Describe it:The monster left Frankenstein’s apartment with nothing, but some clothes on. He wandered into the forest and there he began to familiarize with his senses. He was able to distinguish objects in the dark. He learned about how fire can keep you warm, but it can also burn you. In order to keep warm, the monster learns how to keep the fire burning. He searches for berries and nuts because of hunger.
Trace it: Overtime, the monster learns how to speak, read, and write by eavesdropping on his neighbors. He also learned about emotions. Whenever the monster saw his neighbors were sad, he would be sad. Their emotions reflected upon him. The monster would observe their perfect shape and reflect upon it. He learned that he is a ugly creature and there is no other like him. Through his neighbors, he realized that he wanted something more. He wanted to be like them and become accepted.
Map it: This part of Frankenstein relates to Locke’s idea of education. According to Locke, education is based on experience from reflection to sensation. The monster is forced to educate himself through his experience in which he tries to survive human life. It was because of the monster’s sensation of cold that led him to put on clothes and to touch the fire. It is because of his sensation of hunger that he learns how to acquire food to satisfy himself. The monster learns the basics of life through his experience in the woods. His experience with his neighbors significantly builds onto his knowledge. There he learns how of the alphabets, world, politics, status of humans, etc. The monster went from a blank mind to a well educated person through his experiences from reflection to sensation.
