Frankenstein: Shelley Use of Mascuine and Feminine Roles Shelley began writing ‘Frankenstein’ in the company of what has been called ‘her male coterie’, including her lover Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and his physician John Polidori. It has been suggested that the influence of this group, and particularly that of Shelley and Byron, affected her portrayal of male characters in the novel. As Ann Campbell writes: ‘[The] characters and plot of Frankenstein reflect . . . Shelley’s conflicted feelings about the masculine circle which surrounded her.’ Certainly the male characters in ‘Frankenstein’ are more developed that those of the females. Elizabeth Fay has suggested that the female characters are ‘idealised figures’ in much of Shelley’s work, particularly in the descriptions of Caroline and Elizabeth, the two mother figures in the novel. Caroline is, on surface value, a perfect parent, together with her husband, which renders Victor’s irresponsibility in abandoning the creature more unforgivable. She ‘possessed a mind of uncommon mould’ which was also ‘soft and benevolent’; she is compared to a ‘fair exotic’ flower which is sheltered by Alphonse; she drew ‘inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow’ on Victor, and her ‘tender caresses’ are some of his ‘first recollections’. She is the idealised mother, a figure that Shelley viewed wistfully, as her own mother died when she was ten days old to be replaced by a disinterested stepmother. Caroline’s parenting provides the care that Frankenstein might well have lacked, had he been left to his father alone – his father dismisses Agrippa’s work without explanation, thereby setting Victor on his course towards ‘destruction’. This is the first introduction of a theme that continues throughout the book, that of the necessity for female figures in parenting and in society. Without a mother figure and left only with Frankenstein who subsumes both parental roles, the creature’s life is blighted by his imperfection and lack of companionship. However, Caroline is also the trigger to Alfonse’s chivalry, thus presenting him in an improved light and allowing his character to develop at the expense of her own weakness. This is a feminist comment from Shelley, whose mother Mary Wollenstonecraft was a notorious feminist and an important influence. Justine, too, is an ‘idealised figure’, described during the trial as having a countenance which, ‘always engaging, was rendered, by the solemnity of her feelings, exquisitely beautiful.’ She is the archetypal innocent, being beautiful, weak and entirely accepting of her fate to the point of martyrdom.
For centauries, women have been forced to live life in the outskirts of a male dominated society. During the 1800’s, the opportunities for women were extremely limited and Mary Shelly does an excellent job in portraying this in her gothic novel, Frankenstein. Furthermore, in this novel, Mary Shelly shows how society considers women to be possessions rather than independent human beings. In addition, the female characters rely heavily on men for support and survival, thus proving their inability to do it on their own. Lastly, the female characters in this novel are in many ways victimized by the male characters. In conclusion, in Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein, the female characters always fulfill the limited and archetypical roles that are set for them by society.
As restated before, some may believe that women are characterized to be tenacious or strong in the story through the act of sacrifice and through their potential to bring great change. These intentions of women being strong are with Justine and the female monster. Justine Moritz is a girl who lives with the Frankensteins as a servant after her mother dies and she has nowhere to go. She was a character that held a strong reputation in the story. She was portrayed as strong because she was not afraid to die when the townspeople accused her for the murder of William’s death. “I do not fear to die” (Shelley 76) are fearless words that come out of Justine that are so substantial because it awards Justine the minimal respect that she has for what she d...
The idea for the novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein came to her one night when she was staying in the company of what has been called ‘her male coterie’, including Lord Byron and her husband, Percy Shelley. Mary Shelley’s whole life seems to have been heavily influenced by men. She idolised her father, William Godwyn, and appears to have spent a good part of her life trying very hard to impress both him and her husband. There seems to have been a distinct lack of female influence, her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, having died weeks after her birth, being replaced by a neglectful step-mother. These aspects of her life are perhaps evident in her novel. The characters and plot of Frankenstein were perhaps influenced by Shelley’s conflicting feelings about the predominately masculine circle which surrounded her, and perhaps the many masculine traits that we see in novel were based upon those of the male figures in Shelley’s own life. In this essay I will attempt to show some of these traits.
Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, depicts a patriarchal society in which men pursue their goals against hopeless odds. Victor Frankenstein is a major male character depicted in Shelley’s work. He is “portrayed as the patriarch who creates but cannot love and who fears sexual reproduction (Griswold 87). Frankenstein is a prime example of a man who pursued their goals against hopeless odds. He reflected back on his curious childhood. During childhood, he wanted to learn the hidden laws of nature and he desired to learn the secrets of the heaven and earth (Shelley 33). From the beginning of his life, Frankenstein had the goal to discover the existence of heaven and earth. He took this in to his own hands by trying to bring a monster to life. It is hard to fathom that an individual has the ability to create another human being. It is a hopeless odd that Frankenstein would have the ability to bring different body parts, unite them with electricity, and create a new form of life. Even though this is considered a hopeless odd,
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a truly famous novel that has been revisited by many, as well as revised by the author in the many years since its original publication. Within this novel Shelley conveys the tragic fictional story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster that he thoughtlessly brought to life, as well as the lives of those affected by his hideous creation. Throughout the novel it is made quite apparent that the monster was not inherently evil, in fact the monster was quite benign, however through its interactions with society the monster is slowly shaped into a being that can truly be called just that, a monster. All of the aforementioned change to the monster are brought about in part by the societal standards of the time period
...e patriarchy, seeking technology without morality and judgment primarily on appearance, Shelley encourages her reader to reassess the value structures within society, underpinning the way they live, and consider an alternative way of life. Thus, Frankenstein certainly must be considered more than a simple story; it is an important vehicle to present the writer’s themes.
Throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein there are many female minor characters. Some view these minor characters as passive and subordinate, the epitome of a delicate woman, that reflect the gender roles during the author’s era. This simplifying view of the intricately complex female characters does not accurately represent the powerful and firm importance of their underlying, yet commanding, voice. One of these characters is Justine Moritz who, although charmingly modest and gentle, is a testament to the dignified power of women. During her short appearance in the novel, it is clear Victor Frankenstein fears her for the bravery and strength she exquisitely exhibits through her unjust trial. In addition, the contrast between the characters is distinct. Evidently Victor fails to posses such courage and admirable traits reflecting the insufficiency of supposed male dominance as compared to feminine vigor. Mary Shelley’s minor character Justine is a subtle yet potent force who depicts the perseverance and strength of women by illustrating the considerable lack of such traits Victor Frankenstein.
In Frankenstein, Shelley challenges the traditional gender roles taught in society. As a result of becoming egotistical, science-obsessed, the male characters destroy their own love lives through inadequate relationships and irresponsible parenting. By choosing three different narrators which are all male, represent the objectifying treatment towards women. By confining women this representing perfectly women's roles in society in the eighteenth-century. And by representing men as reckless and disruptive when without women, Shelley challenges the powerful male persona.
Victor’s initial isolation as a child foreshadows the motif of detachment that occurs throughout the novel. As Victor Frankenstein recounts his informative tale to a seafaring Robert Walton, he makes it known that he was a child of nobility; however it is sadly transparent that combined with insufficient parenting Victor’s rare perspective on life pushes him towards a lifestyle of conditional love. Children are considered symbolic of innocence but as a child Victor’s arrogance was fueled by his parents. With his family being “one of the most
In both Robert Burns’s Tam O’Shanter and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, A Modern Prometheus, the authors use gender as an underlying theme throughout the narrative, a common thread present in the characters’ goals and motivations. In the case of Tam O’Shanter, Tam’s midnight adventure is against the advice of his wife and nearly ends with his death due to his inability to control himself when faced with a sultry witch. Frankenstein, though less blatant in its gendered imagery, follows the monster as he searches for a woman to play the role of his mother, wife, or daughter, demonstrating his need for female companionship in the light of Victor’s failure to be a father to him. The gender role that Victor himself plays is also debated, as he
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Shelley characterizes the female characters as passive, disposable and serving an utilitarian function. Women such as Safie, Elizabeth, Justine, Margaret and Agatha provide nothing more but a channel of action for the male characters throughout the novel. Meaning, the events and actions acted by them or happen to them are usually for the sake of the male character gaining new knowledge or sparking an emotion. Each of Shelley’s women serves an important role by way of plot progression are otherwise marginal characters. Yet, this almost absence of women is exactly the reason why they are important. This use of the female character introduces a concept of feminism; here, female politics exists due to the vacancy of a “role model.” Women such as Justine, Agatha, Elizabeth and Margaret in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein play a key role, whether it’s for mere plot progression or by their absence.
“Allure, Authority, and Psychoanalysis” discusses the unconscious wishes, effects, conflicts, anxieties, and fantasies within “Frankenstein.” The absence of strong female characters in “Frankenstein” suggests the idea of Victor’s desire to create life without the female. This desire possibly stems from Victor’s attempt to compensate for the lack of a penis or, similarly, from the fear of female sexuality. Victor’s strong desire for maternal love is transferred to Elizabeth, the orphan taken into the Frankenstein family. This idea is then reincarnated in the form of a monster which leads to the conclusion that Mary Shelley felt like an abandoned child who is reflected in the rage of the monster.
Smith begins her essay by looking at the historical factors that may have contributed to this seemingly sexist book. Shelley, writing in the first half of the 19th Century, was in a period in which a woman "was conditioned to think she needed a man's help" (Smith 275). In the novel itself, no women speak directly. The book has three basic narrators: Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and Frankenstein's monster. The female characters are very weak in this novel, especially Elizabeth, Victor's cousin/fiancé (no they aren't from Arkansas). She is portrayed as the perfect woman, especially after Victor's mother, Caroline dies. She takes the place of the mother figure in the household. But just like all the female characters in the story, her character has little substance. Victor's character is described in detail, as is that of the monster, and Henry Clerval. When Henry gets killed, sympathy is really felt toward Victor, because he has just lost his lifetime friend. When Elizabeth is murdered, the reader finds it hard to connect with what Frankenstein is feeling. Elizabeth (and the other main female characters: Justine and Caroline) are there to reflect the men characters. Professor Smith states in her essay that "women function not in their own right but rather as signals of and conduits for men's relations with other men" (283). This is especially clear when the monster kills Elizabeth on their wedding night. The monster is upset with Victor, so instead of hurting him, he kills his wife. Elizabeth is used as a sort of ruler to measure the relationship between Victor and his monster.
Furthermore, Caroline’s passivity is displayed when Caroline brings Elizabeth from the orphanage and asks her husband to make Elizabeth part of the Frankenstein family. Victor describes El...
Through the course of history many races, ethnicities and religions have been discriminated and threatened. Most of the times taken advantage of through economic and social means. This lead to their alienation from society because not accepted from the people. The cause was based on physical differences or their way of thinking. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley various social groups are represented in a specific way to convey a precise message to the audience that characterizes the novel. The monster that the scientist Victor Frankenstein creates is alienated by society because of his monstrous appearance in spite of being intelligent and sensitive. The role of the women embodies the novel’s motif of a passive one as Elizabeth waits patiently for Victor’s attention. It's curious how the author being daughter of an important feminist represents the role of women weak under men's jurisdiction. At the time females were considered inferior to males for this reason Shelley portray women characters to have little substance compared to the male ones. Another important aspect is Victor Frankenstein's life before the realization of the monster. He segregates himself from the rest of the world and closes himself for a couple of years in his apartment to realize his project. Became a mastermind of chemistry and natural philosophy and his discovery will be responsible for his own death.