Frankenstein Relationship Essay

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and his reanimated creature have a distinct relationship with each other. It is possible that a defining relationship between Frankenstein and the monster is that between a man and a woman. While Frankenstein is the creator of his monster, the monster has most of the power in their relationship. Each also demonstrates behavior that resembles that of a stereotypical male and female relationship, such as having one of them become fully dependent on another for life. However, that relationship is also mocked by inserting characteristics that do not reflect that of the same gender, an example being that Frankenstein’s monster is sometimes seen as womanly.

The monster is characterized as

the male part and Frankenstein is characterized as the female part in the relationship between Frankenstein and his creation. The monster was purposefully created to become the ultimate man, yet Frankenstein is repulsed by how ugly and human it is.

An example includes the fact that the monster is stronger than Frankenstein. This represents the stereotypical belief that men are stronger and more capable than women. Another characteristic of the relationship between man and woman during the 19th century was of the power dynamic. Frankenstein’s emotions are the plaything of the creature. The creature is able to manipulate Frankenstein by murdering those that Frankenstein loves to instill rage and hatred in Frankenstein or by invoking pity for the creature’s loneliness. Then, when the monster speaks to Frankenstein requesting for another monster to be created, Frankenstein instead feels pity for his creation. He says, “I was moved … I felt that there was some justice in his argument.”(148) The monster can evidently manipulate Frankenstein through persuasion and, as a result, control his feelings. It is possible that Shelley could be conveying the belief the creature controls Frankenstein like a man would control a woman. Not only were Frankenstein’s feelings controlled, but his actions were as well. The creature was able to lure Frankenstein toward him, goading him into chasing him across the North

for vengeance. The creature did this by leaving “marks in writing on the barks of the trees or cut in stone that guided me and instigated my fury.” (214) The final example of Frankenstein characterized as womanly is by how he was often sick. As a result of his illnesses, Frankenstein had to be taken care of by others when he was ill and depended on them so that he could eventually recover. Women were perceived as being weak and unable to take care of themselves, which could accurately describe Frankenstein. The relationship between Frankenstein and his creature mirrors one between a man and a woman, which is supported by the control the creature exerts over Frankenstein and the differences in their strengths.
Frankenstein is also seen as a womanly figure by the way he is fully dependent on the creature to give his life meaning.

After Elizabeth’s death, Frankenstein had no one who meant anything to him, except for the creature. Frankenstein says, “But revenge kept me alive; I dared not die and leave my adversary in being.” (210) He continued to live because of his need to exact vengeance on the monster he created. In a similar manner, the monster was obsessed with destroying Frankenstein’s life by killing those he loved. The connection between Frankenstein and his monster is reinforced when Frankenstein dies. The monster proclaimed that “He is dead who called me into being; and when I shall be no more, the very remembrance of us both will speedily vanish” (232) because his “work is nearly complete.” (231) This showed that Frankenstein’s pursuit was the only reason that the monster wanted to keep living, which also resembles the bond between man and

woman.
While Shelley creates her characters with strong characteristics of man and woman, she also mocks society’s perception of women, expressing her feminist beliefs. This is seen by the feminine characteristics of the monster who has been described as masculine. An example is the monster’s desire to be loved. The frailty of this demonic creature saying “still I desired love and fellowship,” (231) portrays him in a feminine aspect. Men were viewed as independent and were supposed to support women. Shelley included a way to express her feminist ideology by making the most masculine man in the novel appear to be less manly that he seems.
Victor Frankenstein and his creature torment each other in a relationship that is similar to one between a man and a woman. Shelley created both of them to show not only that they share the relationship but that, sometimes, they are not completely like a man or woman from her time period. Frankenstein is depicted as the weak, powerless woman and his creature is depicted as a powerful and ruthless monster. Yet they are each not exactly as they are described, which could be a reflection on the feminist beliefs of Shelley.