In “Reading Literature Makes Us Smarter and Nicer” Murphy Paul argues that literature gives readers not only a story, but also a new and necessary perspective on life. More specifically, Paul argues that reading is deep and meaningful but, unfortunately, an endangered practice that we must keep alive. She writes that, “individuals who often read fiction appear to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them, and view the world from their perspective.” In other words, she is suggesting that those who read fiction are able to understand what others go through and can learn and grow from these situations. Paul’s argument is that reading benefits people by not only educating the minds, but also the heart. I agree that literature …show more content…
In the story Victor Frankenstein pushes the limits of knowledge making a creature that horrifies him, driving Frankenstein to abandon it and leave it alone in the world. The creature goes out and sees people who he believes will accept him because “the gentle ass whose intentions were affectionate, although his manners were rude, deserved better treatment than blows and execration” (Shelley 81). In this statement, the creature shows the reader that everyone, no matter who he or she is, deserves to be treated kindly. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the creature, and the world is cruel to him causing him to “[declare] ever-lasting war against the species, and, more than all, against him who had formed [the creature], and sent [him] forth to this insupportable misery” (97). The creature longs to have friends or people who love him, but since the people judge him on his outside appearance and do not take the time to know him, they cause him to become a monster. This novel teaches that people are not born evil or monsters but instead are influenced by the treatment of others. Frankenstein is just one example of how literature is far more than just a story, but a way for the reader to learn about life from a different and often rewarding