Frankenstein Nature Vs Nurture Essay

Nature vs nurture has been one of the oldest arguments in history, in Frankenstein, Mary Shelley attempts to take sides on the argument by analyzing the development of a new creature in an already critical society. Shelley shows the character’s development from a kind hearted being to a vindictive monster due to the cultural perception of beauty. As the monster builds his identity, he finds himself in a hostile environment, society’s rejection of his physical appearance turns his benevolent heart into a resentful one. When the creature narrates his first experiences, it is clear that his nature was civilized and benevolent. In the beginning, he admired kindness and affection and was sickened by any thought of violence. When he first

Clearly, the creature did not have evil intentions from the beginning of his existence. He might have gotten life in a horrid body, but his appearance did not determine the quality of his intentions. In fact, most of the time he looked out for others and tried to help how he could. When he sees a little girl drowning in the river he does not hesitate to come to her aid. However, instead of a “thank you”, he receives a bullet in his shoulder. The monster’s pain is evident as he shouts: “This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone. … Inflamed by pain, I vowed

After finding out that his hideous form prevented him from having any sort of company, the monster holds his creator responsible. His frustration is explicit as “ [he] exclaimed in agony. ‘Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?’ ” (Shelley 115). From this day forward the creature plans to make Victor’s life as miserable as Victor made his when he decided to give him a scary appearance. The generosity in this creature’s heart had been replaced by evil thoughts of revenge because he felt rejected by society due to his physical appearance. He did not only despise Victor but also every human being because their species was the source of his solitude. The monster himself admits that the source of his wrongdoing is his inevitable loneliness. He declares that “[he] is malicious because [he] is miserable” (Shelley 130). The creature might have had a benign conscious in the beginning, but at the end he was indeed a malevolent being. Definitely, society turned the good intentions of this creature into bad