It is in Chapter Twelve that the creature relates how he
learnt to talk. This of course comes during his conversation with Frankenstein on the
glacier and occurs during the creature's stay with the De Lacey family. It is through
observing and listening to them that the creature learns the rudiments of speech. Note
what he tells his creator about the process:
"By degrees I made a discover of still greater
moment. I found that these people possessed a method of communicating their experience
and feeligns to one another by articulate sounds. I perceived that the words they spoke
sometimes produced pleasure or pain, smiles or sadness, in the minds and countenances of
the hearers. This was indeed a godlike science, and I ardently desired to become
acquainted with it."
It did
not come easy, but through application and lots of hard work, the creature was able to
learn how to speak through listening in on the conversations of this family and thus
himself was able to master this "godlike science" of communication. Thus it is that he
is able to communicate to Frankenstein at this point in the
novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment