How Is Frankenstein A Product Of Our Environment

Ishwar Ravi
A Block
Mr. Kelly
3/23/23
A Product of Your Environment
A person’s childhood can have a great influence on their character and personality. This has been exhibited throughout Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, a novel published in 1818. The main character, Victor Frankenstein, and his monstrous creation had very different early lives, and that made them who they are. Victor grew up in an idolatrous environment with guaranteed survival and more than the necessary amenities, whilst the creature grew up in a self-made, crude environment, where nobody accepted him, bringing about a lack of grace amongst both characters. Victor Frankenstein was born into a respectable family in Geneva. He spoke of them in high regard, with the utmost respect.

His first occurrence in life is that of his own father, Victor, who ran away from him in fear, abandoning the creature indefinitely. With great difficulty, the Creature remembers being in a forest alone, learning about his senses, and how to survive. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and his own emotions, which had already taken over him on his first day of living. His first definite act was that he “sat down and wept”(109). In other words, he is a creature born with nothing, left to fend for himself while experiencing great sadness. He eventually found out the many effects of fire, and then later found a hut. Unfortunately, the homeowner saw the creature, and ran away swiftly. He proceeded to take an extended stay in a small cottage, in a hovel, where he watched the citizens, and learned language and human nature. He stayed there long enough so that he had the knowledge to make civil human conversation. Unfortunately, when he approached the people of the village, he was not accepted with open arms. They were incredibly afraid of him, and Felix, one of the main villagers, “dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick”(145). After all of his hard work, he is only met with hostility and fear. He retreated from the village, departing towards Geneva. Unfortunately, during his journey, whilst attempting

He has repeatedly made bad decisions, and has not once taken the blame for the effects of his actions. He “beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts”(93). His grief is true, but he does not let his family know what truly happened to William the murdered and Justine the falsely accused. Victor is also impatient and quite ungraceful in his work, as “the minuteness of the parts formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved, contrary to my first intention, to make the being of a gigantic stature”(54). Purely for the sake of efficiency, he makes the Creature a monstrous size, which in hindsight, was a bad decision. He also acquires the parts of his creation from slaughterhouses and other crude locations, displaying a lack of grace. The Creature was initially a kind-hearted, innocent being, holding no anger towards humanity. He was excited to learn new things about the world and the humans who inhabited it. He also provided for the inhabitants of his village of residence, despite not being recognized for his actions. Unfortunately, the Creature succumbs to hate and vengeance. He “declared everlasting war against the species, and more than all, against him who had formed me and sent forth to this insupportable misery”(147). Despite his original curiosity and appreciation for