Women in Frankenstein

Throughout one of her better renowned works, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollstonecraft wishes “to persuade women to endeavor to acquire strength, both of mind and body.” Approximately three decades later, her daughter, Mary Shelly, writes such a horrific, gothic novel that is ironically devoid of any strong female leads – Frankenstein. Though filled with feeble female characters which highlights the brusque treatment of women within a patriarchal society, Frankenstein has a more enthralling philosophy to voice. The theme of Frankenstein essentially derives from the fact that though men retain the leading roles throughout the entire novel, it is full of mistakes they make; therefore, Mary Shelley is making a truly feminist point by stating that women are the primary gender who source livelihood within society.

As Shelley’s mother, it was hard at first for me understanding how daughter of such a dominant figure, could create such a horrific novel avoiding any strong female leads. However I’ve developed a greater sense of Frankenstein’s theme as the storyline and ultimate ending is created by the numerous male mistakes, highlighting Shelley’s true feministic views by giving the disguised impression women are the tangible backbone in society. From the beginning of the text, the one motif that became increasing obvious to me was the suppression of women as the storyline was littered with female characters holding little substance, whilst acting purely passive, who in end were seen to be disposable and there to serve a utilitarian function. In Frankenstein, Shelley

In Mary Shelley’s novel, nature plays a vital role in the development of the plot. Nature is considered a female part because Mother Nature is the collective personification of life. Nature is life-bearing and nurturing, as females are to their offspring. In spite of nature being feminine, Victor

I do not wish women to have power over men but over themselves.(Mary Shelley) Women are just as strong as men, if not stronger. Mary Shelley, in Frankenstein, portrays her female characters as weak, passive and disposable to emphasize their vulnerability. Firstly, female characters are portrayed as weak to emphasize their vulnerability. Elizabeth's portrayed as a weak female, as shes referred to as nothing more than a gift for Victor's satisfaction. Victor states, "My mother had said playfully, 'I have a pretty present for my Victor -tomorrow he shall have it.' And when on the morrow, she resented Elizabeth as her promised gift." (Shelley 21) This shows that Elizabeth's being used for Victors own gain. Moreover, Victor can only concentrate

It is undeniable that women are victims of Male’s moral flaws. Moreover, feminism challenges ideologies by confronting and questioning some of the gender stereotypes in the society. Mary Shelley in her feminist perspective has explored how the women in Frankenstein are treated as well as commented on the perceived perception of women in the novel. Even though Shelley reveals her gentleness and independence, feminist qualities persist in Frankenstein given that women are not independent and are not left to take responsibilities on their

Life as a women in the 19th century was a very restrictive and oppressive existence. Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, shows this with the theme passive women in the novel. Victor, the main character, pushes away his fiancee, Elizabeth, postponing the wedding, and watches his family's very faithful servant, be wrongfully hung, for a murder that his own monster did. Mary Shelley seems to build the female characters up just before pushing them back down, showing the treatment of women in society of that time.

Women’s rights is a subject that has revolved around society all throughout history, and it was not uncommon to see female writers criticizing this imbalance of social power in their literature. Mellor’s “Possessing Nature: The Female in Frankenstein” illuminates several aspects of the plot in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that include underlying messages about the struggle for women’s rights and gender equality within this seemingly anti-feminist novel. For example, in the very beginning of her article, Mellor brings light upon Victor Frankenstein’s perspective towards nature as a female. Additionally, Mellor argues that Victor’s experiment is a violation of nature, as he forcibly takes away the ability to create life from Mother Nature. Furthermore,

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.

Upon the initial adoption of Elizabeth, Elizabeth plays the role of Victor’s “playfellow,” however his mother, Caroline Frankenstein, was determined to consider Elizabeth as his future wife (66). Caroline’s “firmest hope of future happiness [was] placed on the prospect of [the] union” along with her longing for Elizabeth to intercede as the mother figure for her younger cousins (72). The depiction of Elizabeth illustrates female in a passive form while continuing the familial affections of women. Mellor agrees when she writes, Elizabeth was confined to the home and considered a pet to Victor, who he “loved to tend” (3). By comparing Victor and Elizabeth’s relationship to that of a human and pet, Shelley highlights Elizabeth’s passivity. Mellor’s ideas on the sexist separation of the male and female spheres can also translate into a reading of the unequal relationship of Alphonse and Caroline being reproduced in that of the arrangement of Victor and Elizabeth. Both females, illustrate the weakness of women and their submissiveness to their husbands. This domestic situation as Jessica Hale would argue “gives us such a completely gendered representation of weak women in need of male protection” (12). From childhood Victor viewed Elizabeth as weak describing her as “the most fragile creature in the world,” which ultimately reveals his sexist attitude of

Mary Shelley's characters in Frankenstein depict 18th century women as supporting characters that are weak and subservient. Firstly, women are portrayed as supporting characters in Frankenstein. Women are often not very involved in this novel and if they are somehow participating, it is to serve a specific function related to a man by some means. For example, Margaret Saville, Robert Walton’s sister, is only mentioned because of her connection to her brother and his letters. The reader never actually gains information about Margaret’s life.

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

Looking closely at the female characters in Frankenstein, you can see that the female characters are passive, disposable, and serve a function for male characters. Why are women in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein are portrayed as the submissive sex? Female characters such as Elizabeth, Justine, Margret, Safie, and Agatha are all used for nothing more but a source of action for the male characters in the novel. Things usually happen to the female characters, for only the purpose of teaching a male character a lesson and being an emotional source.

As the first recognizable, female novelist in western history, Mary Godwin Shelley engraves her name on the figurative monument of accomplishment formerly reserved exclusively for men, and paves the course for future female greatness, leading the crusade for the respect and credibility of women as equal members of society. In her most famous work, Frankenstein, Shelley reflects the issue of the degradation and repression of women, as well as the neglect of their education, the nonexistence of their political voice, and their inability to showcase the fullest extent of feminine practical and intellectual skill during the Romantic era. Shelley indirectly reflects on the societal obstacles which deter women from achieving accomplishments worthy

This is shown in several instances in the book, which relegate women as being damsels in distress. Shelley writes, “He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who committed herself to his care; and after the interment of his friend, he conducted to Geneva, and placed her under the protection of a relation” (28). These are Victor’s words describing the meeting between his mother Caroline Beaufort and his father Alphonse Frankenstein. Shelley further depicts women as being fragile and very giving above their well -being when she describes Elizabeth as being giving always and forgets her well- being (73). The two instances describe women as being docile, gentle, non-provocative and self-sacrificing, which does not serve them in the

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which tells the story of an egotistical doctor looking to create life where there is none, is a male-dominated novel. Every female character is portrayed as passive, listening to and depending on the men in her life. It can be argued that the egotistical and aggressive men in the story, particularly Victor, are present to make the reader think about the female characters and the unfair treatment they face throughout the story. Besides each woman’s illustration of being shy and accepting of her fate, there is not much else that the reader sees of them. The three dimensions that the male characters have are all apparent in that the reader sees different sides of each of them, and the men really contribute to the book, unlike the women. Shelley, a feminist, wanted to expose the pressure women felt to please their male counterparts, and by putting her real name on the book during her lifetime, she showed women that it should be acceptable to speak up and share their ideas, regardless of their gender. The book also would have been less likely to be accepted by society had it been more obviously radical for the time period, for example, if Shelley portrayed the women as independent and outspoken. Shelley critiques society’s tendency to immediately categorize women as less important and contributing than men by making the reader sympathize a bit with the monster, someone who is seen as horrid and unforgivable after