This knowledge was one of many that reminded the Cooke family that Fern was not entirely human from a mental perspective. While chimps were capable of understanding deceit, they “don’t seem capable of understanding the state of false belief” (Fowler, 188). Though Fowler suggests that Fern is more human than chimpanzee, she does not ignore that common human behaviors differentiated from Fern’s behavioral patterns. Fern’s mental similarities to Rosemary resulted in Rosemary believing that she was more human than chimpanzee. Rosemary comments that, “much, much important, wanted to see how it really was” (Fowler, 75). This mimicry drives Rosemary to feel that the Fern’s most important traits are not her appearance, but rather her personality. Rosemary states, “that the neural system of a young brain develops partly by mirroring the brain around it” (Fowler, 101). Having been raised alongside humans her entire life, “Fern believed she was human” (Fowler, 101). Fowler advocates that the mental aspect of being human is more important than the physical aspect through Fern’s belief that she is human.
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