The Role of Missing Women
I think that Frankenstein portrays the way women were treated during that time period. Caroline Beaufort dedicated herself to her family and died taking care of them. Innocent Justine served as a scapegoat, and took upon herself the murder of William. Elizabeth dedicates herself to serving her family and making them happy. In each case the woman is serving men. Another point is that women are never engaged in the pursuit of knowledge. When Victor was a child he was educated and eventually sent to college; however, no such future existed for Elizabeth. Victor sought the secret of life, and Elizabeth cared little for gaining such knowledge. Walton is engaged in discovering the secrets of the North Pole; however, his sister remains at home.
I think that Shelley is addressing the role of women in society at the time when Frankenstein was written. Throughout Frankenstein their prevalence is at home, and not out pursuing new endeavors. In my opinion, Shelly uses their death to show that this is not the way women should live. They should not be contained in the house, and if they are, then they perish. She supports this idea with Safie, who escapes living in a harem, and lives freely with Felix and his family.
She also alludes to women being oppressed by men, because Elizabeth and indirectly Justine both die by the creation of Victor. Also the female monster, although never finished, was destroyed by Victor. I think that Shelly’s overall message is that women are being oppressed by a male dominated society, and that women’s status in society needs to change.
I think that Shelley is addressing the role of women in society at the time when Frankenstein was written. Throughout Frankenstein their prevalence is at home, and not out pursuing new endeavors. In my opinion, Shelly uses their death to show that this is not the way women should live. They should not be contained in the house, and if they are, then they perish. She supports this idea with Safie, who escapes living in a harem, and lives freely with Felix and his family.
She also alludes to women being oppressed by men, because Elizabeth and indirectly Justine both die by the creation of Victor. Also the female monster, although never finished, was destroyed by Victor. I think that Shelly’s overall message is that women are being oppressed by a male dominated society, and that women’s status in society needs to change.
posted by Chris Rowland at 1:32 AM
4 Comments:
I agree with you about the feminist implications of this book. After all, Walton spends all this time writing letters to his sister Mrs. Saville, but never once do the readers get to see what she thinks, or even if she's received the letters. Perhaps her silence is reflective of the domineering atmosphere of the domestic realm, where a woman is strictly forbidden to have her own opinions and thoughts.
I think you make a good point about the way Shelley portrays the treatment and roles of women in the society of her era. I'm sure as a great writer at the time she felt the confinement of the limited roles available to women, for instance she had to publish Frankenstein under a male pseudonym just to have people take it seriously. The impotence and utter dependence of the women in the book speak strongly of the adversity they faced in Shelley's time.
I agree with this perspective especially since Shelley published her book under a male alias. She knew at the time that although she was a talented writer she would never be published simply becuase she was a woman. Frankenstein is really good at showing this oppression in a subtle way.
I agree with your post and think you have some good ideas on why Shelley portrayed women as she did. But I would also add that perhaps, in relation to dangers of science, the lack of women in this novel reflects a lack of religion in the world Shelley has created. Perhaps she is attempting to demonstrate the importance of women in society as a character of piety and a check on the desires and curiosity of men.
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