Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Contrary to Victor Frankenstein's perceptions, his creation possesses many similarities with human beings, save outward appearance. In fact, in recounting his tale, the creature reveals himself to have been initially quite like an infant human child. He recalls having great difficulty trying "to distinguish between the operations of my various senses," (Shelley 71). Babies, too, struggle for quite some time to fully develop and distinguish between their senses, especially sight and hearing. Furthermore, the creature, when telling the story of his early life, includes many periods of elongated sleep. This excessive need for slumber coincides with that of a human infant, who sleeps for a large majority of the day. Also, within the creatures anecdote, a frame story within a frame story, he reveals the manner through which he learned about his surroundings and language. Upon discovering a small campfire, the creature witnesses a small breeze fuel it with oxygen into a greater conflagration. He describes how he "observed this and contrived a fan of branches" in order to build the fire up further (Shelley 72). Thus, as human beings do everyday, the creature utilized observational learning to gain knowledge about the world around him. The creature goes on to describe how he observed a small family of three in his attempts at gaining the ability to speak and articulate his feelings. The monster draws upon these many instances of human behavior to try to convince Victor that he was not an abomination upon coming to life, but a soul which "glowed with love and humanity," (Shelley 69). He hopes to demonstrate his true character to Victor so that he, and all of mankind, will accept him lovingly into society.
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