Sunday, November 10, 2013

Nature Vs. Nurture


            For this blog post I wanted to contemplate the differences between Frankenstein’s creation and Hyde, which I believe to be both very similar but at the same time very different. Both of these novels are science fiction, which right away creates a similarity. Likewise both Dr. Jekyll and Frankenstein are using science to create something new. However in my opinion the main difference arises when you look at the origin of the creature and Hyde’s evil.
            In Frankenstein, Frankenstein is horrified by his creation and grows sick after its “birth.” After doing this amazing thins, creating another species, Frankenstein leaves it. The new creature is at first very gentle. But soon grows to resent his master when it can find no human companion that is not horrified. Finally his rage overcomes him when he finds William. As soon that he learns that he is a Frankenstein he reasons that the boy“ belongs to the enemy” and, “shall be [his] first victim]” (100 Frankenstein). While the creature began his life happy he has been driven to anger and murder because his creator abandoned him and has left his lonely without a companion.
            In comparison, Hyde was created evil. When Dr. Jekyll went looking for the other side of himself he quickly realized that Hyde was his negative side. When Dr. Jekyll would transform into Hyde he was able to commit unspeakable acts without remorse. This was not because something had happened that made him hate the world; it was simply what he was. His evil part of him from the day he was “created.”
            By analyzing these two works, in my opinion, it seems that Frankenstein’s creature became evil because of the way that he was nurtured. However, Hyde was evil because of his nature, nothing occurred to make him innately evil.

My Questions:
1.     Do you disagree with any points that I made above?
2.     Do you think that the time periods that these works were written in make any sort of difference? If so in what way?

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