Role of Women in Frankenstein

Role of Women in Frankenstein

Women play a significant role in human progress, and thus, they have an important place in society. Notably, women are not at all inferior to men, as proclaimed by Mary Shelley in her novel. They are capable of handling all their duties of day to day life. In her novel “Frankenstein,” Mary Shelley portrays women as submissive and passive (Shelley, 15). This is majorly done in order to represent the mistreatment women undergo in a male-dominated society. However, there are certain instances in the book where women have displaced their strong character to their family as well as to men. Thus, this paper will discuss a number of ways in how female characters have demonstrated their strong character in Frankenstein? And why females are viewed as a submissive and passive gender in the Mary Shelley Frankenstein?

Females are perceived to be a strong character in the novel by Mary Shelley.  Females such as Caroline and Elizabeth have shown a strong character, which is more appealing than the beauty which the society cherishes (Shelley, 26). For instance, the supportive nature of women in the book can be represented by Caroline Beaufort who is on one occasion attending to her invalid father “with the greatest tenderness.” symbolically, this means that Beaufort is such a dedicated woman in the society who is determined to help and improve the lives of the society (Shelley, 28). Also, the strong character of Caroline Beaufort can be witnessed when her father passed away. Her courage rises absolutely “to support her in adversity.” This is a clear representation that shows that Beaufort is such a strong character, hence enabling her to handle the loss of her father in that stage of life (Shelley, 29). Moreover, Caroline’s prowess to evoke love from her company became a common symbol among the women discussed in the novel. Secondly, another woman who portrays the traits similar to that one of Caroline Beaufort is Elizabeth. For instance, in the novel, Elizabeth introduces her fried Caroline as “being heaven-sent.” This symbolically signifies that one Caroline Beaufort is such a great help to her family as well as herself (Shelley, 30). Caroline proceeds to lament that Elizabeth is such a big blessing to her whole family. Notably, the beauty, as well as her complexion, which is “fair than pictured cherub,” does not at any point hinder her cherishable character. Thus, it can be concluded that at the time when Mary Shelley published her novel, women were considered to be inferior before men in the society; hence, this could be the primary reason why she chose to present women as playing strong characters as well as supporting men.

On the other hand, women are perceived to be submissive sex in Mary Shelley Frankenstein. On several occasions, Frankenstein publicly confessed that he relied “upon Elizabeth as mine.” This symbolically represents how the female gender was viewed to be men’s property at the time the book was published (Shelley, 40). Also, women are represented to look upon men for “protection and provision of basic needs” Thus, the passion for women to be possessed indicates that they were not strong in the physical sense. None the less, they displayed a strong character in a number of occasions; women still relied on the assurance of the men in the novel. Another instance that represents women as the submissive sex in Mary Shelly’s book is by Justine (Shelley, 42). At one point in the novel, Justine is referred by Elizabeth as “softness and winning mildness” this symbolically represents a submissive nature of a house caretaker. In a nutshell, women are generally represented by Mary Shelley as characters that are submissive to their counterparts for protection as well as the provision of necessities.

Women in the book are passive in nature. This is specifically towards authority and men. For instance, when Justine is taken for trial in the court of law for a crime which she primarily not have committed, surprising, she “accepts the punishment” even though she knows at the back of her mind that she isn’t guilty of any wrongdoing (Shelley, 60). Notably, Justine accepting the charges of the crime she did not commit symbolizes the passive nature of women in Frankenstein. Moreover, Justine’s passiveness in the court of law may be viewed in two different angles of her being a minor house caretaker or her being a low-class woman (Shelley, 62). Furthermore, at the time, the rich neglected the lower class, and consequently, women were regarded as second class citizens. As a result of this combination, it might have resulted in the passiveness nature displayed in all the women in the book (Shelley, 64). As demonstrated by all women in the book, Justine is represented as a seldom vocal character in the novel. In her words, “God knows how entirely I am innocent. But I do not pretend that my protestation should acquit me; I rest my innocence on a plain and simple explanation of the facts, (64). According to this statement, Justine represents women in the book has being passive in their speech as well as through their actions (Shelley, 70). In conclusion, women are represented by Mary Shelly in her novel “Frankenstein” as passive beings. Women have become a victim of circumstances, docile, inactive, and passive for both authority and man.

Conclusion

In summary, in the novel by Mary Shelly, women played a key component. All women in the novel are presented as being strong characters, disregard their physical beauty. A many occasions, women are also presented as being submissive beings that majorly rely on men for their protection as well as provision.  Moreover, females in Frankenstein can be portrayed as being passive, docile, and inactive to the authority and men, as demonstrated by Justine.

Work Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Broadview Press, 2012.