Nature vs. Nurture

"Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property" (Frankenstein, 85).

Thematic blog!

I already mentioned last week that the creature believes he is good by nature and evil by nurture. Chapters thirteen and fifteen deal with a lot of that nurture, and I think the creature makes a convincing argument.

The quote above is vital to understanding the creature's characterization. His countenance is nothing to brag about, but he reveals more here about what's going on internally. From everything Felix teaches Safie, the creature learns that men value "high and unsullied descent united with riches" (85), and that assessment doesn't make me proud to be a man. The creature has nothing that humans value -- no good looks, no powerful family, no vast wealth, and accordingly, no friends. Later, the creature attributes his behavior to his rejection and isolation, and unlike some of my classmates (Maximilian Browning), I feel sorry for him.

Later, the creature learns about "death and suicide" from Sorrows of Werter, "ancient republics" from Lives, and "Adam" and "Satan" from Paradise Lost (91-92). He notes that "sorrows only increased with knowledge" (85), which seems like an important theme of the novel. Also increasing with knowledge was the creature's nefariousness; William and Justine become his first victims, and he blames his actions on what he learned from mankind (103).

I don't necessarily believe that the creature can justify his actions -- I don't care how "nurtured" he was. No amount of ugliness and loneliness can justify murdering a handful of people. However, I do believe that the creature makes an interesting comment on the history of mankind. If we really value goodness and benevolence, our history certainly does a horrible job of living up to those values.