Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Introduction :
In this Gothic novel women plays a passive role. The technique of narration it self shows the positive way. There are so many female characters in the novel.
There are such things which plays a big role in the life of Mary Shelley. We can interpret that, these were the things which may lead her to write a novel like Frankenstein.
Her mother dies after the eleven days of her birth. Her mother was a feminist. Mary Shelley gives birth to a premature baby and unfortunately baby dies. She marries to P. B. shelley after the suicide of his first wife, Harriet. She spends her time near Geneva, Switzerland. Her husband dies in the storm when he was sailing boat.
All this things we finds in her works. We can say that by experiencing such things and with imagination she has written this novel.
Women characters in the novel :
- Margaret Saville
- Elizabeth Lavenza
- Justine Moritz
- Agatha
- Safie
- Caroline Beaufort
- Female Monster
Feminism in the novel :
Elizabeth :
She first appears in the novel with her beauty. ' Very Fair ' with ' cloudless ' ' blue eyes ' and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features and with inner beauty also. That's the all thing attracts Caroline.
So we find that this giving of attractiveness, gives the positivity of her character in the novel. During the whole novel she defined by her appearance, to Victor.
Victor sees her as an merely object, something for pleasure rather than being a human with actual feelings.
He uses the word ' beautiful ' for her rather than kind, intelligent, or interesting. This could be seen as an exclamation of affection.
We can not find any other roles of her in the novel.
Female Monster :
Monster to Victor : " I demand a creature of another sex but as hideous as I am. "
We can discusses feminism in the novel through the character of Female Monster.
So again we finds that the value of female is to bring joy in the life of Monster. He wants also company. By seeing Felix and Safie happy with each other, may he also felt that he (it) can also be happy and free from loneliness.
And also he thinks to make her hideous as he is, so no other man can not be with her. As other female not be with him.
Victor fearsly says that ' one of the first results of those sympathies for which the daemon thirsted would be children. So he destroys her.
Victor could make her without womb as the body parts necessary to produce children. Then the problem of " race of devils " would be solved. So that shows the mentality of Victor towards women .
Justine :
She has not even gave a chance to speak, or we can say that she has accepted the blame of murdering William which was not right.
Conclusion : Thus we can conclude this topic by saying that the portrayal of woman is less active. Women used as a tool in the novel. Mary has given less power or activeness to the women characters in the novel.
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