Nature And Nurture In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Nature (our genes) and nurture (our environment) affect our individual differences in behavior and personality. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley addresses the conflict of nature vs. nurture. Victor Frankenstein creates a "child" whom he abandons upon birth. This brings up questions such as, was the creature genetically inclined to be evil, or did the hostility he encountered turn him evil? Are one's surroundings determined by who they become later in life? Does nurture form one's characteristics that will determine who someone is later in life? Mary Shelley used these questions as an approach to show that the monster is intelligent, but destructive, and had guilt due to his environment and isolation. The monster’s guilt due to its

Once again Victor lost more family because of something he made, who considered him and Victor family. He did not value his family in the beginning as he should

He had planned to talk about his book Macho, but when he faced the crowd of teachers, his experience at school came back into his mind. He said he had faced a lot of abuse and his efforts to overcome bad teaching and become a writer. He admired good teachers with all his heart but criticized bad teachers. That presentation was not what the audience expected. Some reacted cruelly and left, but most of audience stayed and listened to him. After that, Victor was invited to give more speeches to let the audience know what worked in their education system.

Throughout the entire book, it becomes obvious that family is important to both Victor and the Monster. Victor greatly values his family and

Even though she said so many good things about his father and about things he was afraid of, Victor did not want to show any compassion for his father. It is like the story on Real Boys, Inside the World of Boys: Behind the Mask of Masculinity. Victor was hiding behind this mask so he would not show his emotions. However, after the accident, he began to think about his father. He understood that no one could be perfect and he finally saw that he really loved his father.

21. How does Victor look to others, feel about himself, and behave toward his family when he arrives

Philosophers and scientists alike have debated for centuries whether a person’s character is the result of nature or nurture. In the writings of Thomas Hobbes, it is expressed that humans are endowed with character from birth, and that they are innately evil in nature. John Locke’s response to this theory is that everyone is born with a tabula rasa, or blank slate, and then develops character after a series of formative experiences. The idea that true character is the result of experiences and societal interaction is a theme deeply explored throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Through different interactions with the monster, Shelley attempts to express that it is because of Victor’s failings as a parent and creator, because of the

While being very different in the opposite roles that they play in this story, they both share certain similarities throughout the story. Sure, one seems to be completely unacceptable by society, while the other is sheltering himself from it through obsession of a project. Therefore, damaging his reputation known by his peers. During the beginning of the story, Victor was writing a letter to his beloved, Elizabeth. He mentioned that he longed for a friend to keep him company and comfort him during his expedition to the Arctic.

This was the cause of several violent tendencies towards him by the cottagers and the townspeople. With no experience on how to deal with because of no ''past learning experiences'', it leads him to murder a child, William F., cause the death of Justine, and the killing of Victor’s wife, Elizabeth, which could have been all avoided by not exposing him to violence at such a vulnerable state

Victor is not in a good state of mind at this point in the book. After the passing of his mother he is grieving so much that he combines his sorrow with his passion and isolates himself while trying to create life. He neglected family, friends, social life, school etc. which drove him to become mad.

In the beginning of the novel the reader does not have a lot of information on Victor. Our first’s impression on him is vulnerable and weak but favorable. "My affection for my guest increases every day.

At this point Victor is responsible for two deaths and must keep this all to himself. By suffering through the guilt and the illness it is clear that his decisions that were made in order to deepen his knowledge of the scientific world are becoming dangerous to himself and the people close to him.

Although Victor’s family was one of the most distinguished of the republic of Geneva and his parents were possessed by the “very spirit of kindness / And indulgence,” (Shelley 39) his days were not filled with happiness. His troubled past started the day Elizabeth caught scarlet fever, delaying his departure for Ingolstadt. Although Victor’s mother, Caroline, was able to cure her, she died in her place. The destruction of a dear bond by an irreparable evil surely would have caused anyone to suffer, but as time came, Caroline’s death became “rather an / Indulgence than a necessity” (Shelley 45) to Victor; it was nothing more than something that delayed his departure for Ingolstadt. Because Victor is in a situation where he no longer has control, his psyche must carry the burden

His relationship with his father influenced his behaviors later in the novel when Victor is given the chance to guide someone else in a foreign world, he choose to let them have a ‘child’s blindness’ since he only knows how to guide himself.