Miranda Leigh Cooper

Mrs. Pierce
English IV

Nature Vs. Nurture

Nature versus nurture is an everlasting argument about the effect on biology and social
interactions on a certain individual or character in a novel. Many novels involve the idea of
nature versus nurture and the two novels that I have chosen are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bront. This paper will go in depth about the idea of nature
versus nurture in the main characters lives.

In nature versus nurture, the nature side argues that people are shaped by their
upbringing, and by their genetics and biology. The nurture side however, argues that our life
experiences, our communication with others, or our social interactions, determine who we are
and how we behave. A very simple example of the nature versus nurture argument is men versus
women. Are men and women different because of factors such as physical appearance or
hormones or are they different because of the way they were raised and taught? Yes, men and
women are different because of both physical appearances and social interactions or their
upbringings. But for some reason, people can only argue one side or the other.

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein is another great example of nature versus nurture.

Frankenstein is basically a big story inside of another story and starts off with a man named
Robert Walton who is on a mission back to England to visit his sister. Waltons mission is

running smoothly in the beginning, before it comes to a sudden stop due to an ice storm. While
on break, Walton is approached by a man named Victor Frankenstein, who says that he has been
travelling by a dog-drawn sled. Victor appears to be weakened by the cold so Walton takes him
aboard to try and nourish him back to health, which is where Victor shares his story.

Victor Frankenstein starts off his story by describing his early life in Geneva. And after a
childhood with his adopted sister and his best friend Henry Clerval, Victor decides to go study
chemistry and natural philosophy at the university of Ingolstadt. While in his studies, he
develops an interest in finding the secret of life and after years of research, he is determined that
he has found the answer. Victor spends months collecting human body parts to create this being
that is later referred to as the Creature. One stormy night, Victor is able to bring life to the
Creature through the science of galvanism or the power of electrical currents and only then
realizes the monstrosity that he has created. Victor gets flustered and flees into the streets,
wandering and eventually bumping into his old friend Henry, who came to study at the university
as well. Victor invites Henry back to his apartment only to find that the Creature has disappeared.

Before going back to Geneva, he receives a letter from his father, stating that his
youngest brother has been murdered. He returns home as quickly as possible and decides to
investigate the area of his brothers murder. While doing so, he caught a glimpse of the Creature
and is convinced that his brothers murder was the Creatures fault. When arriving back home,
Victor finds out that Justine Moritz, who was adopted into the Frankenstein family, has been
accused of Williams murder. But not only is she accused, but executed as well. Victor feels
guilty, knowing that Justine was innocent and that the Creature that he had created, is the one
actually responsible.

Victor flees to the mountains and one day, while he was trudging along on a glacier, the
Creature approaches him and admits to killing William. The Creature begs for understanding and
explains that he felt lonely and neglected, and that he only killed William because he wanted to
get back at Victor. The Creature then proceeds to beg Victor for a partner, for a monster equally
as monstrous as him. Victor is repulsed by the thought of another creature, but agrees to making
another one anyway. Victor goes back to England and with the help of his friend Henry, begins
his quest on making a female companion for the Creature. Once he has gathered enough
information, he leaves and secludes himself on a desolate island in the Orkneys and unwillingly
begins working on the female companion for the Creature. While working late one night, he
notices the Creature peering creepily at him from outside. Victor is overwhelmed by the
possibilities and the consequences he could face if creating another creature, so he destroys the
one that was in the works. The Creature witnesses this and threatens Victor, saying that he will be
there on his wedding night.

When trying to dispose of the parts he had created and then destroyed, his boat is washed
up on the shore of an unknown town. Once on land, Victor is charged with murder and then
continues to deny it, not knowing what his accusers were even talking about. Victor is shown the
body and is unsettled when finding out that it was his best friend Henry Clerval. He notices the
scratches on Henrys neck and comes to the conclusion that they belonged to the Creature. Victor
is taken and kept at prison until he has fully recovered from falling ill. He is free from all charges
and leaves again for Geneva with his father. While in Geneva, he marries Elizabeth and is also
fearful of the Creatures threat to him. Victor sends Elizabeth away, wanting to keep her away
from any drama that might unfold. While waiting for the Creature, Victor is met by the scream of

his new bride, Elizabeth. Only then did he realize that the Creature had originally threatened to
kill her and not him. Victor returns home to his father, who dies from grief shortly after his
arrival. From that moment on, Victor vows to spend the rest of his days in search for the
Creature, wanting to find him and enact revenge for all of the killings he had done. Victor bumps
into the Creature and begins chasing him while on his dogsled, but the ice below and between
them breaks and separates them before he could reach him. Which brings us back to the
beginning of the story, where Walton saves Victor and brings him aboard onto his ship. Victors
illness becomes worse and he eventually dies. Walton is shocked one night to come across the
Creature weeping over Victors dead body. The Creature tells Walton that without his Creator,
there is nothing left for him. So he retreats back into the ice and dies.

Victor specifically describes his parents as devoted and tender. As a child, his mother
and father were both very supportive and accepting towards him. Immediately, we recognize that
Victors issue was not his nurturing, but his nature. Victors ancestors had been counsellors and
syndics, or government officials or leaders. He had a thirst to be like them, he had a thirst for
power and popularity, which became clear when he came up with the idea of making the
Creature. Victor wanted to play God and he wanted to create and bring life to a being, when it
was not in his place to do so. After bringing life to the Creature, Victor is resentful towards him
and locks him away, which is where the Creatures nurturing comes into play. Victor just
expected all of his problems to go away by locking the Creature up but in reality, it just caused
more madness. He is neglectful towards the Creature and treats him terribly, which resulted in
the Creatures behavior. The Creature does not start out as evil. It is just his mistakes and
wrongdoings and the way in which he was treated that developed his sense of bad behavior. If
you think about it, the Creature can be compared to an animal. When someone adopts an animal,

it can be expected that they will spend time with it and train it. But if this person were to just
lock away this animal, like the way Victor locked up the Creature, it can be expected that it
would rebel and act out, like the way the Creature did. It was not the Creatures fault that he was
made and it was not his fault that he acted the way that he did. He was sent into the world and
expected to know everything. The Creature had no one to teach him right from wrong, he had no
one to correct his wrong doings and he had no one to punish him for his wrong doings. So we
recognize that the Creatures issue was not his nature, but his nurturing.

Wuthering Heights starts off with the narrator, Lockwood, arriving at Wuthering Heights,
requesting to rent the nearby manor, Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff invites him in and develops
a curiosity for him. A snowstorm forces Lockwood to stay the night at Wuthering Heights, where
a few strange things take place. In the night, Lockwood is visited by a ghost named Catherine
Linton. Once Lockwood is settled into his new home, he invites Nelly Dean over to the story of
what went on in Wuthering Heights. Nelly explains that she started working for the Earnshaws
when she was just a little girl. She remembers everything being fine in the house until Mr.
Earnshaw takes a trip to Liverpool and returns with an orphan boy named Heathcliff. Catherine
Earnshaw, Mr. Earnshaws daughter, accepts the boy and Hindley Earnshaw, Mr. Earnshaws son,
resents him and treats him terribly. Catherine becomes attached to him and Hindleys hatred for
him only grows. But when Hindley leaves Wuthering Heights for school, Catherine and
Heathcliff are left alone to adventure around the moor. When Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley returns
with his wife Francis, who also dies but only after giving birth to their son Hareton. After losing
his wife, Hindley becomes even more resentful towards Heathcliff and even resents his own son.

Catherine admits her love for Heathcliff to Nelly but marries Edgar Linton instead,
because of his social status. Heathcliff flees Wuthering Heights for some unknown reason and no
one knows exactly where he ran off to, but when he returns, he finds Catherine and Edgar living
together in the Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff, with the money he collected while away,
purchases the ownership of Wuthering Heights from Hindley. And to acquire Edgars ownership
of Thrushcross Grange, Heathcliff marries Isabella Linton, Edgars younger sister. A heated
argument between Heathcliff and Edgar puts Catherine in her sickbed and she never really
recovers from it, but she does give birth to a daughter also named Catherine, but most of the time
referred to as Cathy. Catherine dies and puts Heathcliff in a deep state of depression. Isabella
leaves Heathcliff and goes to London where she gives birth to a son named Linton. Nelly stays at
Thrushcross Grange to help Edgar raise Cathy, who is just like her mother in the aspect of
wanting to explore Wuthering Heights. She sneaks off from home and finds herself at Wuthering
Heights.

Isabella eventually dies and Linton moves in with Edgar at Thrushcross Grange. When
Heathcliff finds out that Linton is his son, he demands that he lives with him instead. Linton and
Cathy become inseparable and begin sending each other secret love letters, since they were now
living apart. Linton becomes apart of Heathcliffs plan to own Thrushcross Grange. He imprisons
Nelly and Cathy and forces Linton to marry her. Shortly after, Linton and Edgar both die, leaving
Heathcliff with the ownership of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Nellys story
ends with that and Lockwood is not as fascinated with Heathcliff as he once was. Lockwood
spends his time at Thrushcross Grange and then leaves to return back to London. After a few
months of being there, he returns to visit Nelly, who updates him on the story. Hareton and Cathy
grow closer while Heathcliff becomes oblivious to the world around him. He stops eating and

sleeping and dies while wandering the moors. After Heathcliffs death, Hareton and Cathy inherit
both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.

Catherine Earnshaw is described as a very lively character. She is described as someone

who is always laughing and singing and playing around. The entire Earnshaw family is described
like that, so that side of Catherine could be considered to be apart of her nature. The Linton
family was described as civil, they held themselves above everyone else and they were very well
respected. After spending time with the Lintons, Catherines entire demeanor changed. The
Lintons lifestyle was so different compared to the Earnshaws. Catherine spent so much time
with them that she conformed to their way of living. Catherine allowed herself to be shaped by
their way of thinking. Her first offense was when Heathcliff was being picked on and she did not
stand up for him the way that she had used to. Instead, she made a rude remark about him
herself. Throughout the story, there are many cases where she wants to be nice Heathcliff, where
she wants to fix her mistakes with him, but her desire to be like the Lintons pushes that side of
her back.

There are still many arguments concerning the topic of nature versus nurture with
Heathcliff. When Heathcliff was brought into the Earnshaw family, he was young and everything
about him was very moldable. Heathcliff would not have acted the way that he did and he would
not have said many of the things that he did if it was not for his childhood with the Earnshaws. It
was Heathcliffs nurturing that made him into the person that he was. Heathcliff was treated like
an outcast by Hindley and the only person that he found hope in was Catherine, and after she
turned on him, it could be understood why he became the person that he did. He never really did
trust anyone after her.