good even after being abandoned by the one person he is supposed to depend on as his teacher and caregiver, Victor
Similarities Between 'Grendel And Frankenstein'
886 Words | 4 PagesIn addition, when he was seeking asylum a barn, Frankenstein saved the family from starving and harvested their crops, and instead of being grateful, the family sends him away from their land where he had found refuge. The monsters were sent away to the darkest corners of the world without caring about their feelings because; they were only trying to be
Purpose In Frankenstein
1401 Words | 6 PagesThis sudden rejection hurts deep because the good is now perceived as wrong and now the monster begins to fill his purpose with negativity such as murdering and destroying good in his creator’s life. Shelley builds this character to show again, that the connection between our place and purpose is difficult to
Empathy In Frankenstein
929 Words | 4 PagesThe gothic fiction novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley centralizes on humanity and the qualifications that make someone human. The content of the novel Frankenstein depicts a monster displaying human traits that his creator Victor does not possess: empathy, a need for companionship, and a will to learn and fit in. Throughout the novel Shelley emphasizes empathy as a critical humanistic trait. The monster displays his ability to empathize with people even though they are strangers. On the other hand Victor, fails to show empathy throughout the novel even when it relates to his own family and friends.
Who Is Not A Killer In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1072 Words | 5 PagesA strangled boy, an innocent executed girl, a sick boy, constant fears and several mysterious deaths... It is not a killer, who is guilty of all these terrible and strange events, but a young scientist whose name is Victor Frankenstein. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein we are told of a man Victor who creates a life. This creation, his creature, is perceived by society because of his physical appearance being so called a “monster” although his creator is in fault of his creatures actions. Frankenstein leaves us asking questions and raises some serious issues, one of which that comes up time and time again.
Loss Of Humanity In Frankenstein Essay
1019 Words | 5 PagesIn Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein brings his creation to life and has to endure the repercussions of his actions. While Victor is in fact human, the question of whether the creature or Victor is more human still stands. Humanity is demonstrated as compassionate in the book and monstrosity is the opposite. The creature is more human because of his developed personality and desire to be human. Victor, although born into a humane family, evolved into everything bad about humanity; he developed obsession, resentment, and manipulated life to conform to his idealities.
Frankenstein's Perspective Of The Monster
229 Words | 1 PagesThe other interesting perspective of the monster seen in this novel is his utmost desire to get knowledge, and learn new things. He tries to match the sounds Felix’s family make with the actions they perform. He acquires a basic knowledge of the language, including the names of the young man and woman, Felix and Agatha. Living with the cottager’s is the very important period of monster’s life. The monster’s start growing the understanding of the social significance of family when he was observing the cottagers’.
Social Belonging In Frankenstein
987 Words | 4 PagesThe 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.
Themes In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
571 Words | 3 PagesAfter nearly a half day’s journey, The Monster stumbled across an alluring village. When he entered one of the nicer cottages among the lot, the family inside was petrified upon encountering The Monster. This in turn attracts other villagers to the scene and when they arrive The Monster is yet again shunned, attacked and beaten, for his rancid appearance tends to arise terror and fright. “The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other missile weapons.” (Shelley page 87).
Duality Of Human Nature In Frankenstein
819 Words | 4 PagesThe monster continues by reassuring the creator of his independent intelligence and power over the creature by telling Frankenstein, “This you alone can do”. Here, the creature assumes a role of submissiveness and reliance on Frankenstein. Frankenstein’s monster gains the sympathy of the reader who, despite condemning the murder of innocent people, commiserate with the lonely creature who is in search of an acquaintance, which he will likely never find. The monster also displays power and aggressiveness over Frankenstein; “You are my creator; but I am your master; obey!” The monster wants to desolate Victor’s heart, not by killing him directly,
Examples Of Sympathy In Frankenstein
547 Words | 3 PagesSympathy is a feeling that attempts to understand someone’s experience through events that one has not personally experienced. The creature in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, is a character whom one can sympathize. Rejected by society and his creator, his father, the creature longs for compassion and love due to the neglect he has endured. Frankenstein’s monster, a creature of immense strength and power, was rejected by society due to his abstract appearance, leaving him feeling isolated and alone in a world that refused to accept him. Before the creature could step inside of the suburb, “children shrieked, and one of the women fainted.
Mary Shelley's Curiosity Character Analysis
679 Words | 3 PagesConsequently, the monster’s curiosity for human nature also leads to detrimental effects on his life. After the monster is first abandoned by his creator, Victor Frankenstein, he eventually attempts to learn the ways of human society. His attempts at assimilation are seen when he says, “I improved, however, sensibly in this science, but not sufficiently to follow up any kind of conversation, although I applied my whole mind to the endeavour, for I easily perceived that, although I eagerly longed to discover myself to the cottagers, I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become master of their language…” (Shelley 101). The monster learned about the human’s way of life through watching a group of people living in a cottage.
Human Qualities Of The Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
494 Words | 2 PagesIn the novel Frankenstein, the monster created by Frankenstein shows some human qualities. Some qualities that make people human are reason, pain, anger, sadness, growth, and ultimately being made by God; the monster expresses the human qualities of pain, anger, sadness, and reason, but he does not have the quality of being made by God, and growth. One of the first qualities that the monster exhibits is reason. When the monster is sharing his story with Frankenstein, he explains how he discovered the rules of fire by saying, “ I quickly collected some branches; but they were wet, and would not burn.
Frankenstein And The Cottager's Relationship
346 Words | 2 PagesThe creature, referring to the monster created by Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, have a crave for establishing an actual relationship with human being within his character, as the scene that contains his interaction with the cottagers would suggest. He became very interested in human culture. He was amazed by how words can express pleasure, pain and sadness, and he considered it a godlike science. He also found the naming of objects interesting, and he described a feeling of delight when he had learned the meaning or when he pronounced the word.
Beauty And Ugliness In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
1363 Words | 6 PagesThis experience allows the monster to realize, that despite being perfect beings, even beauty can experience sorrow, just as ugliness can experience serenity. The monster also learns that the family is in similar position as his own, in which they are isolated from their society due to their crimes. From this judgement, the monster is able to approach the father of the household, by disguising himself as a lowly traveller in need of shelter, the
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