Feminism In Frankenstein essays

Feminism In Frankenstein essays When reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, one cannot help but notice that the women characters seem to have little substance compared to the male characters. This may have been caused by the time period in which she wrote: one in which females was considered to be inferior to males. There are many factors in this novel which contribute to the portrayal of feminism. The three points which contribute greatly are, the female characters are there only to reflect the male characters, women are seen as possessions for men to protect, and finally women in the novel are portrayed as stereotypical women in that time period. Mary Shelleys novel portrays feminist qualities, and is a feminist novel. Firstly, the female characters in the novel are there only to reflect the male characters. To start, 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/fianc. 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. Secondly, just like all the female characters in the story, Elizabeths 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 charac ters. Lastly, women function not in their own right but somewhat of a passage for men's relations with other men. This is especially clear when the monster kills Elizabeth on their wedding night. The monster is upset with Victor, so instead of hurting ...