Women’s Importance in Frankenstein

Essay, Pages 6 (1311 words)

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At first glance, Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein” would appear to be an anti-feminist work. During the story, each female character is connected to a male counterpart, never on her own. In many instances during the story, women are viewed as possessions, inconsequential, and inferior. Mary Shelley writing with and by the creation of male narration was successful at depicting how women were truly thought of. Nonetheless, if one were to dig deeper, one could see that while the women seem to be an afterthought, they are an integral set of characters.

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Though it seems women are insignificant to the story, Shelley uses Elizabeth, Safie, Caroline, and even the creation of the female monster to establish the importance of the female role in the story.

From the beginning of Elizabeth’s introduction into the story, we see her as a possession. Victor’s mother Caroline tells Victor that she has a pretty present for him. Victor states “I 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 21). While Elizabeth is the most prominent female character in the story, she is still no match for a male. Victor loves Elizabeth, but says “She was docile and good-tempered, yet gay and playful as a summer’s insect.” Victor speaking of her as if she was a child indicates that he feels she is the lesser sex. When he says “I loved to tend on her, as I should on a favorite animal…” Victor further degrades her as an equal and treats her like a submissive pet (Shelley 20).

Shelley’s attention to detail in describing Elizabeth’s appearance further proves that women were barely more than a pretty faces for men. When Victor leaves Elizabeth on their wedding night, rather than staying to protect her, she becomes a pawn in a game, a tool the monster can use to exact his revenge on Victor. Elizabeth’s main purpose in a feminist context in the story is to explain how women are treated by men and society in general. Women are around purely for male convenience, as well as to entertain them.

Another important female featured in the story is Safie. Safie arrives as their love interest of Felix. Safie is depicted as strong in the story. She is independent, and not legally bound to any male. Safie also makes it a point to prioritize her wants and needs. She ignores her father’s wishes to remain in Turkey, instead of tracking down her love Felix in Germany. These traits were not common in females during this time. Safie refuses to conform, and therefore plays a very small part in the story. During her time with the DeLacy family, Safie requires tutoring to learn English. While she is learning, the monster is observing and learning along with her. Using another passive female, the monster begins his first educational pursuit. Though Safie isn’t portrayed the way a typical woman is during the story, by using her to educate the monster, she becomes the means to an end for him. It matters not whether Safie learns English since she is only a means to further the education of the monster. Shelley writes “My days were spent in close attention…and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian…I could imitate almost every word that was spoken…I also learned the science of letters” (99). The monster is of course speaking of Safie and is proud of his progress surpassing her own. Safie would not be nearly as important to the story if she was not furthering the monster’s progress. Unfortunately, this detracts from Safie’s overall importance as a female character by reducing her from a strong, brave woman to merely a means to education for the monster.

Among the roles of women in the novel, Victor’s mother, Caroline plays an interesting part. She is shown as selfless and compassionate in her duty of caring for her father until his death. Beyond that, she is given no role besides wife, mother, and sister. She is partly responsible for furthering the portrayal of women by allowing Elizabeth to become property of Victor. After adopting Elizabeth, Caroline passes while caring for her. Though her role is small, it is of importance. By showing her loving and nurturing personality in caring for everyone around her, Caroline highlights Victor’s shortcomings in being a father figure to the monster he creates.

The last female that played a role in the novel is the role of the female monster. Victor’s failure to create the female monster as promised to the male monster furthers the thinking of the time. Victor’s fear is apparent as he faces what could be another failure with the creation of a female companion. Once he begins creation the th the female, he begins to doubt himself and projects his views of women onto the creature that doesn’t yet exist. Victor reasons “She who, in all probability, was to become a thinking and reasoning animal, might refuse to comply with a compact made before her creation. They might even hate each other; the creature who already lived loathes deformity, and might he not conceive a greater abhorrence for it when it came before his eyes in the female form? She also might turn with disgust from him to the superior beauty of a man; she might quit him, and he is again alone, exasperated by the fresh provocation by being deserted by one of the species”( Shelley 118). Though it could be argued that Victor was afraid of another failure, he was more likely afraid of creating a woman that might not comply. Victor is seeing how his first monster is reacting, andthe has a set of human needs and is concerned that he could create a monstrous towasin that the male could not contain. Female autonomy is seen as a threat to males of Victor’s period towas. Victor also fears that a female monster could want to pro-create, which would introduce a new generation of headstrong females. The creation of a female that is the opposite of the traits of an “ideal” woman, one who is docile, submissive, and easy to control, scares Victor into scrapping the entire endeavor. In this way, the role of women is perpetuated through Victor’s reluctance to create something that might not adhere.

Though each of the females in the novel is created by a woman author, the characterization of each leaves something to be desired in a feminist light. The character’s roles range from main to supporting, but each adds something to the story, by way of supporting a man. None of the females mentioned survive to the end of the story, and therefore seem to exist only to serve a purpose in a man’s life. Perhaps then, the role of the female is more important than originally thought. Throughout the novel, though the main characters are men, the novel is full of the mistakes of men, and the women behind them supporting them. While the story is not particularly forward-thinking forward-thinking forward-thinking regarding women’s roles, it cannot be denied that they play their own role,ving their own purpose throughout the story. The women of the story are the glue, the caretakers that are holding everything together. While the women do not hold leading roles in the novel, save for Elizabeth, that is not to say that their role is not important. The role Shelley gave them was important in a back-stage sort of way, to keep the families together, even as the men kept making mistakes. Shelley, therefore, wathe the towns proves that a role does not have to be significant to be important.