2.4 Writing Portfolio Essay

The enlightenment was a period of time in the late 17th and 18th centuries which saw immense success in the fields of science, philosophy and social development that transformed the world. However, during this radical change, it is easy to forget that not everyone agreed on how society was advancing. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one of the most intelligent philosophers of the 18th century, looked at new ways to understand society, human behaviour and the acquisition of knowledge. He was a Romantic who didn’t always agree with the worship of progress. Instead, he favoured passion, nature and the experience of the individual. Mary Shelley was also an advocate of Romanticism and we can see the influence of Roseau’s theories on Arts & Sciences, Society and Education in her thrilling gothic novel, Frankenstein.

In the novel, Shelley tells the story of a Swiss scientist named Victor Frankenstein who had a great ambition to discover new means of life and death. “I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.” He goes on to create a ghastly creature that comes to life and is horrified by what he had just constructed. Following the creation of the monster, an awful chain of events is swung into action which leads to the destruction of everything Frankenstein loves. In Rousseau’s ‘Discourse on the Arts and Sciences’ (1750) Rousseau argued that the Arts and Sciences had not been in any way beneficial to mankind because they do not satisfy basic human needs, but rather are a result of pride and vanity. It is clear that Shelley was influenced by Rousseau’s theory because Victor’s ambition resulted in everything he loved being destroyed and ultimately his death.

Another example of this is when, at the beginning of the story, an Arctic seafarer named Robert Walton finds Victor on the Arctic Ice and brings him aboard. As Robert is tending for Victor’s health, Victor shares his crazy life story and Victor discovers that Robert is an explorer who had a great ambition to be a pioneer in science; Robert wants to be the first person to set foot on the North Pole. Victor states: “You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been”. Victor realises that Robert also has the ambition to search for understanding and warned him about diving into nature’s secrets. Shelley’s intention here is clearly influenced by Rousseau’s studies on the ‘Arts and Sciences’. She is explaining that both Victor and Robert are obsessed with the desire to accomplish something and be recognised by fellow humans as leaders in their filed. Victor’s quote explains that his desire did not lead to what he wanted and he is warning Robert that the same may happen to him.

“Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the Maker of the World, but degenerates once it gets into the hands of Man.” Rousseau. When sharing the creature’s story, Shelley draws on Rousseau’s ideas whereby individuals are born innocent, free and generally good, but become corrupt by society’s evils. Initially, Shelley depicts the creature as generous, helpful and naive. Even after being rejected by Victor, the creature still clung to its “happy and excellent nature” and sought comfort and love from its creator with a big grin on its face. When the creature lives alone, it had to think about its most basic of needs like food, shelter and warmth. It was satisfied with eating nuts and berries it found and appreciated nature noticing how beautiful the birdsong was. “Man’s first feeling was that of his own existence and his first care that of self-preservation. The produce of the earth furnished him with all he needed, and instinct told him how to use it.”  Rousseau. The creature then instinctively searches for companionship as most life does which results in the creature discovering the De Lacey family. He observes the family and tries to copy their behaviours to reflect their kindness and consideration for one another. The creature sees that the family does not have much food, so he obtains from stealing from them and satisfies himself with more nuts, roots and berries. Like Rousseau suggested, the creature exhibited good traits in its natural state. However, all of this changed when the De Lacey family beats and chases him after he tries to seek company. This is a turning point in the creature’s attitude towards man and society. The creature was judged on his appearance, size and monstrous looks once again which resulted in him turning into the monster which society saw it as in the first place. Despite the creature being born ‘good’, it was responsible for many violent actions. Its rejection and alienation from society explain its violent behaviour. It was rejected by everyone it came into contact with and struggled to find a sense of community and family which resulted in the creature becoming evil. “I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.”

After the creature is deserted by its creator, it is left to fend for itself where it acquires knowledge through observation and discovery. Rousseau believed that the earth provided everything that man needed and instinct told him how to use it. When the creature first discovers and observes fire, it reached in and touches it, only yo pull back quickly in pain. “In my joy, I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain.” The creature. Rousseau beloved that we can develop the intellect by observation and Shelley exemplifies this in the creature’s learning journey. The creature realised that the fire was hot and painful when touched so it learned not to touch it again but also discovered that fire meant warmth so it was a useful tool. The creature was lonely and wanted to find companionship. It realised it would have to learn to communicate to have to connect with humans. It did this by learning how to speak, by listening to the De Lacey family through a chink in a wall at their cottage. It is clear that Shelley is showing that the creature is learning how Rousseau believed children should learn in his philosophical book on education ‘Emile’. “Let children learn from their real experience of attempting to satisfy their real needs in the natural world.” Rousseau. 

In addition, the creature even learns to read when he finds three abandoned books outside the cottage: Plutarch’s Lives, Paradise Lost and The Sorrows of Werter. These three books point to three major thems in the novel and all bring in Rousseau’s influence on Shelley’s ideas. Plutarch’s Lives is about extraordinary men in history, which reminds us that the creature only exists because of Frankenstein’s ambition to be great. The Sorrows of Werter is the story about the alienation of a young man, which empathises the alienation of both the creature and Frankenstein. Paradise Lost, the most important of the three, tells the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, centring around Satan’s ambition and alienation from god. The creature compares himself to both Adam and Satan bleeding himself as both human and demonic. Like Adam, I was created apparently united by no link to any other being in existence, but many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me.”

Throughout Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. we see hat her intentions with the story are clearly influenced by the philosophical studies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Shelley writes that being ambitious does not necessarily bring rewards and that progress in the Arts and Sciences may lead us away from virtue. She draws upon Rousseau’s ‘State of Nature’ idea that when we live as an isolated individual, we are vigorous, healthy and moral. We are governed by self-love and compassion. We learn from nature, not from men or things or books. “We think that we need our modern society, but it is civilisation that produces our ailments.” Rousseau. Ultimately Rousseau believed that humans are basically good but society puts ‘chains’ around us which leads to corruption, moral decadence and social depravity. Shelley tells a story of a monster that did not choose to be born, that was naturally good and tries its best to live peacefully but because society linked its ugly physical appearance with being evil and savage, it slowly turned into the evil creature society saw it as in the first place.