Nature and nurture

The constant debate regarding the value of nature and nurture lies at the heart of Shelley’s text. Through the Creature’s journey, Shelley works to challenge her readership to consider whether they will allow their innate qualities (nature), or environmental factors (nurture) to shape who they become. Initially, when the Creature is abandoned and he finds himself observing the De Lacey family, he is shown to be able to express emotions including those of compassion, sympathy, and happiness. It is these qualities, and the desire for companionship he demonstrates, that suggest that the Creature did have an innate capacity to successfully exist within human society. It is only when the Creature is exposed to the barbarity of mankind that his monstrous characteristics are unearthed. We have to question whether, if treated in a similar manner to the Creature, we would react in the same monstrous way, or whether such treatment only served to reveal the Creature’s true nature.