Women In Frankenstein

Beginning in the early 19th century, Frankenstein, which ironically was written by a woman, shows a somewhat unsurprising lack of revolutionary female characters. In Frankenstein, there are only four female characters who add important movement to the plot. Frankenstein’s mother, Elizabeth, and Justine are the human women in his immediate circle and each is only described in terms of their position relative to men. Caroline Frankenstein and Elizabeth Lavenza are described as his beloved mother and cousin, as if that is their own defining feature. The novel begins with Frankenstein telling Captain Walton of his mother and father: “He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who committed herself to his care; and after the interment of

Caroline Frankenstein nee Beaufort had done her best to support herself and her father, but clearly, as a woman, she was incapable of doing that in the long term, which is why Alphonse Frankenstein swooped in, like some kind of savior. Just as Caroline is infantilized by Alphonse, Elizabeth is patronized by Frankenstein. Even as a child, Frankenstein viewed Elizabeth as a possession that was gifted to him: “On the evening previous to her being brought to my home, my mother had said playfully, ‘I have a pretty present for my Victor--tomorrow he shall have it.’ And when, on the morrow, she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift, I, with childish seriousness, interpreted her words literally and looked upon Elizabeth as mine--mine to protect, love, and cherish. All praises bestowed on her I received as made to a possession of my own” (Shelley 30). This seemingly innocuous statement revealed much about how Frankenstein truly viewed his beloved cousin: she was not an individual, but his possession, suggesting that this was a common attitude towards women. It also shows the true purpose of women in this novel—they were not characters, but instead plot devices and tools used against

The creature coerces Frankenstein into creating a companion for him, so that they “will go to the vast wilds of South America”. The creatures tries to reason with Frankenstein, continuing with “My food is not that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment. My companion will be of the same nature as myself and will be content with the same fare. We shall make our bed of dried leaves; the sun will shine on us as on man and will ripen our food. The picture I present to you is peaceful and human” (Shelley 176). Frankenstein is moved by his plea for companionship and sees it as a duty to the creature and humanity to create a female for him. This interaction reveals a lot about how both the creature and Frankenstein view women, which is representative of society as a whole. They see females as bargaining chips and possessions, not independent individuals. Later when Frankenstein started building the female, he thinks that “she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate and delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness” (Shelley 202). The female creature was killed because of the fear she would be more dangerous and deadly than the original creature himself. This suggests that women are not only