Peenitbut

Sheri Peenitbut
Prof. Jon Beadle
English 113B
30 March 2016
Nature vs. Nurture
Choosing between two ideas can be a tough decision. Deciding whether to choose
societys perspective or our own perspective, which is a decision that is part of our personality.
In the novel Every Day by David Levithan, the two main characters encounter this problem of
conforming to societys ideas. A and Rhiannon would have to choose between nature and
nurture. Nature, where they follow societys ideas versus nurture by going against what is
accepted socially. Choosing nurture ultimately gives A and Rhiannon more individual freedom
and allows them to grow as individuals.
Nature is what is accepted in society. A is a soul that has to wake up everyday in a
different body but has his/her own memories, this is his/hers nature. Even though A has his/her
own memories, A still can adopt the memories of the body that he/she is currently in so there
wouldnt be any suspicion. Knowing that A can be in a body for only one day, he/she is concern
for what will happen the next day. A doesnt want to be in a deeper relationship because his/her
life is unstable and is worried that if one day A becomes attracted to something the relationship
will lead to uncertainty. Obviously A is a soul that cant really seek an actual relationship
because that is going against his/her nature. But while A was in a guy name Justins body, A met
his girlfriend name Rhiannon and felt a strong connection with her. A sensed that Justin and
Rhiannons relationship isnt going so well and want Rhiannon to be happy. A cant really do
anything about it because it is not his/her nature to feel attracted to an actual human being. But A

Peenitbut 2

couldnt take it anymore so he had to go with his gut. A had to act the role of his body and
abandon his thoughts. In the beginning of the novel A talks about this feeling by explaining that
I have spent years meeting people without ever knowing them, and on this morning, in this
place, with this girl, I feel the faintest pull of wanting to know. And in a moment of either
weakness or bravery on my own part, I decided to follow it. I decided to find out more (Levithan
6). This quote shows that A decides to go against his/her nature to pursue this relationship with
Rhiannon. How society views a normal relationship is a male and female couple living life
together on a daily basis, they dont come and go whenever they wish. In this case A and
Rhiannon struggles to maintain their relationship by having Rhiannon meet up with A but in a
different body every time its possible for them to be together. Rhiannon expresses her feelings
about all this chaos by sending A an email saying, I want to see you, but Im not sure if we
should do that. I want to hear about whats going on, but Im afraid that will only start everything
again. I love you I do but Im afraid of making that love too important. Because youre
always going to leave me, A. We cant deny it. Youre always going to leave
(Levithan 305). Clearly Rhiannon is not satisfied with this unstable relationship and what is
coming between it is A not having his/her own physical body.
The social norms that A goes against would be the nurture side. Nurture is what A
experiences while he/she desires the attention A needs from Rhiannon. Talking about social
norms, society sets an objective of how a normal relationship is supposed to be. That objective is
to have a partner who is constantly there for you and to not change into someone else other than
himself or herself. For A, it is already not normal for he/she to switch bodys everyday, which
obviously goes against the social norms. In the novel it states that, When first love ends, most
people eventually know there will be more to come. They are not through with love. Love is not

Peenitbut 3

through with them. It will never be the same as the first, but it will be better in different ways
(Levithan 317). This shows that in a normal relationship there is still hope for more to come and
A goes against it by not having a certain future. Following this quote states that, I have no such
consolation. This is why I cling so hard. This is why this is so hard (Levithan 317). A knows
that he/she has to leave and that this relationship with Rhiannon wasnt going to work out. But
after A figured out his/her feelings towards Rhiannon, A starts to think on their own without
living up to societys ideas. Nurture then overcomes As perspective by experiencing life as A
wants, with the relationship A has with Rhiannon. A defines nature in order to satisfy nurture by
his own emotional needs. He/she accepts their nature so that A can satisfy his/her feelings
towards Rhiannon. A part from the novel shows that A is desperate to be with Rhiannon but
he/she cant because of his nature. A states, This is hard for me. I have gotten so used to what I
am, and how my life works, I never want to stay. Im always ready to leave. But not tonight.
Tonight Im haunted by the fact that tomorrow hell be here and I wont be. I want to stay. I pray
to stay. I close my eyes and wish to stay (Levithan 27-28). This quote shows how A wants to go
against its nature so that he/she can be with Rhiannon. A then embraces his/her nurture as A goes
against whats supposed to be destined. A following his/her own desires is what makes A happy
rather than having societys idea being an obstacle between As relationship. That is why nurture
overcomes nature according to what A desires.
In an article called Nature vs. Nurture Debate gives an example of nurture by a
personal experience. James Fallon, a neuroscientist who discovered that he had the brain of a
psychopath, has stated that he believes growing up in a nurturing and loving environment helped
him to become a successful adult and may have been effective at preventing him from fully
developing traits of psychopathy. This quote can relate to As situation by following its nurture,

Peenitbut 4

can lead to an achievement. With As affection towards Rhiannon, its nurture has made them
both grow as individuals which cause them to choose a different path aside from what is already
in front of them. Aside from growing as individuals, nurture has made A and Rhiannon both
mature as they start to make their own decisions because they dont follow their nature. When
we start to grow up and have our own ideas, we will be able to experience life in a different way.
An article called Nature Nurture Debate in Psychology states that, Characteristics and
differences that are not observable at birth, but which emerge later in life, are regarded as the
product of maturation. This quote shows that without the influences we experience at birth,
while we grow up, we will be able to develop our own ideas.
Having societys ideas of a normal relationship being the role model of teenagers today is
something that is not always accepted. People are going to do whatever ever theyre going to do,
regardless of their environment. This is why nurture becomes the primary choice for people who
would want to experience something new in their life. But when someone dont follow the social
norms, society then starts to criticize the decisions that has been made. Nurture can relate to the
article Culture and Communication when it talks about stereotypes on page 7. Theres a quote
that defines stereotypes: Stereotyping occurs when people expect all cultural group members to
have the same characteristics and engage in the same behaviors. Countering this quote leads to
another quote stating: This is problematic because not every member of culture shares the exact
same way of life as every other member of that culture all the time. In Rhiannons and As
situation, it relates to the quote from the article by not engaging in the ideas of how society
pictures life. They chose their love over societys point of view. Another example of how nature
isnt always the right choice is shown in an article called Self Identity and Culture written by
Ronald Jackson, Cerirse Glenn, and Kesha Williams. When people become aware of who they

Peenitbut 5

are in larger societal contexts, they organize their social identities to make connections with
people and separate themselves from others. This is a perfect example because it shows how
you can get more out of nurture than nature, when talking about experiencing life as we progress
in our lifetime.
Being different isnt a crime. The idea of nature versus nurture is like a road with two
paths. Nature is like the path that everyone takes because they dont want to risk to take the
other. The other path, which is nurture, can have a more exciting scenery than the nature path.
People tend to take the road that has the most experience because they know that it is stable and
reliable. But sometimes, going towards the road less taken can lead to a whole new world where
your ideas actually become a whole new experience. Nurture is what makes someone grow as
individuals and learn how to mature individually.

Works Cited
Levithan, David. Every Day. New York: Random House Childrens Books, 2012
Print
Kurylo Anastacia. Culture and Communication
Inter/Cultural Communication. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2013. Print
Ronald Jackson, Cerise Glenn, Kesha Williams. Self Identity and Culture
Inter/Cultural Communication. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2013. Print
Good Therapy. Nature Vs. Nurture.
Aug. 2015. Web
McLeod Saul. Nature vs Nurture in Psychology
2007 Web.