Max McDowell in his speech What is Nature vs. Nurture? explains that this scientific debate is aimed to find out whether it is genes or environment that makes the person who he/she is. Nature argument is that all the qualities of the person have evolved and depend on genes where these qualities are stored and encoded. On the other hand, one becomes human because of the information he/she receives from the external world (e.g. feelings, words, support, emotional relationship). Thus, nurture argument in this debate refers to experience, knowledge and challenges baby has to face in order to become human.
I support the idea that both genes and environment play serious role in human formation. However, I also believe that the personality of each human being under different circumstances may be influenced by different factors. Thus, some of us may be gifted by nature with the qualities we have, the others gain them and develop during our lives, especially in the young age. I believe that the best genes ever can never make one become a good, responsible, honest person without proper nurture. But even if the baby is brought up by a perfect family in a perfect environment there is almost no possibility to change those qualities and traits of character that are genetically inherited.
We can find evidences of both nature and nurture influences on human personality and how both of these opposites depend on each other in the widely known novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. A good example of the combination of both nature and nurture equally influencing the character is Victor Frankenstein. He is obviously talented, curious, and dedicated by nature, and it is his natural longing to understand principles and laws of human existence. Without these natural qualities he would never reach such a success in his scientific experiments. But we cannot ignore the fact that Victor could use the monster he created for different aims, and who knows how the things would go if he was brought up in a different way by not such a gentle and nice parents in less pleasant environment. The other example is Captain Robert Walton, who was brought up surrounded by wealth and nice manners. But he always dreamt about sea. These were his natural motives and desire to become a sailor, and he could not give them up. Thus, being a wealthy man with an opportunity to live long and happy life in comfort he leaves home and buys a ship to make his dream come true. But even after becoming the sailor Walton cannot get rid of his nurture. Because he was not brought up to be a sailor and to live on the ship Walton feels lonely, he cannot find a friend, a soul mate in the sea unless he meets Victor. Both characters and the motives they are driven by are very interesting to analyze and in general Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a great book to investigate complicated human nature.
Works Cited
McDowell, Max. "What is Nature vs. Nurture?" Online video clip.About.com. About.com, 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
Shelley, Mary. “Frankenstein”. Literature.org: The Online Literature Library. Knowledge Matters Ltd., 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
Young, Abbey. “Nature vs. Nurture in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein”. UT English Lit Major, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
