Introduction
It is evident that many individuals consider Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley as a horror, dim-witted, piece of writing that reveals a monster with fissures and bolts attached to the skull. Apparently, the monster’s slurred voice and terror inflicted actions depict a destructive and evil creature. Beneath this gothic surface, this book depicts a multi-faceted piece of writing filled with representations crucial to Shelley’s feminist concerns (Shelley 1).
The author ingeniously illustrates the feminine role of women victims and the evil role of the creature in both the book and in the society. Shelley develops the theme of feminism in the course of the book by revealing the evil attributes of the creature and how the women fall victim of the creature.
Main body
This book introduces submissive women characters who go through pain and suffering in the entire story (Shelley 1). Every woman depicted in the book play subservient and compliant roles in all the chapters. For instance, Elizabeth, who is in love with Frankenstein, loses her life after an attack by the monster as she waits for Frankenstein to liberate her (Shelley 2). It is evident that Elizabeth cannot free herself without the assistance of a man. She does not move hoping that Frankenstein will save her and finally loses her life by a long shot. Another example is Justine who faces execution for a murder that Frankenstein caused.
Justine lacks the ability to stand up for herself and justify her innocence in opposition to her accusers and loses her life for the charges of murder (Shelley 3). Justine stands up in court but then confesses under the priest’s pressure. This is significant to Shelley’s depiction of how women’s attempts to defend themselves are overpowered by men. Justine is not submissive at first. She is compelled to confess false guilt by dominant males. However, her submissive role sets her powerless. This is when she attempts to form her individual fate with the intention of standing up against the wrong allegation.
In Contrast to these characters, Shelley’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was powerful in campaigning for the rights of women. In the 19th century in the Genevan culture, where Shelley wrote the book, males subjugated the societal and rational subject entirely whereas females dominated the domestic subjects (Shelley 3).In addition, mentioning the author’s feminist upbringing as a daughter of Wollstonecraft reveals the objectives underlying every female character in Frankenstein. Elizabeth and Justine lost their lives at the beginning of the book. The author puts emphasis on the subjective roles of women characters in the story.
It is arguable that the author manages to reveal the depressing features of the invariable women roles. This is by killing the women characters who suit these roles. Linking the subjective women with depressing deaths puts emphasis on the off-putting results of their actions (Shelley 4). For instance, the “tragically beautiful” portrait of Catherine Beaufort, Victor’s mother is mentioned at the time of William’s death. This shows that women’s suffering is an “appealing” subject for a painting. This, therefore, fosters distinctive feminist morals that ought to have helped the women save their lives.
The theme of feminism is apparent beyond the female characters of the book. In the 19th century Genevan way of life, everyone considered males as people with high brainpower and inventors whereas society viewed women as sentimental beings (Shelley 4). Consequently, with the extremely harsh disconnection between males and females, society viewed emotion as lacking brainpower and brainpower as lacking emotion. The author unravels the depressing truths of lacking the ability to combine emotion and reasoning power via the advancement of affiliation flanked by Frankenstein and the monster. While Frankenstein puts life into dead bodies, he attempts to remove the single strength of females significantly embraced in the community, to bring things to life (Shelley 5).
Conversely, Frankenstein as a male character does not create any positive nurturing. He feels horror, anger and an obsessive dedication to his quest. Subsequent to fruitfully managing to give life to the monster, he sees it as ghastly and forsakes it at once. He neither feels any affection for the creature nor accepts any accountability for it. This is a significant cause of the problems of all that he adores. In case he had a chance to decipher the values of the society and blend affection and emotion with his job and brainpower, his test ought to be fruitful. Conversely, his male role in the Genevan culture is dominant. Therefore, he fails to put into consideration this aspect.
He lacks affection for the monster and still fails to accept accountability for the monster as a living creature. In the end run, this makes the book take an unfortunate direction and leads to the absolute end of Frankenstein (Shelley 5). This is evident when the Monster puts others in danger, creates hatred and an obsessive desire for revenge. Finally, it turns Victor into a monster. This monster is evil given that it kills without mercy and its desire for power makes it deformed.
It is clear that the only constructive theme of feminism in the book is the contrast of feminism to the natural world. The natural world and feminism are related to the extent of societal influence. In the entire book, minor themes of idealism are blended in with the grotesque representations of the monster. Conversely, the natural world does not form part of anything possessive or submissive. However, it forms part of powerful and animated things in life.
It is as well constructive that female features are evident in Frankenstein’s illustrations with the natural world. This is given that men can find pleasure in women similar to nature as much as they can destroy nature and punish women. It is, therefore, apparent that Frankenstein depicts the natural world as womanly and constructive. This is evident when initially the monster wakes up and rushes to the forest. It is true that the natural world offers everything that Frankenstein denied the monster when he left it without provisions or any training on how to stay alive on earth. Via the passionate themes on the natural world, the author puts emphasis on the constructive attributes of women and subjectivity that the 19th-century Genevan culture presented to women.
Conclusion
Regardless of publishing the book in the year 1818, the entire story of the monster keeps adapting to varying storylines, songs, films and plays. Conversely, things keep changing as societies advance with time. It is evident that western countries embrace modern roles of women which entail participating in activities that give them dignity and high regard. Patriarchal oppression is diminishing as women acquire opportunities of taking part in the formal activities of brainpower that had initially been left for men. It is evident that the book reveals the extent that science can leave out women of society.
By depicting Frankenstein, “creates” a monster in two ways—he physically makes the creature but then also makes the creature into a monster through lack of nurture and makes himself into a monster through his destructive interaction with the creature. This indicates clearly that, men can as well be the cause of major problems. This is in opposition to the notion that women are the sole basis for many problems.
Works Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus. Ware, United Kingdom: Wordsworth Editions Limited. 1993. 1-5 Print.