The Nature And Nurture Argument In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

While many scientists contributed to the nature versus nurture argument in the past, it is a topic greatly debated today. Modern scientists agree that a mixture of nature and nurture contributes to growth and development. However, scientists in generations past agreed that nurture was the most important factor in growth. Likewise, the effect of nurture on nature argument is prevalent to describe the fall of the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where the monster’s growth results from the hostile environment he lived in, the fact that he was forced to teach himself the ways of life, and the base nature provided for a combination of the factors mentioned before which all contributed and built upon one another. Firstly, the environment and

For instance, the monster states “[Language] was indeed a godlike science, and I ardently desired to become acquainted with it (Shelley 110)” where language and communication fascinated him enough that it compelled him learn it in order to assimilate into society. This ability to learn language is genetic as upheld by the argument presented in “Nature or Nurture”. They state that although grammar acquisition is genetic-an inbuilt ability to learn grammar without anyone teaching it,- nurture is highly important in developing all parts of language, such as vocabulary and accent (“Nature or Nurture” 3)”. This is seen in Frankenstein where the monster learns language and communication by observing the DeLacey family and perfects it to the extent that Mr. DeLacey asks and assumes that the stranger/monster is his native countrymen and French due to the his accent (Shelley 134). This lack of a parent figure that is able to nurture him and the circumstances surrounding his abandonment lead to the monster having to learn how to communicate by himself, further contributing to his isolation and an absence of a loving

He considers that “...this was the hour and moment of trial, which would decide my hopes or realize my fears (Shelley 134).” Unfortunately for him, “Who can describe their horror and consternation on beholding me?...in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck violently with a stick (Shelley 136).” The DeLaceys reject and abandon him despite his best efforts at effecting their opinions and acquiring their acceptance, they also reject him. Perhaps this would have been different if the monster found compassion in another part of the world as presented by Allan Horwitz, of Rutgers who argued “What would the genetic studies show if conducted in modern Russia, ancient Rome, or 15th-century Mongolia? ‘The sweep of environmental variation is huge’ he says, yet the new studies capture just a tiny, Western corner of it (“The Nature-Nurture” 5).” This shows how different the monster’s and Victor’s life would have been if a different place, era or family factored into their lives. However, aggression has been linked to genetics. In fact, a researcher found that 52 characteristics, including aggressiveness, have been found to be partially heritable (“Nature-Nurture” 2) and “a gene associates with levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin