Mary Shelley’s characters obtain their education in a fashion like the principles of Jean-Jacque Rousseau in his book Emile. The creature’s discovering of knowledge reflects Jean-Jacque Rousseau principles of education and development. Through observing the creature’s education, the principles of Rousseau contribute an explanation for the violence the creature showed towards Victor. Mary Shelley’s character Elizabeth also mirrors Rousseau's principles of education for women, producing an explanation for the anticipation of Elizabeth as Victor’s bride. Rousseau argues that the young children should spend time in nature, not learning verbal or moral instruction, but instead learning to develop senses and physical qualities. Mary Shelley creates
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Mary Shelley reflects Rousseau’s ideas of self-love, amour de soi and amour-propre, a natural self-love such as instincts for survival and the self-love created by relationships. The creature’s amour de soi, his natural self-love, shows similarities to the rest of the characters because he desires to protect himself. “After my late dearly bought experience, I dared not enter” (page 109) shows the creature’s desire to protect himself from harm because he knows that his last interaction from entering a house hurt him. The creature’s amour-propre differs from the rest of the characters because of his inability to develop positive relations with people, only negative and harmful relationships. The murders the creature commits later in the novel Mary Shelley attributes to the education of the creature and development of his amour-propre, confirming the educational principles of Rousseau. The developed self-love, amour-propre, if positively created, can contribute to human freedom. However, if the relationships do not create the self-love positively, the result can be a source of misery or vice in the person. The development of creature’s amour-propre begins with his interaction with the townspeople where he was “grievously bruised by stones and many other missile weapons” (page 109). This initial interaction with people does not fully deteriorate the creature’s amour-propre, because the creature remains naturally good, a state Rousseau argues everyone begins
Mary Shelley reflects Rousseau’s ideas of self-love, amour de soi and amour-propre, a natural self-love such as instincts for survival and the self-love created by relationships. The creature’s amour de soi, his natural self-love, shows similarities to the rest of the characters because he desires to protect himself. “After my late dearly bought experience, I dared not enter” (page 109) shows the creature’s desire to protect himself from harm because he knows that his last interaction from entering a house hurt him. The creature’s amour-propre differs from the rest of the characters because of his inability to develop positive relations with people, only negative and harmful relationships. The murders the creature commits later in the novel Mary Shelley attributes to the education of the creature and development of his amour-propre, confirming the educational principles of Rousseau. The developed self-love, amour-propre, if positively created, can contribute to human freedom. However, if the relationships do not create the self-love positively, the result can be a source of misery or vice in the person. The development of creature’s amour-propre begins with his interaction with the townspeople where he was “grievously bruised by stones and many other missile weapons” (page 109). This initial interaction with people does not fully deteriorate the creature’s amour-propre, because the creature remains naturally good, a state Rousseau argues everyone begins