The definition of tabula rasa is anything existing undisturbed in its original pure state. One of John Locke’s most popular theories, the tabula rasa, is better known as the blank slate theory. It states that human beings are a blank canvas at birth, only having basic survival instincts. Their personality is reflective of how they have percepted the events of their lives. The environment around them teaches them how to think, speak, and act. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is about Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who reanimates parts of a body into a living, breathing human. It questions society’s view of what is beautiful and what is not, as well as to what extent one should take responsibility for someone else’s actions. In Frankenstein, the Creature created by Victor resembles the ideas and characteristics of Locke’s theory. The Creature is an example of the tabula rasa because he was born with only simple survival instincts and dictates a personality from what he has learned. …show more content…
Once the Creature finally has been electrified and given life, Victor goes to sleep. He is tired from the years he has spent creating the Creature. The Creature, unsure of his surroundings and circumstances, wanders around Victor’s laboratory. He begins to feel “tormented by hunger and thirst”(60), only hours after his creation. The Creature’s survival instincts which he acquired at birth, or creation, are coming into play. He feels hungry without even knowing what hunger is. Accordingly, his thirst is driven by his subconscious mind, which he has absolutely no control over. He knows to search for something to sustain his appetite, without being taught by Victor or anyone else. The idea of the Creature being a blank slate stems from the idea of basic instinctual ideas portrayed by all living