Writing About Literature - Essay Example

Women characters in Frankenstein The female characters in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein are all strong women who exhibit love and understanding towards the male characters and are very kind in their demeanor (Shelley). Mrs. Seville, whom the reader gets familiarized with from the very beginning of the novel, through the letters the traveler, her brother, writes to her, is presented as a very understanding person capable of kindness, love and care (Shelley, 17). The traveler has concluded his first letter, calling her “my dear, excellent Margaret”, and referring to her “love and kindness” (Shelley, 17).

The continuous reassurance the traveler is giving in his letters to Mrs. Seville is an indication of her concern towards his safety (Shelley, 17-21). As the traveler starts to re-tell his sister a story that he was told by a stranger whom he rescued from the sea, the reader realizes that this stranger is the real protagonist of the novel and soon gets to know his mother, Catherine Beaufort (Shelley, 27). She is described as having “a mind of an uncommon mould” with great courage and ability to work hard (Shelley, 27).

Another major female character in the novel is Elizabeth Lavenza, who is the first cousin, childhood friend and future wife of the protagonist (Shelley, 29). She has been described the hero as “docile and good-tempered, yet gay and playful as a summer insect” (Shelley, 29). It is further explained that “though she is “lively and animated, her feelings were strong and deep, and her disposition uncommonly affectionate” (Shelley, 29). The author, in the words and observations of the hero of the novel, has presented Elizabeth to the reader as a well-balanced individual, who enjoys her freedom yet submits to the social norms Shelley, 29).

It is clear from the instances of the three important women discussed above that Shelleys notion of an ideal woman was centered around a fragile yet enduring, beautiful yet down to earth, independent yet homely kind of femininity. When the hero says that he “loved to tend on (…) (Elizabeth), as (…) on a favorite animal”, the character of Nora in the famous feminist play, Dolls House, is reminded of (Shelley, 29). Because, it is the typical, stereotyped image of woman that is presented in Shelleys novel.

Elizabeth is also a person talented in fine arts, which is traditionally a feather added to the cap of conventional womanhood (Shelley, 30). She is also not interested in the serious scientific studies carried out by her would be husband (Shelley, 31). Though Shelleys women characters are within the conventions of a patriarchal society, they stand out as icons of motherhood. For example, Catharine, mother of the hero, gets affected with her fatal illness out of her insistence to give motherly care to her would be daughter-in-law (Shelley, 34).

In her death bed, Catharine gives a long speech in which she expresses how she loved her children and Elizabeth and also reminds Elizabeth that she should take the place of a mother to her younger cousins (Shelley, 34). The prime role of a woman as a mother is stressed here. Catharine being a strong-willed person, meets her death with dignity and calmness (Shelley, 34). Elizabeth is seen meticulously following the instructions of her aunt (Shelley, 35). She dedicated herself to the service of her uncle and cousins (Shelley, 35).

She is left behind by the hero to pursue his scientific pursuits (Shelley, 38). Justin is another female character in this novel, a girl who is wrongly accused on murder (Shelley, 64). She is given capital punishment for a murder she did not commit (Shelley, 71). This girl is so mentally fragile that she is not even capable of believing herself of her innocence and bends before the public pressure to confess the crime (Shelley, 70). In the end, Elizabeth also meets her tragic end, a victim to the thoughtless actions of her husband (Shelley, 88).

In this manner, the lives of female characters in this novel are always in the shadow of male characters. Their lives have a single purpose of serving their loved ones, especially men. They are made to suffer for what their men have done. Still they continue to love them with an unconditional dedication. There are also certain positive elements to the depiction of womanhood in this novel. All these female characters show prominent traits of motherhood towards the men they love. Women are presented as the healing and soothing hands of nature and the agonies of the world are shown as becoming lighter in their presence and under their care.

They are presented as the only hope left in a world that has lost its centre of gravity. Yet, the novel ends with a pessimistic note and the hope evoked by women characters is lost prematurely. Aesthetically this approach can be justified because this novel is all about the man and the monsters that his egocentrism can create. The reader can equate the monster in this novel to weapons, war, or climate change, as these phenomena are all produces of a mans world, filled with egoism, competition and materialistic aspirations.

From this angle, this novel can be seen as presenting a feminist perspective that shows how women, who are more sided with love and understanding than egocentric victories and achievements, cannot survive in a mans world. Works CitedShelley, Mary W., Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, Boston & Cambridge: Sever, Francis & Co., 1869. Print.