The Monster And Feral Children In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

“I shall relate events that impressed me feelings which, from what I was, have made me what I am” (Shelley 80). In the second volume Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, the monster’s story during his years of isolation shows the complexity of his character; this complexity makes him an enigma. In order to uncover the mysteries behind this enigma, we must analyze the factors that played a role in his development. Looking at the monster’s development, we can see parallels between the monster and feral children. Much like feral children, the monster was abandoned—during the early period of his life—and was placed under extreme circumstances, which he was forced to endure—having to fend for himself. Furthermore, because the monster was placed under extreme isolation—only having contact from a far with the De Lacey and being shunned by them when he chose to reveal himself—he was not able to connect with anyone much like how feral children were unable to connect with other people. With this in mind, it is evident that these factors during the monster’s development plays an important role in his acquisition of certain ideologies. Examining the cases of feral children will provide insights into the essence of human nature, identity, and the impact of experience on human learning (Illes and Murphy 1); these insights can then be implemented into the evaluation of the monster’s overall character. The factors that affected the development of the monster is the key to unlocking why the monster’s nature.

The monster’s ideology—and the actions that have precipitated from it—is the product of the factors of his early development and by understanding these factors the reader will be able to fully understand Frankenstein’s