The Patriarchal Mother By Mary Shelley

Being the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, a well-known feminist for her book A Vindication of the Rights of Women, it is no surprise that Mary Shelley too would become a strong advocate for equal treatment of women. Though it may be strange to think that a feminist would write a book without any strong female characters. It is the absence of women that create a feminist theme within Frankenstein. Throughout Frankenstein, Shelley showcases the importance of women in society, through the flaws and mistakes of men in the absence of women, along with criticizing the limiting role the idealized woman holds.

This idea of the female role is reinforced by the fact that as the novel progresses, the women are slowly being removed- first his Mother, then Justine and then Elizabeth- “I saw Elizabeth…held the corpse of my dead mother”. This presents Frankenstein’s mental degregation and ultimately, the ctalyst for the mosntrous act- so Shelley presents the idea of a dichotomy between man and women- Darwin supported this by suggesting the hierachy of reproducion- man and woman is better than man alone.

The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly was published in 1818. Her parent had undoubtedly influenced her ways of writing. Her father, William Godwin is famous with his piece “An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice while her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft wrote “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” is two prominent radical writers who call for reform during French Revolution. Bringing both feminism and radical views from her parents, Shelley critiques women’s weak, docile and uneducated character. She also shows how women are often degraded and treated unjustly. The reason she brought the issues forward is to make women realize that they should improve their position and women should not conform to the dogma that they are always weak.

Unequivocally within the ground-breaking gothic novel Frankenstein Mary Shelley calls upon her reader to feel a strong sense of sympathy for the creature dubbed a ‘monster’. Through depicting the creature as innately human through his desire for relationship and the challenges he faces at the hands of the prejudged enlightenment society he is brought into Shelley elicits sympathy from his situation. Ultimately however, the audience’s sympathies lie with neither Frankenstein nor his creation but rather it is those silenced within society, that Shelley depicts through the notable absence of the female gender that are portrayed as being most deserving of sympathy.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein does not seem like a novel that empowers women. Based on the doormat-esque female characters and entitled male protagonist, one might easily assume that Frankenstein is a typical male-penned, patriarchy-saturated 19th century work. However, when examined with feminist ideals in mind, Shelley’s novel actually makes a progressive argument about the role of women. Though the female characters are certainly lacking in both number and substance, this absence hinders Victor and his goals and does not merely assert that women are useless. In addition, the role of maternity and maternal figures amplifies the meaning of Frankenstein; the creation and caring for of life manifests as an immensely important process with both benefits and consequences, not as merely “women’s work”. Through an analysis of the existing female characters and the lack thereof, as well as by understanding the maternal figures present and how they further the novel, one can see how Shelley’s Frankenstein reveals that feminine roles are necessary for a functional society.

As well as a horrific way of creating life, Mary Shelley brought a new subject to the table in Frankenstein-- Feminism. Throughout the novel, the author characterizes each female as passive, disposable, and serving as a utility for the male characters. The situations they find themselves in are generally minor and are used to teach the male characters a lesson, or spark an emotion in them. During the period that Shelley wrote Frankenstein, it was very common to see women discarded, objectified, and abused. It is clear that feminism and misogyny are reflected in her novel, given the use of her female characters.

Frankenstein is a greatly male oriented novel, with woman as the side characters. The multiple woman in Frankenstein unknowingly shape the novel to what the world knows it today. The entire story would not exist without Margaret and the letters that she receives from her brother. Justine Moritz the one who took the fall for the monsters murder. Agatha and Safie who showed the creature kindness and educated it. Elizabeth, who greatly influenced Victor by just existing. The role women have in Frankenstein is more important than one may think.

Determining the primary role women play in the gothic novel “Frankenstein” creates many ways of thinking. For example, Vanessa D. Dickerson author of “The Ghost of a Self: Female Identity in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” argues that “the females in the novel are quintessentially ambiguous figures: present but absent, morally animate angels, but physically and politically inanimate mortals.” Dickerson discusses exceptional character traits of each woman in the story and provides a very agreeable assertion that the men in the story look to the female characters for help when they are sick at heart or down the drain (Dickerson 80+). Therefore, the primary role of women in the book is acting as a sanctuary for the male characters when the men desire to release their affections and worries.

It’s been said that writers write about what they know, that they draw on life experiences, that the people around them shape the main characters, and sometimes the characters even reflect the author’s life, their choices, or even their view and attitude towards life. Within the writing of Frankenstein, there are many different relationships shown within the story, and there are relationships that have contributed to the shape of the story as well. There are many parallels between the feminist theory, and the making of Frankenstein, which can be largely looked at along with Mary Shelly’s relationship with her parents. More parallels reside in how she acted when the book was being published which was largely reflected in the character of Victor, and once again in Victor’s relationship with his creation. This can all lead back to the feminist theory and the gendered spheres that is experienced in different

In the book Frankenstein the Gothic novel included many characteristics to describe women such as love, disappointment, and horror Frankenstein” the author offers a different point of view for women in their family and social roles. The women in Frankenstein did not have many opportunities for them to explore and find themselves. Many women lived in the cycle of taking care of their family, staying home, and being a good wife. Women were treated more like property with minimal rights. Women in Frankenstein were brutally murdered and treated as somebody who was poor.

Victor Frankenstein was in the eyes of Walton a person who is similar to him, but uplifted Walton’s weary heart as he faced challenges along the expedition. “He excites at once my admiration and my pity to an astonishing degree” (Shelley, 11). Along with the thirst of discovery of the unknown, Victor Frankenstein is also involved in an act of romance towards Elizabeth Lavenza, who he loved dearly “my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only” (Shelley, 18). Victor was raised in a loving household and was privileged to receive higher education at the university of Ingolstadt. Further analysis of his character show evidence that Frankenstein is egotistical, for he isolates himself from his family and society to create the monster that later he despises (Marklund,6). Thus, ignoring his duties towards his family as his father said to him, “I know that while you are pleased with yourself, you will think of us with affection, and we shall hear regularly from you. You must pardon me if I regard any interruption in your correspondence as a proof that your other duties are

For many years, even to this day we are able to view how women have been dominated by men. It is obvious that men are seen as the most dominant figure throughout the story Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley. You can see that in the 1800’s, women were restricted to many commodities In the novel the reader can tell how she is able to prove that women are shown to be possessions other than independent like the men. You can immediately tell that Shelley's novel gives feminist qualities. Many interpreters actually view Shelley as someone who is centered around men when it comes to looking at the gender roles. As you can see in the novel most of the women are very quiet and actually all share something in common. Women back then and to this day can't stand up for themselves when it comes to men. Unlike Shelley she is able to reach out to her audience and let them visualize how important women really are. We can see that women are actually smart and can be confusing people. Unfortunately she is also able to show women such as Justine, elizabeth and Caroline as a control by the men in the novel, Frankenstein.

Many readers including myself would be somewhat surprised that Mary Shelley wrote a male-centered novel when her mom was a famous feminist, pushing for equality amongst men and women. However, Mary Shelley, along with many other novelist during the 19th century, respected the traditional depiction of an obedient care giving woman. Perhaps this is the reason Mary Shelley refrained from adding substance to the very few feminine characters in Frankenstein. In fact, she refrained from stereotyping women by minimizing the female characters in Frankenstein. As a result, it can be seen how many of Mary Shelley’s male characters reflect her thoughts and rebellious characteristics. She describes Robert Walton as being very ambitious and having a great

Although her mother died in her early life, as Frankenstein’s did, she left her feminist legacy behind for Shelley to grasp, namely her keystone piece: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. By understanding her mother’s struggle to argue for such a lost cause during her life, Shelley managed to write Frankenstein in such a way that clearly defines the issues in women’s rights, but not so obviously that someone not searching for them could find them. Instead of directly opposing the norm by writing an independent female protagonist, she passively depicts very plain, flat female characters that fulfill the same personalities they would have in reality. The creature is a more symbolic representation of women’s issues: while he is not a woman, he endures many of the struggles that women face due to their sex at birth. This, rather than representing a direct connection with women of the Victorian Era, allows for anyone born of a disadvantageous life to empathize with the difficulties and emotional turmoil the creature experiences throughout the duration of the

In the novel Frankenstein women are not seen with the importance that they should be, and they do not have important roles. Like it was said in the academic article by Anna T. an online A Level English Literature tutor with MyTutor studying at York University, women are not given great importance throughout the story, they are always seeking protection or help from men.