Frankenstein and the Portrayal of Women by Mary Shelley

“Iron man” is a superhero, but “Iron woman” is a command. Although these statements may be risible they carry an important message that has dated back for centuries. Throughout many years the world has been unified socially with one similarity: the culture of a patriarchal society. A patriarchal society is a social society in which males are the primary figures of authority, owning property, and occupying political leadership. When such important roles are taken by men, women, on the other hand are expected to be obedient, silent, and useless (except in chores). History has numerous examples in books, morals and real life in which women are known through culture to be unimportant. A classic novel, Frankenstein, also demonstrates this fact about women. Although the women in Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, can be portrayed as being strong, they are mostly represented as weak throughout the novel because they are treated as property, helpless during troubled times, and dependent on men.

. As restated before, some may believe that women are characterized to be tenacious or strong in the story through the act of sacrifice and through their potential to bring great change. These intentions of women being strong are with Justine and the female monster. Justine Moritz is a girl who lives with the Frankensteins as a servant after her mother dies and she has nowhere to go. She was a character that held a strong reputation in the story. She was portrayed as strong because she was not afraid to die when the townspeople accused her for the murder of William’s death. “I do not fear to die” (Shelley 76) are fearless words that come out of Justine that are so substantial because it awards Justine the minimal respect that she has for what she d...

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...e many reasons why they are weak. One main reason is, the story itself takes place in a patriarchal society that gives the story a setting that it is male-dominated. Women in society are still commonly stereotyped to be weak fragile creatures and when they act like a man or do an action that is quite normal when males do it, it is considered extraordinary. An example of this would be when Hillary Clinton ran for president and so many people saw Clinton as extraordinary for competing but if she was a male it would be normal. In opposite terms, when a male does something that normally women would do, for example cooking, it is seen as different and even at times looked down upon. Although women are opinionated this way societies are always changing, but even though there is no distinct society that is fully patriarchal, many cultures still show patriarchal features.