In most 18th century novels men portray to be the more dominate figure in the story or family.

Women in the stories tend to be less important than the males. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,
women are mentioned that much and even if they are, they end up being killed or dying.
Feminist interpreters tend to think Shelley has patriarchal man-centered views regarding gender
roles. The idea of inactive women in a patriarchal society tremendously impacts the scheme of
the novel. This is a complicated topic because most of her women characters are quiet, content
women who, at first, share little similarities with self-confident women. Women did not have
many rights as men and they could not stand up for themselves. If a woman were to do so they
would be label as impertinent and unthankful. Shelley’s approach on women is more complex
than what we know it. She reveals to us that women are ambiguous and conflicting people,
without a vast amount of control. Shelley reveals the injustice discreetly all through the book. All
through the novel, Mary Shelley suggests that women are victims in a patriarchal world. In
Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus, Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein, Justine Moritz, and
Elizabeth Lavenza are examples victims of a patriarchal world, dominated by men.
Frankenstein’s central characters exhibit the main idealized gender roles of that time period. The
abnormality of the monster’s creation in the novel as well as his experiences are shown to be the
counterpoint of the importance of the female roles in society other than their companionship to
men. The male characters in this novel are described as the traditional male archetypes of the
British society in that time period. They exhibit a certain detachment from their own private lives
and they have obsessive qualities so that they can achieve their goals. Victor Frankenstein is
described as a calm and philosophical man who delights “in investigating the causes” (Shelley,
22) of the actual world. He seems to truly epitomize the masculine traits of that era with his
intelligent and calm nature.

Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein, Victor’s mother is a victim in a patriarchal world. After her
father’s death, Caroline is taken in by, and later marries, Alphonse Frankenstein. In chapter 1,
Shelley portrayal of Alphonse’s care for Caroline sounds as if she is in charge, “Everything was
made to yield to her wishes and her convenience” (19). This short description shows that
Caroline is cherished by Alphonse, making her more dominate. Shelley tells how Alphonse,
“strove to shelter her, as a fair exotic is sheltered by the gardener, from every rougher wind and
to surround her with all that could tend to excite pleasurable emotion in her soft and benevolent
mind” (19). Shelley seems to portray women as a delicate person they need to be care for by a
man. Women, like Caroline appears to being incapable of taking care of themselves. This implies
that women are victims in a patriarchal society, dominated by men.
Victor’s rejection of his creation has been is often viewed as an illusion of the child’s sense of
abandonment and betrayal by his dead mother. He blames Elizabeth for spreading the disease
that killed his mother, and at the same time, blames his younger brother and Justine for
“stealing” his mother’s love from him. Victor’s creation of the monster is often said to be his
attempt at undoing the death of his beloved mother. Another key scene in the text for feminist
critics is the creation and then destruction of the female creature’s body (the “mate” that Victor
had promised the creature in return for their exile from humanity). In “Frankenstein, Feminism,
and Literary Theory” Diane Hoeveler brings up the fact that Victor constructs the body and then,
when he finally comprehends the gruesome reality of sexuality, desire, and reproduction, rips the
body apart, suggests that the female body is way more threatening for Victor than the male
creature (Hoeveler, 52). The idea of Victor mutilating the female monster he creates is also
explained in the essay “Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, and the spectacle of masculinity” when
Bette London writes:
“Moreover, Frankenstein’s account of creating monstrosity sustains the visible paradox
that supports masculine identity; for it is only when Frankenstein speculates on female
monstrosity (“she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate”) that he
considers the threatening presence of the monster’s male sexuality (“a race of devils would be
propagated upon the earth [163]). (London, 256)”
In contrast to the overwhelming male characters, the female characters in Frankenstein are
shown as sympathetic and delicate. They also correspond very well with the traditional Victorian
portrayals of women as caregivers. Elizabeth Lavenza is shown as “a creature who seemed to
shed radiance from her looks and whose form and motions were lighter than the chamois of the
hills” (Shelley, 20). This quote shows her as having a gentle and “radiant” overall disposition.
Throughout the novel, Elizabeth’s selfless nature is also exhibited through how she continuously
contributes to the happiness of others without thinking of herself. Elizabeth’s selfless and
affectionate characteristics also further exemplify her maternal qualities and embrace her role as
the primary caretaker for the family. These traits are shared by Safie De Lacey in chapter 14
when she manages to escape to achieve her own independence. She saves her jewels and money
that provide for her escape and turns away great luxury to be with her lover, Felix De Lacey.
During the journey, Safie takes care of her attendant with a considerable amount of affection
further showing that Safie’s motherly compassion goes beyond both rank and station. The
repetition of the word “affection” calls attention to the common theme of a sympathetic and
warm disposition which is omnipresent among the female characters in Frankenstein. In
representation and action, Frankenstein’s female characters all exemplify the selfless, motherly
traits that conform closely to the role of the caretaker, whose life is characterized by complete
dedication to the needs of her household.
While Frankenstein illuminates its female characters as warm motherly figures in a family
setting, the novel also considers the female gender roles and expectations as the foundation of
society. Femininity in Frankenstein is shown as crucial to the stability of societal order, and in
Victor’s case, mental stability. The lack of femininity at the end of Frankenstein’s life directly
alludes to the lack of mediation of female thought to moderate his inhuman temper. The absence
of the harmonious female in Creature’s life as well contributes to the long continuous game of
cat-and-mouse between him and Victor because there is no female companion in their life to
rationalize their way of settling their differences. Not having a feminine figure in both of their
lives is truly a vital part to the story because the vacancy of feminine influences is the “prey of
feelings unsatisfied, yet unquenched” (Shelley, 197).
At its’ center, the theme of Frankenstein is simply the exploration and consequences of humanity
breaching the limitations that nature has placed on us since the beginning of time. But, through
embedding its characters with specific and unchanging gender roles and traits, Frankenstein
demonstrates that female characters in the 19th century are not to be seen as accessories to men.
Shelley brings forth the purpose of her female characters and the idea that women are integral to
the foundation of society because of their maternal traits. She makes the maternal roles of
women in her own novel complex and vital to the stability of her male characters and their social
stability. Many people believe that Shelley reiterates the thoughts of her own mother, Mary
Wollstonecraft. Wollstonecraft was a powerful advocate for women’s education and her work in
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman still resonates within human rights and feminism even
today. Wollstonecraft Reportedly wrote the book over in the short span of six weeks.
Wollstonecraft’s mood in her novel exhibits her anger (with humor) at the gender roles that the
majority of women in the 19th century were forced into. Wollstonecraft and Shelley’s correlating
ideas are shown when Wollstonecraft writes, “My own sex, I hope, will excuse me, if I treat
them like rational creatures, instead of flattering their fascinating graces, and viewing them as if
they were in a state of perpetual childhood, unable to stand alone.”
Although Frankenstein can sometimes be interpreted as the opposite of a “feminist” text, Shelley
brought the complexity of a female’s gender roles to people’s consciousness in that particular era
when it had not yet been brought to light. Shelley understood the true roles and identities of
women and she subtly illustrated them and made them more prominent through Frankenstein.
Shelley wrote women to be more than just mothers to their own families; she wrote them to be
mothers to society in the 19th century.

(When analyzing a piece of fiction with a feminist mind, it is vital to also comprehend the
patriarchal society and culture that the female characters must live through. Maybe what makes
feminist movement in literature so interesting is the political issues they vocalize. To be a part of
the feminist movement in literature is fascinating because the literary canon is primarily made
up of male writers and thinkers. Within Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the issues of gender
identity are prominent throughout the dark tale and explored through the gruesome creation of
the monster.)

You can use this an introduction of your note