Although this is an important plot device by which the Creature is allowed to advance
in his education, it is more than simply that. What the Creature in his enforced solitude
thought of as a "godlike science" (II:4:9) and "the art of language" (II:4:18) is
an acquisition essential for his claim to true humanness. As Safie is enfolded by
the De Lacey family through acquiring their language, so, the Creature hopes, he can
likewise break down the barriers of Otherness in which he is compelled to live. If
language has up to now been used as an instrument for his self-knowledge (note), with
Safie's arrival it will become the actual means by which he will endeavor to secure
a place in a human community.