Theme Of Women In Frankenstein

The women in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, first published in 1818, are indirectly represented and are completely passive. They are only seen through the eyes of Shelley’s three male narrators; Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster. They are described in very little detail, which makes them a passive presence and ultimately reduces their importance and direct impact to the readers. According to Lucy Morrison, “Frankenstein depicts women firmly entrenched in the domestic sphere, their focus conventionally invested in children and household, while men are more active, more powerful, and encouraged to study and explore the world” (Morrison in Fisher, 2003: 112). As a result, the women in Frankenstein serve as tools to draw out the

The first female that is introduced in the novel is Margaret Saville, Robert Walton’s sister. The novel opens with the letter addressed “ To Mrs. Saville, England”, which seems oddly informal considering it is her brother writing her. Immediately, it is known that she is married. Married women during Shelley’s time had limited freedom (Evans). Sir William Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-69) declared that married women could not be legally independent (Beard). In addition to being married, Margaret has no dialogue of her own in the novel, but rather serves as an audience for her brother while Robert is credited to be the one who sets up the novel. While Margaret is never heard, her disputes against her brother’s travels can be seen in his words, “You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings… you cannot contest the inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all mankind to the last generation” (Shelley 13). In this way, Shelley criticizes the male need for fame and

Elizabeth is compliant to Victor after she is effectively gifted to him. She is treated as his possession, “All praises bestowed on her, I received as made to a possession of my own” (Shelley 44). Since the novel takes place in a patriarchal society where women were treated as the inferior gender, the women in Frankenstein are only addressed when they are needed by the men. As such, Victor expresses his desire to be with Elizabeth but then constantly leaves her, often to go spend time with his friend Henry Clerval. Victor has an intimate bond with Henry, saying “I loved him with a mixture of affection and reverence that knew no bounds” (Shelley 54). His relationship with Victor is deeper than with Elizabeth, which is wrong considering they are to be married. Henry’s death affects Victor more than Elizabeth’s. When Henry dies, Victor gets sick for two months with grief. When the monster kills Elizabeth on their wedding night, he seeks revenge immediately. The rest of the characters are deeply saddened by the news of her death while he seems angrier at the monster than sad for his dead wife. This points to the idea that he did not need time to grieve because he didn’t truly love