Frankenstein

Nature vs Nurture in Frankenstein6 key quotes across the novel.

How the Creature's descent from "benevolent and good" into a "fiend" raises the question of whether monsters are born or made.

All Nature vs Nurture Quotes

“Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room”
Victor FrankensteinChapter 5
ResponsibilityNature vs Nurture

Context: Moments after the Creature awakens, Victor flees from his own creation rather than caring for it.

Analysis

The verb "rushed" captures Victor's instinctive flight, dramatising his refusal to confront his "duties" as a creator. By abandoning "the being I had created" at the very moment of its birth, Victor enacts a catastrophic failure of parental responsibility. Shelley suggests the Creature's eventual violence stems directly from this initial neglect and rejection.

Language Techniques:

Active verbMoral dictionForeshadowing

Exam Tip

Strong evidence that Victor, not the Creature, is the morally responsible party. Use for the theme of responsibility and parenthood.

“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend”
The CreatureChapter 10
Nature vs NurtureMonstrosityIsolation

Context: The Creature explains to Victor how rejection and suffering have corrupted his originally gentle nature.

Analysis

The blunt antithesis between "benevolent and good" and "fiend" dramatises the central nature-vs-nurture debate: the Creature is not born evil but made so by "misery". The causal structure ("misery made me") shifts responsibility onto society and Victor for his transformation. Shelley argues that monstrousness is created by cruelty and exclusion, not by birth.

Language Techniques:

AntithesisCausal structureFirst-person testimony

Exam Tip

The single most important quote for nature vs nurture. Note the continuation: "Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous."

“I am malicious because I am miserable”
The CreatureChapter 17
RevengeIsolationNature vs Nurture

Context: The Creature argues that his violence is a direct result of his rejection by humankind.

Analysis

The causal link between "malicious" and "miserable" reframes the Creature's cruelty as the symptom of suffering rather than innate evil. The parallel construction and shared alliteration bind cause and effect tightly together, making his logic feel inescapable. Shelley uses it to challenge the reader's easy judgement of who deserves blame.

Language Techniques:

Causal structureAlliterationParallelism

Exam Tip

Use to argue the Creature is sympathetic and that society creates monsters. Pairs with "misery made me a fiend".

“Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded”
The CreatureChapter 10
IsolationNature vs Nurture

Context: The Creature describes watching human happiness from which he is permanently shut out.

Analysis

The superlative isolation of "I alone" and the finality of "irrevocably excluded" capture the absoluteness of the Creature's loneliness. The contrast between universal "bliss" and his singular exclusion intensifies the pathos of his outsider status. Shelley presents isolation as the root cause that warps his benevolent nature.

Language Techniques:

ContrastAdverb of finalityPathos

Exam Tip

Key quote for isolation. The Creature's exclusion from human society explains, though does not excuse, his later revenge.

“a pretty present for my Victor”
Elizabeth LavenzaChapter 1
ResponsibilityNature vs Nurture

Context: Victor recalls his mother presenting the young Elizabeth to him as a child.

Analysis

The noun "present" and the possessive "my Victor" objectify Elizabeth, reducing her to a gift or possession to be owned. This early framing establishes the patriarchal, idealised role she will occupy throughout the novel. Shelley subtly critiques how women are positioned as passive objects within the domestic sphere.

Language Techniques:

ObjectificationPossessive pronounForeshadowing

Exam Tip

Use for the presentation of women and the critique of patriarchy. Elizabeth is "given" to Victor, framing her as property from the start.

“I bitterly feel the want of a friend”
Robert WaltonChapter 2
IsolationNature vs Nurture

Context: Walton confesses his loneliness on the expedition in a letter to his sister Margaret.

Analysis

The adverb "bitterly" conveys the acute pain of Walton's isolation, while the longing for "a friend" foreshadows his bond with Victor. His loneliness humanises his ambition and parallels the Creature's own desperate need for companionship. Shelley presents the universal human need for connection across both narratives.

Language Techniques:

Emotive adverbFrame narrativeParallelism

Exam Tip

Use for isolation and the desire for companionship — the same need the Creature voices. Connects the frame narrator to the central tragedy.

Explore More Frankenstein Themes

Browse quotes by theme across the whole novel, or view the full set of characters.

Ambition and KnowledgeNatureIsolationResponsibilityMonstrosityRevenge
All Frankenstein QuotesPractice with English Genie