Analogy of Nature vs Nurture
Psychology
The Human Genome Project, which has attracted its fair share of controversy, set out in the early 1990s to map all 25,000 genes of the human genome ("About"). The hope was that such discoveries would provide a roadmap to the specific genes which could "allow us to accurately predict who will develop heart disease, become violent, or become homosexual" (Young). Psychologists, however, have countered this process by pointing out the importance of environmental factors to overall social development. Professor Robert Plomin of the Institute of Psychiatry in London says that "individual differences in complex traits are due at least as much to environmental influences as they are to genetic influences" (qtd. in Young). This is, in essence, a modern-day battle of nature versus nurture. In Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein the conflict is perfectly encapsulated in the character of the monster; is he inherently evil and bloodthirsty, or did harsh societal treatment force him to be that way? It is an age-old question, still yet to be solved. However, through her writing and characterization it becomes clear that the monster began life as fresh and innocent as a regular newborn baby. He only became a true "monster" in the archetypal sense after enduring hatred and isolation at the hands of the humans he so longed to be. He is, in effect, nurtured into being the murderer that he becomes.
Despite his unnatural birth, Frankenstein 's creation still exudes the freshness and naivety of a young child discovering things for the first time. The prime example of this is his discovery of fire: "I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars...in my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain" (Shelley 89). He obviously has no life experiences to guide his actions and spends his first few weeks investigating and trying to understand the world around him, much like a newborn would. He even says that "no distinct
The Human Genome Project, which has attracted its fair share of controversy, set out in the early 1990s to map all 25,000 genes of the human genome ("About"). The hope was that such discoveries would provide a roadmap to the specific genes which could "allow us to accurately predict who will develop heart disease, become violent, or become homosexual" (Young). Psychologists, however, have countered this process by pointing out the importance of environmental factors to overall social development. Professor Robert Plomin of the Institute of Psychiatry in London says that "individual differences in complex traits are due at least as much to environmental influences as they are to genetic influences" (qtd. in Young). This is, in essence, a modern-day battle of nature versus nurture. In Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein the conflict is perfectly encapsulated in the character of the monster; is he inherently evil and bloodthirsty, or did harsh societal treatment force him to be that way? It is an age-old question, still yet to be solved. However, through her writing and characterization it becomes clear that the monster began life as fresh and innocent as a regular newborn baby. He only became a true "monster" in the archetypal sense after enduring hatred and isolation at the hands of the humans he so longed to be. He is, in effect, nurtured into being the murderer that he becomes.
Despite his unnatural birth, Frankenstein 's creation still exudes the freshness and naivety of a young child discovering things for the first time. The prime example of this is his discovery of fire: "I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars...in my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain" (Shelley 89). He obviously has no life experiences to guide his actions and spends his first few weeks investigating and trying to understand the world around him, much like a newborn would. He even says that "no distinct
Cited: "About the Human Genome Project." Human Genome Project Information. 15 Oct. 2008. U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. 11 March 2009. Popenoe, David. Life Without Fathers. 2000. Mensightmagazine.com. 2000. 10 March 2009. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. New York: Bantam Books, 1818. Young, Emma. "Nature versus Nurture." BBC News. 30 May, 2000. 10 March, 2009.