Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Important roles of the female characters in Frankenstein
Feminism in mary shelleys frankenstein
The role of women in Frankenstein
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Mary Shelly (1797-1851) is one of the world’s most renowned authors and has authored numerous books which are still read and highly respected today. However, her best known work is Frankenstein. Mary Shelly’s first novel, Frankenstein, is one of the world’s finest pieces of literature and the definitive novel of the English Romantic Era; the novel combines a detailed critique on humanity with many powerful themes and multiple characters in the novel reflect the troubled woman who authored the classic tale.
Shelly’s Frankenstein is easily regarded as one of the world’s finest pieces of literature. A reason why it’s in a class of its own is because of the strong feminist undertones present throughout the work. All of Shelly’s female characters come across as inferior to the males; this character portrayal was accurate to the time period when the novel was written, in which this did happen to be the case. An example of this would be how Shelly described Elizabeth, “Who’s hair was the brightest living gold, and despite the poverty of her clothing, seemed to set a crown of distinction on her head,” when the Victor’s mother came across her (Shelly 20). Right from the start of the novel Elizabeth is presented as weak. Victor later stated when his mother brought Elizabeth home that she was “A possession of my own” (Shelly 21). Not only is Elizabeth presented as weak, but also an item to be used however the Frankenstein family wants. And that want was for Elizabeth to become Victor’s wife, “Till dead she was to be” Victor’s only (Shelly 21). She is showed to the reader as feeble, in a powerless position, and overall incapable of supporting her-self without others; at the mercy of men (Feminism and Frankenstein). Putting fe...
... middle of paper ...
... The History Guide, 2000. 15 February 2011. Web.
----------------. “Lectures on Modern European Intellectual History: Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759-1797.” The History Guide, 2000. 15 February 2011. Web.
Flaig, Bonnie. “Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus.” Masterplots. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Pasadena, California: Salem Press, 1996. 2420-2423. Print.
Walter, Sean. “The Romantic Tenants.” Wentzville R-IV Public School System. Holt High School Modular 4,
Wentzville, Mo. 7 February 2011. Lecture.
---------------. “Feminism and Frankenstein.” Wentzville R-IV Public School System. Holt High School Modular 4, Wentzville, Mo. 7 February 2011. Lecture.
----------------. “Romanticism and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.” Article Myriad, 2010. Web. 19 February 2011.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Bantam Books, 2003. Print
When the novel “Frankenstein”, by Mary Shelley came out in 1831 the general public was introduced to the idea of man creating another man, scientifically without the use of reproduction. The disasters that followed, in the novel, demonstrated the horrid fact that creating humans was not natural. That was in 1831, when the knowledge of science had not yet evolved enough to act on such an idea. Now as the start of a new millenium approaches, having the capability to scientifically produce one human who is genetically identical to another, or cloning a human, has a lot of people questioning weather or not it is our moral right to do such a thing. It is a classic debate between principles of science and principles of religion.
because of the way he is just abandoned by Victor and the way in which
Introduction: Mary Shelly inquires into many issues using the Gothic genre. Shelly explores the theme of religion according to the society that she had lived in. Shelly also explores loneliness through Victor Frankenstein and the creation of Victor, the monster. Mary explores the taboo issues of Victorian society through her novel and looks deeply into the idea of 'playing God' using Victor; she investigates through her novel human anatomy and science which were great discoveries and issues in the Victorian era.
“I am alone and miserable: man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me” (Shelley 127). A monster with bad intentions generates a bad reputation in society. However, does a monster whose sole purpose is to achieve and excel treated wrongly because of the way he looks? According to John Bugg’s “Master of their language: Education and Exile” The creature’s narrative of education unfolds from a personal realization of alterity. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein portrays the creature’s motivation to broaden his education in order to be accepted by society. Despite the creature’s good intentions to broaden his education, his physical appearance disallows him to obtain an education, and therefore the only residual is to seek revenge on his creator.
Smith begins her essay by looking at the historical factors that may have contributed to this seemingly sexist book. Shelley, writing in the first half of the 19th Century, was in a period in which a woman "was conditioned to think she needed a man's help" (Smith 275). 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/fiancé (no they aren't from Arkansas). 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. But just like all the female characters in the story, her 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 characters. Professor Smith states in her essay that "women function not in their own right but rather as signals of and conduits for men's relations with other men" (283). This is especially clear when the monster kills Elizabeth on their wedding night. The monster is upset with Victor, so instead of hurting him, he kills his wife. Elizabeth is used as a sort of ruler to measure the relationship between Victor and his monster.
What qualifies a creature to be a monster? When the movie Frankenstein came out, monsters were usually big and scary animals that terrified everyone that walked in their path. They were creatures that generally behaved monstrously, doing things that were against society norms and had no consideration for the safety of others. Perhaps looking beyond the physical appearance of a “monster” and just looking at their actions one might see Dr. Frankenstein as a monster himself. Frankenstein was a story about a man who created an individual which led his life to failure and death, because of his desire to play which nature, and attempting the role of God.
Antagonists and Protagonists, in most literature distinguish themselves clearly. But not in Mary Shelly's book Frankenstein. Selfishness, the desire to be loved and accepted and the constant, all consuming search for happiness make it difficult to set apart who is the better person in this incredibly complex horror story. Dr. Frankenstein and the monster he created both do maleficent things, but are the characters themselves inherently evil? Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is a thought provoking, complex story of a scientist who finds the means to create life, and as a result monster is set loose upon the world. Selfishness drives both characters to seek revenge as a means of trying to achieve happiness and acceptance.
In conclusion, in Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein, the female characters always fulfill the limited and archetypical roles that are set for them by society. In this novel, many female characters are considered to be possessions. In fact, they are considered to be the servants of men. “I have a pretty present for my Victor—tomorrow he shall have it.” (Mary Shelly, Pg. 70)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is an old classic that has been enjoyed by many generations. Despite the fact that the novel was written over a hundred years ago, it is not only beautifully written but also enthralling and well composed. At the young age of eighteen, Mary Shelly raises questions about education and knowledge to which are answered through the well written characters in the novel. The Monster, who is a creation of another character, is highlighted as an individual who goes through an intellectual change.
Within Frankenstein, the level at which a female is portrayed is quite low. Like we have heard in class, women were not necessarily respected as much as men were when the novel was written. Published in 1818 by Mary Shelley, her story tells of the adventure of young Victor Frankenstein and the creation of his creature. Though deep within this narration of Frankenstein’s life, there seems to be an underlying theme seeping through Shelley’s writing. Shelley seems to venture into the idea of feminism and grotesquely show how men are treated much better than women. Her novel includes various concrete examples to support this hypothesis.
In 2012, Dave Morris and Profile Books teamed up with inkle to create an interactive retelling of the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The book is vividly illustrated with detailed 16th to 19th century anatomical illustrations that fit the overall theme of Frankenstein well. Though originally available only for iPhones and iPads through iTunes, the company released an Android version in 2013. Concerning age appropriateness, the Google Play store rates the app for everyone (2013), iTunes suggests twelve and up (2012), and a review by School Library Journal suggests eighth grade and up (Grabarek, 2012). At the time of this paper, iTunes is charging $4.99 for the app and the Play Store has it listed at $4.57.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus can be interpreted as a chilling warning of the dangers of scientific overreaching and ambition. Mary Shelley was already aware of the works of scientists such as Erasmus Darwin and was being influenced by writers such as Byron when, at “the age of nineteen, she achieved the quietly astonishing feat of looking beyond them and creating a lasting symbol of the perils of scientific Prometheanism” (Joseph, 1998, p, xiii). The fact that Shelley parallels her story of Frankenstein with the myth of Prometheus is interesting and gives an immediate insight into the extent of criticism she bestows on Victor Frankenstein’s scientific ambition. In one version of the Prometheus myth (Prometheus Pyprphoros) he brought down fire from the sun to succour mankind, and was then punished by being chained up with an eagle feasting on his liver in a perpetual cycle. In another version (Prometheus Plasticator) he animated a man from clay in an act of usurping God. The undoing of Frankenstein can be taken as a metaphor for either version and is key to understanding that as Shelley orchestrates Victor’s downfall she is presenting his actions as a warning of what horrors blind scientific ambition can wreak upon mankind.
When people hear the name Frankenstein, they all think of the story of the scary monster created by a scientist. The original story was written by Mary Shelley which told of a man, Victor Frankenstein and his creation of such a monster. Her novel explores the events of the creation of the monster, what Frankenstein encounters and goes through, and the chaos which the monster causes. Due to this well-known tale, film makers and other authors have depicted their own versions of the story and created an abundance of adaptations that all follow the general story line.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly was a novelist, dramatist, and short story writer. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly is one of the best writers of all time and is best known for her novel Frankenstein.
Mary Shelley was the author of many popular books some of these include; Frankenstein, Valperga, The Last Man, and etc. First is Frankenstein, Mary first published this book anonymously in 1818, but in the year 1823 after learning its popularity she published it with her name. This may have aggravated people because women were not respected as much as they are now and they mostly would have preferred it was written by a man. Frankenstein is about a young scientist who goes by the name of Victor Frankenstein. Throughout the story victor travels the world conducting stories until one day he settles down and performs an experiment. With his vast amount of knowledge he succeeded in creating the life he so desperately pursued, but little did