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Frankenstein Nurture Vs Nature

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Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley, tells the story of Victor Frankenstein’s pursuit of creation and the monster he unintentionally brought to life. Horrified with his own creation, Victor escaped his responsibilities, leaving him to fend for himself. The story follows the monster’s futile attempts to assimilate into humanity, his hatred finally leading him to killing his creator’s family one by one until Frankenstein committed himself to vengeance. The theme of humanity was prevalent throughout the novel as the monster’s existence blurred the line between what was “human” and “inhuman.” The question of whether nurture, or nature, mattered more to one’s identity was explored throughout the story. In Frankenstein, nurture rather than …show more content…

The difference between the old man and the other humans he encountered was his blindness, allowing him to have an unprejudiced view of people. Through their conversation, the old man said “I am blind and cannot judge of your countenance, but there is something in your words which persuades me that you are sincere. I am poor and an exile, but it will afford me true pleasure to be in any way serviceable to a human creature” (159). He was able to identify the monster as a sincere and human creature because he was unable to perceive his appearance. This shows that, beyond his inhuman countenance that betrays his nature, the monster was just any lonely human. In fact, he was kinder and more forgiving than most humans. Even after being chased out by the family he loved and succumbing to a fit of anger, he still attempted to befriend humans. When he encountered the girl who fell into a river, he immediately resolved to save her. However, when her companion arrived, he shot at the monster despite his benevolent actions. Following that, he swore revenge against humanity, but once again attempted to befriend humanity through William, who he perceived was a child filled with innocence. Yet, even as a child, William judged the monster by his appearance, calling him a “hideous monster”, “ugly wretch, and “ogre” (169). In the previous examples, it

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