In Mary shelly’s Frankenstein, the monsters evolution greatly illustrates many of Jean-Jacques Rousseau theories on education-more specifically the significance of education acquired through nature. While abandoned and left to his own devices , the monster used what he learned through the nature of his body and the nature of society to navigate through the world.
Freedom to Enlightenment
Immanuel Kant believes that one cannot reach enlightenment until one is free, in a sense freedom allows learning. Kant defines freedom as, “[the ability] make public use of one’s reason in all matters” (Kant 2). Freedom gives one the opportunity to explore, be curious of what surrounds them, and practice their own judgement. Freedom in a way is a pathway to learning. However, being bound to land, law, or society, it prevents one from achieving enlightenment.
With Kant’s idea in mind, Frederick Douglass has achieved enlightenment or became enlightened in his journey to freedom. In his journey from the plantation, to Baltimore, and lastly to freedom, Douglass has made small strides to enlightenment. At the plantation, Douglass was wiped and mistreated if he were to misbehave: “I was seldom whipped—and never severely—by my old master. I suffered little from the treatment I received, except from hunger and cold” (Douglass 45). He is bounded to the authority of his master, and is given no freedom. This is Douglass’ lowest level of intelligence. He knows nothing but cruelty, a little bit of kindness, and that he doesn’t want to live. But when Douglass moves to Baltimore, he is given a taste of freedom and could say that, “A city slave is almost a free citizen, in Baltimore, compared with a slave on Col. Lloyd’s plantation” (Douglass 53). In his stay in Baltimore, he was far more curious and intelligent. He has the desire to learn to read and write, and he knows the truth of slavery. In Baltimore, “[Douglass] awakened within me a slumbering train of vital thought” (Douglass 53). His little bit of freedom started the train of thought accelerating him towards enlightenment. Years later, Kant would agree that Frederick Douglass became free and enlightened. Kant defines freedom as the ability to act on your own basis and we can see that when Douglass responds to attackers: “[workers] ventured to strike me, whereupon I picked him up, and threw him into the dock” (Douglass 112). No longer does Douglass accept the oppression from society, Douglass reacts to it. Douglass now capable of thought, and living life not bound by the chains society or a master.
While Frederick Douglass’ narrative was his story from slavery to freedom. Looking at the text in Kant’s perspective, it can also be seen as a story of Frederick Douglass achieving enlightenment.
Thesis Statement (Robert)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley demonstrates why man must not interfere with the role that nature has in creating life. Jean-Jacque Rousseau writes in “Emile: or A Treatise on Education” that nature is one of our three masters of education; it gives us life and it is what helps us grow physically from newborns to adults. If we decide to interfere with the education of nature, we run the risk of a creating a being that may not be what we hoped for. Our creation could eventually lead to our downfall.
Experiences and Common Sense
Education is not solely based on books but also experiences which also affiliates with common sense. The human mind is born with reasoning in which accentuates on sensation and reflection.
Skewed Goodness
Mary Shelley uses Rousseau’s three influences on education – nature, man, and things – to also support Rousseau’s theory of one’s natural potential for goodness by showcasing the different degrees of impact that each has on the individual, experience (things) being the most, through the monster in her novel, Frankenstein. Abandoned by his creator, the monster’s potential for goodness becomes questionable as his education becomes skewed due to what he learns from his experiences.
By understanding Locke’s theory that education is better received through experience rather than institution, we can better understand the characters in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Locke’s theory makes it easier for us to understand how the different types of education Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster received contributed to their overall knowledge of the world and their downfall.
Thesis statement
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus concedes Rousseau’s idea that humans naturally have the potential to be good if society does not apply corrupting influence on them. The monster in Frankenstein demonstrates the importance of education by man and by things as stated in Emile.
Building On One’s Education
Obtaining as much knowledge as one can and gaining an education doesn’t just come from books and teachers, but from ourselves also, as expressed by Rousseau in Emile who believed in the importance of being free and relying on nature and experience in order to find truth for ourselves, this is also expressed in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, when the creature had to live and learn on his own in the world.
Getting around Education
The best way to get around education is through personal experiences such as “sensations” and “reflections” which are expressed in John Locke’s “Human Understanding” and utilized in Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein”
Experience is more important
Although knowledge attains from books can be useful, knowledge gains from experience is more practical and flexible as stated in Locke’s essay that education is based on experience from reflection and sensation. In addition, Mary Shelly’s monster in Frankenstein reinforces this idea by illustrating how the monster quickly adopts to the human culture by exploring and experimenting his surrounding.