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Finally, it is worth briefly mentioning that even if there were some inherent quality to human beings that existed prior to experience and influenced their personality and behavior, then the monster's experiences would seem to suggest that this human nature is inherently violent, cruel, and petty, rather than representing the kind of pure ideal suggested by Victor.
In Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, the idea of nature vs. nurture is explored through the characters of Victor and the monster, who each take a different position on the matter. Victor suggests that there is such a thing as human nature, and furthermore, that that nature is oriented against violence and gore and towards beauty and peace. The monster, on the other hand, argues that experience is what dictates a person's personality and decisions, and so violent behavior may be seen as the direct result of violence previously inflicted. By analyzing Victor's account of the monster's creation, the monster's time spent studying the De Lacey family, and the monster's transition from benevolent protector to vengeful...
For the most part, the monster is generally kind and peaceful, and he only resorts to violence after his kindness has repeatedly been met with violence on the part of human beings. His experiences reveal the important of nurture and experience in dictating someone's personality and behavior, and further serve to demonstrate that Victor's claims regarding human nature are in reality attempts to shield himself from blame, because all of the monster's violent acts may ultimately be traced back to Victor, who abandoned his creation at the moment of its birth.
Works Cited
Duyfhuizen, Bernard. "Periphrastic Naming in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." Studies in the Novel 27.4 (1995): 477
Mellor, Anne. "Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: The Frankenstein Notebooks." Studies in Romanticism 37.3 (1998): 481-4.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. London: Thomas Davison, 1823.
Stables, Andrew. "The Unnatural Nature of Nature and Nurture: Questioning…
Works Cited
Duyfhuizen, Bernard. "Periphrastic Naming in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." Studies in the Novel 27.4 (1995): 477
Mellor, Anne. "Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: The Frankenstein Notebooks." Studies in Romanticism 37.3 (1998): 481-4.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. London: Thomas Davison, 1823.
Stables, Andrew. "The Unnatural Nature of Nature and Nurture: Questioning the Romantic
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