Passive Women In Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, she characterized the women as disposable, passive and only serving a utilitarian function. Characters like Justine, Margaret, Elizabeth, Safie, and Agatha are only relevant to create a storyline for the male characters in the novel. When something happens to one of them it is usually to teach a male character a lesson or to spark an emotion within him. Each woman in Shelly’s Frankenstein serves a purpose to the novel.

Justine’s is a very passive character who seldom speaks in the novel. she is tossed between the Frankenstein’s and her family, until someone frames her for the murder of William Frankenstein. Although she is being framed for a murder she does not act the part, remaining peaceful and tranquil. She

explains “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). Not only does her actions demonstrate her passivity ,but the fact that she was framed for murder proves that this is the only reason for her character in the stories plot: : “But I have no power of explaining it…I am only left to conjecture concerning the probabilities by which it might have been placed in my pocket” (66). Hence, leaving Justine as an inactive, meek victim of her circumstances.
The next female character encountered in Shelley’s Frankenstein is Agatha the young cottager’s daughter, she is studies by the monster.

Agatha’s role, as a gentle and kind female, is to display and embody sensitivity and virtue. These are the very first lessons learned by the monster: he has never experienced such kind and tenderness till now. She moved him with her interactions with blind father, “Agatha listened with respect, her eyes sometimes filled with tears, which she endeavored to wipe away unperceived” (93). Agatha’s character, through its tender nature, teaches the monster his first life lessons on a healthy relationships and

love.
The next female character Safie, she is close to Agatha. Safia arrives from Arabia with no prier English training so she was to be tutored in English.as the monster watches this happy family, sofie becomes something he wanted to be. Therefor making sofie passive female that the monster can learn a lesson from “My days were spent in close attention…and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian…I could imitate almost every word that was spoken…I also learned the science of letters” (99). It is not important to the novel if sofie herself learns to speak English, what matter is that the monster learns his lesson. She purposes is to expose the monster to education, becoming yet another passive female character to channel actions in male characters.
Frankenstein fiancé, Elizabeth, may be the most important emotional female character in this novel.

Elizabeth is first described as a gentle submissive character who has a soft spot for Frankenstein, whom believes that she is his possession “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” (21). Frankenstein ‘s monster knows that Elizabeth is creator’s weakness and uses her against him. In the monster madness and anger towards his creator’s neglect, he kills Elizabeth to hurt Frankenstein in the only way he knows how. Even when Elizabeth life is in danger, Frankenstein still choices to play games with the monster over protecting Her in steading of protecting in fiancé on their wedding night, he premises and patrols, “She left me, and I continued some time walking up and down the passages of the house and inspecting every corner that might afford a retreat to my adversary…when suddenly I heard a shrill and dreadful scream” (173). Elizabeth has become another female victim of the male centered insanity. Elizabeth has been reduced to nothing more than a tool in the monster’s game of revenge, like the other female character in

Frankenstein.

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