Humanity in Frankenstein

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When night came again I found, with pleasure, that the fire gave light as well as heat and that the discovery of this element was useful to me in my food, for I found some of the offals that the travelers had left had been roasted and tasted much more savory than the berries I gathered from the trees. I tried, therefore, to dress my food, in the same manner, placing it on the live embers. I found that the berries were spoiled by this operation, and the nuts and roots much improved.” (115)

Fire gave the creature heat, and he realized that when you sit by a fire you warm up, but getting too close to a fire causes pain. Not only did he figure out that fire produces heat he found that fire helps food. He basically figured out how to cook. Although the creature will not be cooking up a Thanksgiving meal anytime soon, he has the ability to make his food taste much, much better. However, Frankenstein has the same outgoing questions about the world, “It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or in it highest sense, the physical secrets of the world,” (Shelley, 42). Just like the monster, Frankenstein wants to learn about the secrets of the world. Although Frankenstein is studying on a more advanced level than the creature they still have their similarities.

Humanity can be interpreted in many different ways. Everyone has their own personal beliefs and ideologies that is what makes humanity so interesting. If there are so many scientific reasons for what makes a human a human; why do I say humanity is the ability to ask questions? A question is always the beginning. In fact the only way we can find the answer of humanity is asking the question, what is humanity. It’s not only asking questions, but pursuing knowledge, allowing yourself to find the answer on your own. Yes there are times where you find yourself asking for help, but that’s life. The creature was put into a complicated world on his own. He had to find his own Identity in an environment that one can very easily lose their identity. In order for the creature to find his identity he had to look. He started by learning how the world works, then transitioned into studying human emotions, languages, and customs. Throughout the Frankenstein unit, I learned that humanity meant more than having emotion or having a family. We watched TED talks and had class discussions about the question: “what is humanity?” I learned that animals have a sense of right and wrong and feel empathy; they have the same neuron cells as humans; they have partners, and they teach each other. So, if we share so many traits with animals, what makes us human? According to a TED talk by Carl Safina, humans possess humanity because our traits are simply more extreme. However, instead of just being extreme, I looked at it as what sets us apart from animals. I came up with not only pursuing knowledge, but also being able to answer your own questions. We can find out who we are by asking questions, and if who we are consists of empathy, compassion, and sympathy then you will figure that out once you ask enough questions to get you there.

I identify with Frankenstein more than the creature because I run away from my mistakes. In the book, Frankenstein is afraid of his creation, and he made a hideous creature that no one will admire; he made a mistake. Instead of fixing his mistake he ran away. Frankenstein is a coward when he makes a mistake, so cowardly it causes him to run a way, “I feared every turning of the street would present to my view. I did not dare return to the apartment which I inhabited but felt impelled to hurry on” (60). Once Frankenstein created his creature he realized it wasn’t what he had hoped it would be. Instead of a creature that looks up to Frankenstein as a god, it was a disgusting “thing” that disobeyed any, and all commands. He was afraid of the creature and what would come out of his creation. Although I may not have as extreme of a problem that Frankenstein has, I would do the same thing. I would run away from a mistake like that because I run away from small mistakes already. For example when I break an item in my house I often wait until my parents find out about it, instead of owning up to it right away. When we think of running away from a mistake we see it through a negative lens. I don’t think of it as a negative trait because it’s a way for people to not accept failure, and always push yourself to success.

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