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Feminism In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

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Feminism In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Introduction

In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley looks so much on how human beings live on this world. It explores conditions related to formal characteristics and issues related to our relationship with other people who live around us. In the novel, some of the formal characteristics and social issues addressed include; the dilemmas between the spiritual being or faith in relation to what science tells, how people explore the world to identify and come up with the reasons why certain things existed and what led to their existence, how the world perceives things and preconception (Haddad). The novel also explores issues to do with how we individual perceive ourselves and what our characters define us, issues of demise and self-annihilation, how natural we are and how are we changed by what the environment and the last one being feminism just to mention a few. In all the issues that Frankenstein explores, I would like to analyze on ho most of the women characters have been depicted.

Thesis statement

In the Frankenstein women characters have been given supportive roles and depicted as subjects of victimization. The novel takes into account the acts of victimization of the women in relation to passive acting roles, roles of moral excellence, love and submissiveness. We have many other characteristics regarding women that am going to discuss in details here. Some of the women characters used to display these characteristics are: Justine, Agatha the daughter to the cottager, Elizabeth and Margaret. These characters display various issues that are related to our day to day life. The various roles of the characters as:

The role of Justine

In the novel, Justin is an inactive and a quite often outspoken character. She is framed to have plotted and killed William Frankstein during a wrangle between her family and that of Frankstein’s. She is however set free and leads a peaceful life which was so unexpected of a person accused of murder. Her passivity character is demonstrated through the framing of her murder charges. She says “God knows how entirely I am innocent. But I do not pretend that my protestations should acquit me; I rest my innocence on a plain and simple explanation of the facts…” (65) (as cited from Frankenstein) this character is still being observed in some communities in the world where women are victimized and used as escape goats by some men for crimes they have committed.

The role of Agatha

She is the daughter to the cottager. She plays her role of being kind and gentle whereby all the moral excellence is instilled in her. Thus the monster learns from her lessons of great tenderness it has never encountered before (Zonana & Joyce). These are the lessons of learn Agatha teaches the monster, thus women are depicted to pass knowledge in the novel. Agatha pleases the monster with how she fundamentally interacts with her father despite having the inability to see with his physical eyes. This kind of love Agatha depicts is a vital character that should be emulated by every person in this world to their family members irrespective of how disabled they may be.

The role of Elizabeth

Elizabeth was engaged to Frankstein, she is so gentle that she has always submitted to her situations o does it describe her main characteristics in the novel. She is seen as a great possession by her fiancé and this is depicted from his words when he says “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” as cited from Frankstein pg.21. Even if Elizabeth is killed later on by the monster, her role defines a lot to how women should relate with their loved ones especially their fiancé, husbands and any mutual relationship that defines a man and a woman. This is still to be emulated in the current world as to how men should behave in front of women and how the women should relate back. However, it remains a hard thing to achieve as later or we find that Elizabeth is degraded and her worthiness stolen by using her as a revenge tool. This is a vice that most women encounter in the current world.

The role of Margaret

Margaret’s role is not so much depicted in the story thus it is not known as to whether she does exist. The novel Frankstein revolves around her and used as the character who delivers the plot of the novel whereby letters are addressed to her and not so sure I as an audience if she has ever read any of them (Haddad). Thus here characterization has been humiliated along other female characters.

Conclusion

Thus we clearly see the roles of the women characters that are in the novel to have been used to act and just support the delivery of the male characters. They are given very minor roles to play which shows and or depicts how we socially perceive them that they are not capable of delivering large roles like those played by Frankstein and the monster ("Marquette University"). This has been the trend since time immemorial only that of late, the scene of acting has been transformed to incorporate women play major roles. The acts of victimization and the expectation of the women to be morally submissive to the male gender still persists whereby they are being expected to follow all the orders that may come from their husbands and for those who are still in young relationships. This kind of perspective should be changed to see women act and be considered as useful and productive as men.

References

Haddad, Stephanie S. "Women As The Submissive Sex In Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'". Student Pulse 2.01 (2010): n. pag. Web. 31 July 2016.

Zonana, Joyce. ""They Will Prove the Truth of My Tale": Safie's Letters as the Feminist Core of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"" The Journal of Narrative Technique 21.2 (1991): 170-84. Web.

"Marquette University". Epublications.marquette.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 31 July 2016.

("Marquette University")