Nature vs. Nurture
Frankenstein's monster learns how to live by observing a family through a peep hole. The family's name is the DeLacey's and they are Frankenstein's monsters neighbors. Although this is pretty creepy to watch them all day, he learns most things about a normal human life. They have all kinds of conversations, leading to different expressions being used such as the emotions of mourning, joy, and anger. Frankenstein's monster learns all of these basic emotions. Through associating their actions with their tone and speech, he also learns how to speak. This helps him develop skills needed to understand what is happening in their personal lives. The next thing that is learned by him is how to read. He does this by hearing them reading out loud and putting the pieces together. The DeLacey's taught Frankenstein's monster all the foundations of life, which he would not have gotten otherwise due to the fact Victor Frankenstein abandoned him.
Frankenstein's monster has the tendency of rage because of his nurture. He was born with a tender heart, as shown when he saves someone from being killed by fire. His lack of upbringing by Victor Frankenstein leaves him wandering the woods and eventually into a hovel watching a family to learn basic functions of life. After his experience of reading Paradise Lost, his rage begins.
Rejection, abandonment, and isolation play a role in Frankenstein's monsters life by creating a sort of resentment in his heart. After reading Paradise Lost, he learns about his situation. He learns that Victor Frankenstein abandoned him and left him to live on his own, making him angry, an emotion he learned from the DeLacey's. He hates the fact that he was neglected by his creator and thrown into isolation. I feel sympathy for Frankenstein's monster in the fact that he had to learn life on his own, but that is no reason to go around killing innocent people. Victor Frankenstein's brother had no idea that Victor created life in the form of a monster. His only reason for getting strangled to death is his bloodline, which is not a good reason. The monster's resentment led to the murder of 2 people, which could have been avoided if the monster knew that his past can not be changed.
Word Count: 379
