Our personality is what defines us, not our looks. Whether we are caring, intelligent, athletic or even mean, these are the traits that are remembered. But what really creates these traits? How have we become the people we are today? A common debate amongst society, is it nature or nurture? Nature is the biological make-up of your body, which is inherited and cannot be changed. This means that the genes in your body will cause you to look and act in a certain way. Whereas nurture is influenced by your environment, your family, friends and experiences. All of these things will alter the way you act and will affect the person you become in the future. Frankenstein created The Monster, who was then left to discover the world alone. His actions ended up to be very aggressive, especially towards Frankenstein. I believe this was because of the way he was nurtured rather than the variety of genes that he was created from.

Many people may believe that nature forces you into the person you are and this is because your body is physically made up of chromosomes that determine which genes you express. These genes control the traits that will appear, such as your eye colour, height and hair colour. Your physical appearance is controlled by your genes as they are passed down by your parents. However, genes also influence your personality. It is very common for a parent and child to have similar interests or talent. Liz McColgan was a top runner in the world. She placed 2nd in the 10,000-metre race at Seoul Olympics, 1988. Years later, her daughter, Eilish McColgan, became a two time Olympian, whilst holding the Scottish title in the 3000-metre steeplechase.  Thus showing that family can share skills and that these skills you have are due to your genetic make-up. Luckily for the kid, they will inherit skills from both sides of the family. This is why you may have similarities to both your mum and dad and explains why you can excel in multiple areas.

Nurturing is different for everybody, no two people go through the exact same things in life. This is what makes us unique. My twin, Amy and I are very different, even though we have had the same upbringing. Our experiences have still been different. These experiences have changed our perspectives and also our values. For example, I have travelled to Switzerland for ski racing for many years, leaving my family, my friends, my home, behind. This was very challenging but I did it for the love of the sport. Now, after leaving my family behind, I value them much more than I would have if I hadn’t left them. Whereas Amy didn’t have this experience, therefore she chooses to prioritise her friends. When people are born, we are born with no intentions, no right or wrong, no good or bad. It is through the love, loss and opportunities that we come across, that develop our emotions and actions. Nurture is the care and protection we receive, but what if we don’t receive any? This is bound to have an effect on us, right?

This is why I believe that The Monster acted out the way he did. He was rejected from not only his creator but the rest of society. As teenagers, we know, rejection hurts. Rejection stays with you for a long time, impacting what you may or may not do in the future. The Monster was biologically made up from many different humans and this gave him the skill to learn quickly but in my opinion, that was not the factor that defined The Monster. I believe the true definition of who you are, is expressed by how you treat others. The Monster started off pure, reached out to people for help but only got turned away. He tried to be kind but that did not work. Eventually, after no signs of acceptance, after receiving no care and protection, he turned to aggression. This was the only way he could get a response from people, therefore it consumed him. You are only left to wonder, if The Monster was cared for, how different their lives could have been.

I think that it is not either nature or nurture, it’s both. However, I believe that nurture develops you as a human more. Humans are very emotional creatures, our emotions will determine what career path we choose and how we treat other people. Emotions are sensitive, easily changed, easily triggered. These triggers are usually from occurrences in our lives. These can be both good or bad. If we get a compliment, then our confidence will increase.  Maybe we get a pay rise, wouldn’t that be ideal?! All of these things are out of your control, yet have a massive impact on the rest of your life.