In the first portion of our reading of Frankenstein, it was hard to pinpoint what Shelley's stance on the age old argument of nature vs. nurture truly was. The monster barely made an appearance, revealing himself towards the end after Frankenstein set off to find him. The monster had committed at least one murder, that much was certain, but it wasn't until us readers were able to hear his side of the story were we able to determine what had driven him towards this abominable act. As the monster's story unfolds, we learn that he began as a kind soul, wondrous towards the world that he had only existed in for mere hours. He was comparable towards a newborn baby, constantly inquiring about everything, and sometimes getting injured from his curiosity (see: fire). At this point in his short life, the monster had no reason to harm anybody, despite some fear he had caused them. Even after the entire De Lacey family ordeal, the monster doesn't hate humans, but instead blames himself for being too rash in his introductions. Old man De Lacey actually gave him hope towards humans, with his quote of "...but the hearts of men, when unprejudiced by any obvious self-interest, are full of brotherly love and charity." (Page 95) The monster starts denouncing humanity only when his act of kindness of saving a young girl from drowning is paid off with a gunshot wound to some unspecified part of his body. "The feelings of kindness and gentleness, which I had entertained but a few moments before, gave place to a hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind." (Page 101) What had started off as the most innocent of creatures had been molded into a giant killing machine, who only harbored thoughts of revenge. Had people left their prejudices behind, the monster could have been an incredible ally, and an even bigger inspiration towards blooming scientists with crackpot theories. But since they treated him like a monster, so he became.
And because I am really tired and can't think of any creative way to factor this into my writing, Alex Gordon is a bad person. I hate him. A lot.
I can tell you must have been fatigured because you never tied your thoughts back to nature v. nurture, and what Shelley's stance on that is.
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