Power in Frankenstein

Most people agree that Victor Frankenstein holds the most power in the text. In creating the monster, he not only has the power to create life but also the power to, indirectly, save or destroy others lives. Critics of his character speculate that Justine could have been saved had be only confessed his actions in Ingolstadt.

However, the creature also holds considerable power. For example, he held power over Justine’,s fate when he incriminated her with the necklace. He holds some power over the De Lacy family, as it is his actions in collecting firewood that decide whether or not Felix must work as heavily during the day.

In turn, the De Lacy family hold power, unbeknownst to them, over the creature, so much so that he commits himself to living in what is little more than a wooden box for a year. The creature’,s hopes for the future lie entirely on this family, and power of this nature is perhaps the strongest type of power anybody could exert over another being. This is due to the fact that the one who is controlled, ie, the creature, does not realize this and so will never attempt to free themselves from the hierarchy they find themselves in.

But it is also evident that someone, or something, exerted great control over the De Lacy family, as they are living an impoverished, isolated lifestyle. The creature’,s account of the family’,s history discovers this fact to the readers, that was in fact the French government. Given the time period, 17--, this is presumably patriarchal to the extreme. While for a while it could be supposed that Felix held power over the government, as he assisted in Safie’,s father’,s jail break, but the latter caught up with him and ultimately ruined him and his family.

On this train of thought, Felix’,s family hold power over Safie’,s father, but only while he is imprisoned. Once he is freed, the tables turn, and he breaks his promise to Felix of his daughters hand in marriage. Coming form an Eastern society that is suggested to be even more patriarchal than the Western European culture, a power struggle ensues between Safie, who wishes to marry Felix, and her father, who wants her to return home with him. What is most interesting is the fact that it is Safie, with the assistance of another woman, who eventually gets her own way.