Like others have pointed out, one of the most fascinating and heartbreaking things about this chapter is how Clark sets himself apart from humanity. But honestly, is it any wonder that he does? He has been raised as a "specimen", and he knows for a fact that he is physically different from humans because of his superhuman physical powers. With his upbringing and undeniable physical differences, how can he
not think that he is not a part of humanity? I would go so far as to say that this is a perfect case where we can study the effects of nature versus nurture - Clark's nature is what it is, but how does Martha and Jonathan's nurture affect him compared with the nurture he got from fearful and greedy scientists and militaries? But of course poor Clark has been studied so much already that he should be spared from further studies!
![[Linked Image]](http://www.animalintelligence.org/images/amalakama-thumb.jpg)
This is a picture of two young Indian sisters who were born in the very early twentieth century. This is what
Wikipedia tells about their story:
There is little scientific knowledge about feral children. One very useful source is the detailed diaries of Reverend Singh who, in 1920, discovered Amala and Kamala in a forest in India, two girls who appeared to have been brought up from birth by wolves. They were taken to an orphanage and the struggle to 'humanise the animals' began. Amala, who was one and a half years old when found, died a year later of a kidney infection, and Kamala, who was eight, survived until 1929 before dying of typhoid fever- only in her latter years beginning to speak a few words, stand up, and relate to other humans.
Other sources[2] claim that Amala and Kamala were born mentally and physically disabled. The parents who did not wish to care for them, or lacked the resources to do so, left the two girls in the forest where Reverend Singh discovered them while hunting. Even after claiming them as his own, he still sent them to the orphanage to act as wolves for locals in order to raise money for the orphanage in its financial need.
These girls may or may not have been true "feral children", raised by wild animals - but whether or not they were, it seems certain that if you were raised isolated from other humans and treated as if you were not human yourself, that is going to have a huge impact on you for the rest of your life. Of course, unlike the poor Indian girls, Clark always had at least one human caretaker (or guard) with him, and he was not retarded. But if anyone can convince this Clark that he is truly human in spite of his undeniable "alien-ness", it is Lois! And Martha and Jonathan. I, too, like how they felt guilty, and I, too, agree that if they had
really found a spaceship with a baby inside, they would of course have handed the baby over to the "proper" authorities. How many of us wouldn't have?
This is really fascinating! I'm very much looking forward to more.
Ann
