Rousseau's Influence On Frankenstein

The way a child is raised and the parts of the world they are exposed to greatly influences the type of person they will become. Although individuals may be born with certain qualities and intuitions that come directly from nature, in reality, most people’s experiences and knowledge they gain from the care given to them by their parents plays a bigger role in the development of that person. A child’s experiences, whether they be positive or negative play major factors in their development. This is seen through the creation of the monster in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The monster’s nature and nurture develop him into who he is and his guardian figure is influential on him. Jean-Jacques Rousseau expresses his beliefs that a child’s

They do not agree with the statement that their upbringing is extremely influential on the person they become. Some philosophers believe that “Our efforts may bring us within sight of the goal, but fortune must favour us if we are to reach it” (Doyle). In this case, ‘fortune’ is referring to the natural instincts a child is born with, the counter believes that although experiences and outside influence may influence a child’s development partially, they do not believe that it carries much prominence. In Rousseau’s book Emile, he describes two young children who are born with essentially all of the same characteristics which later evolve based on their surroundings and upbringings. He states, “The ideal environment for the child is one in which the natural self could be encouraged and supported without adult influence and social obligation” (Vadeboncoeur). If it was a perfect world, outside influences would have no impact on a person’s actions. However, Rousseau goes on to explain that this is not the reality, Cultural expectations, parental guidance, and societal cues all shape a child’s mind during their development. Personally I have experienced growing up in a home with parents that encourage both work ethic and success. This has definitely influenced me in my decisions to work towards going to college and one day finding a successful

When Victor creates the monster, he obviously has qualities that he had immediately upon his creation. For instance, Victor was terrified of the monster as soon as he saw him solely do to the way he looked and acted. (Shelley 48). The impending catastrophes of the monsters can likely be due to the fact that the person he viewed as his guardian, Victor, abandoned him. The monster felt a connection with Victor, so his violent actions are a result of his resentfulness towards him being left alone. This connection can be made to Rousseau’s theory on development because the monster has qualities similar to that of a human being. He feels the effects of being abandoned and realizes that to be happy he should acquire a companion. After observing a family for a while, he was able to request that Victor create him a female monster. (Shelley 126). This shows his desire to have experiences with other people, these experiences would be what shapes him into who he is. Although he never quite got his mate from Victor, he still felt a deep connection with Victor. So, when he finds out he has died, he feels he no longer has a purpose to survive. He pays his respect and then vows to kill himself. (Shelley 169). Victor is responsible for the upbringing of the monster, similar to the way parents raise their children and impact their life paths. So, it is understandable that the monster would