In Rousseau’s, Emile, he expresses his belief in achieving an education from “nature, from men, or from other things.” He finds that “the object of our study is man and his environment (2).” Rousseau genuinely believes that we learn by reasoning and experiencing the world for ourselves, freely. In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein we also see this theme. Just based off of chapters 11 and 12, we see that the monster is able to speak and interact with humans. In this chapter, the monster explains how he has come to gain an education and it was all from nature, men and other things.

When the monster leaves Frankenstein’s apartment, he learns how to do everything on his own in order to survive. In chapter 11, the monster describes how it was like living free from any type of control. He learns different sensations, “[he] saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before [he] learned to distinguish between the operations of [his] various senses (11).” Rousseau pointed out that nature isn’t in our control, like our bodies when it comes to hunger or feelings. The monster, living on his own realized this when he felt “tormented by hunger and thirst” and satisfied this by “[eating] some berries which [he] found hanging on the trees or lying on the ground (11).”It is also natural to feel tired after a certain amount of time, the monster feels this and learns to “shut [his] eyes” in order to feel better. When you sleep, you also want to be comfortable and warm, which is why he came up with the idea to “cover [himself] with some clothes.” By living in the wilderness, he “[finds] that [he] could wander on at liberty, with no obstacles which [he] could not either surmount or avoid (11).”The monster had the opportunity to wander in nature and experience his surroundings where he learns how to find food to satisfy his hunger, find shelter for protection, and find clothes to warm him.

In chapter 12, the monster explains his experience with humans. While he was in the wilderness, he found a family living in a small cottage. This is where he was able to observe their every move. Everyday the monster watched each person’s reactions and paid “close attention, that [he] might more speedily master the language (12).” One day he witnessed “their unhappiness” and ended up being “deeply affected by it (12).” After a while, he was able to “comprehend and could imitate almost every word that was spoken.” Through men, “[he] also learned the science of letters as it was taught to the stranger, and this opened before [him] a wide field for wonder and delight.” By observing them everyday, he received knowledge that many learn in schools. He received education through man, which completes Rousseau’s theory on education being achieved through nature, men and other things.

The monster had to learn everything on his own, without a parent or guardian guiding him. Rousseau believed that education could be attained through nature, man or other things. In this story, the monster had to use all three to get as far as has gotten. Through nature and experience, the monster learned how to feed himself, clothe himself and protect himself. Through observing this family, he was able to learn how to speak and interact with others. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein proves Rousseau’s theory to be true.