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Nature Vs. Nurture In Frankenstein

2045 Words9 Pages

The nature versus nurture debate may be the debate of the century in the psychology world. Both sides hold very plausible theories and reasoning as to why they are right and because of that they are starting to accept the fact that both nature and nurture may play a key role in the development of personality. As the times change and technology becomes more advanced it becomes significantly easier to do long term studies with biological and emotional data being cross referenced. When applying the nature versus nurture debate to the story Frankenstein one can argue that the monsters lack of proper nurturing and upbringing caused him to act out negatively towards the humans he encountered throughout the story. The book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley …show more content…

The monster was looking for companionship in any form he could because he was lonely and had never known the feeling of love. When Victor yet again disappoints the monster by going back on his word to create a mate for him he denies him the right given to every man. The monster becomes outraged and vows to seek revenge. There is no one to blame in the demise of both Victor and the Monster but the creator himself. “From as far back as the 1930s, it has been recognized that discord between parents has a potentially debilitating effect on children’s psychological development (Gordon)”. The actions towards the monster by Victor from his birth caused extreme psychological distress and caused him to be unable to act as expected by society. The article “The Nature of Nurture” discusses that fathers have a more significant effect on the development of a non-biological child than that of biological parents and children. It is also stated that “the role of fathers is increasingly recognized as an important influence on children’s emotional, behavioral, and academic development (Gordon). This information helps to prove that Victor’s actions towards the monster were extremely critical to his development and had Victor treated the monster properly and helped him to assimilate he very well could have avoided all the aggression and anger

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Outline For Frankenstein Research Paper

516 Words | 3 Pages

Victor’s Nurture and Responsibility Towards the Monster A. Sympathy for the Monster may come from the understanding on how Victor treated a. Left Monster to care for himself after “birth” when Victor discovered how grotesque and deformed he looked b. Felt limited responsibility towards the Monster c. Killed his companion B. Reader may feel that the Monster’s actions were justified by his

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Victor Frankenstein Cycle Of Neglect And Abuse

229 Words | 1 Pages

Relationships can also be detrimental to our sense of self and to the ones were supposed to love and nurture. The monster's fall into anger and retaliation is largely due to Victor Frankenstein's failure to provide basic parenting and guidance to his creation. Victor starts the cycle of neglect and abuse by creating the monster and then rejecting it because of its appearance. His refusal to build a relationship with his creation, the monster, has profound consequences for both. This leads to the monster being left to wander the world alone, without any instruction or assistance from its maker, and without any knowledge of social customs or proper conduct.

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Victor Frankenstein: A Deadbeat Father Figure

1845 Words | 8 Pages

As a child, Victor was emotionally neglected by his father. He was never taught how to be a father because he did not have a good role model to look after. Consequently, when Victor’s creation came to life, he did not know how to act. He was scared and tried to run away from his problems. Since his creation has no parental figure to support and teach him, he develops behavioral problems and is very confused.

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Annotated Bibliography On Frankenstein

1439 Words | 6 Pages

“Frankenstein and the Tradition of Realism” Shelly, Mary Frankenstein. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton Critical Edition, 2012. 311-16.

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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: The Dangers Of Responsibility

974 Words | 4 Pages

The Dangers Of Responsibility Responsibility is the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone. Responsibility is something that every human needs. A lack of responsibility can be harmful to the person and the people around them and a plethora of responsibility can change a person 's life. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Shelley’s portrayal of Victor as selfish suggests that not taking responsibility can lead to pain, death, and the suffering of others as the reader sees in the novel which relates to today 's society of powerful countries not taking responsibility for the weapons that they create, and the damage that is revealed as a result.

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The Influence Of Nature Vs. Nurture In Frankenstein

825 Words | 4 Pages

Nature is the predetermined traits that people are born with, while nurture is the influence that affects people after they’re born. The debate surrounding Nature V. Nurture is how much of a person’s traits is predetermined and how much is influenced by the environment. Mary Shelley's believes in nurture more than nature. Victor Frankenstein has certain traits that he’s born with. Frankenstein is born into a prestigious, wealthy family.

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Family In Frankenstein Essay

1309 Words | 6 Pages

Conversely, when the monster imagines his creator, Victor, he curses “‘his crimes & malice”’ thoughts of hatred and revenge consume him (Shelley 96). This dichotomy highlights the incompetence of Victor as a parent. This helps to reassert that the monster’s “wickedness originates not with his soul but his treatment,” (Ferguson). Victor’s negligence as a parent, a trait caused by his poor upbringing, caused the corruption of his

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Loss Of Humanity In Frankenstein Essay

1019 Words | 5 Pages

This shows the humanity in the monster and his tendency to be amiable. He was also able to learn from his mistakes. For example, the creature realized that he needed to stop stealing the family’s supplies after he noticed how much they needed them. Victor, however, didn’t learn from his mistake of creating the monster, and created another. The monster also refers to the family in the cabin as “[his] friends” when they didn’t know of his existence (103).

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Duality Of Human Nature In Frankenstein

819 Words | 4 Pages

The monster continues by reassuring the creator of his independent intelligence and power over the creature by telling Frankenstein, “This you alone can do”. Here, the creature assumes a role of submissiveness and reliance on Frankenstein. Frankenstein’s monster gains the sympathy of the reader who, despite condemning the murder of innocent people, commiserate with the lonely creature who is in search of an acquaintance, which he will likely never find. The monster also displays power and aggressiveness over Frankenstein; “You are my creator; but I am your master; obey!” The monster wants to desolate Victor’s heart, not by killing him directly,

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The Monster Is The Victim In Frankenstein

705 Words | 3 Pages

Victor creates the Creature, but there are many situations throughout the novel where the Monster displays as the victim. He seeks love from different people, but everyone treats him bad. His anger towards his father drives him to kill Victor’s family. The Monster later feels devastated for the murders he commits. All the monster wants is love.

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Empathy In Frankenstein

929 Words | 4 Pages

”(Millhauser). This violent rejection is a repetition of Victor’s lack of acceptance for the monster and attention to his family. Victor knows that the monster will never be able to live within society and that his ability to create life is the only hope the monster has of achieving companionship. Victor's own aversion to companionship surfaces as he, “ fails to give him the human companionship, the Eve, the female creature, that he needs to achieve some sort of a normal life.” (Mellor).

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Comparing Victor And The Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

918 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novel Victor and the Monster come across many relatable situations that they are forced to overcome. Victor Frankenstein had a very happy childhood, and he describes his parents as being “possessed by the very creature of kindness and indulgence”. Although Victor had a very happy childhood, these characteristics do not seem like the foundation of good moral character. Similarly Victor’s monster was not raised with the foundation of a good moral character. When the monster was first created he possessed more strength than he knew what to do with.

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Influence Of Parental Figure In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

938 Words | 4 Pages

Parents are everyone 's first role models. Regardless of biological relation, those who raise us have a profound influence on the way we perceive and interpret life. Parents lay the foundation of our first sense of morality and empathy, and usher us to the path of our development of social skills. No matter how consciously one may attempt to have no resemblance to their parents, it is an inevitability of life that we will harness aspects of their influence and carry them through our lifetime. In Mary Shelley’s, “Frankenstein”, the influence of parental figures is displayed by the morals and values instilled in the monster.

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Nature Vs Nurture Theory

700 Words | 3 Pages

The nature vs. nurture debate centers on whether human behaviour and personality are inherited (nature) or acquired (nurture); in other words, whether a person’s environment or a person’s genetic inheritance determines their behaviour and personality. Goldsmith and Harman (1994) adopt a neutral position, in which both nature and nurture influence people, stating that they “believe that the fundamental issue concerns the interplay between characteristics of the individual and of the relationship” (54). Goldsmith and Harman discuss temperament and attachment for infant, with temperament being linked to the nature side of the debate and attachment being linked with the nurture side; as a result, the infant’s temperament influences the attachment bond between the infant and the mother, but the attachment bond influences the temperament of the child as well. Therefore, both nature and nurture interact with each other to produce people’s behaviour (Harman et al. 54). Andersen and Berk (1998) take on the nurture perspective, while Leary (1999) claims that nature is the determining factor of a person’s personality.

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Role Of Nature In Frankenstein

377 Words | 2 Pages

Nature and Frankenstein compare in their understanding of the relationship between human beings and the natural world because the natural world is an emotional experience and the influence of nature changes the mood drastically. The natural world is an emotional experience for Victor because he got depressed about the death of Justine and William. To cope with his feelings he decided to escape to the hills. Victor struggles to cope with the deaths: The sceneries help Victor out by cheering him up and acting as a sense of relief.

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