Portrayal Of Women In Frankenstein - 1096 Words

Mary Shelley s Frankenstein is one of the most iconic classic works of fiction from the nineteenth century. Frankenstein tells the tale of Victor Frankenstein’s creation of a living monster. Contrary to popular belief, the monster was not given a name by Frankenstein and is only referred to as â€Å"the monster† throughout the story. While it may seem like a simple, classic horror story on the surface, when analyzed more closely, Frankenstein reveals not only many mythological and religious references, but details about Shelley’s life in the nineteenth century. In Anne K. Mellor’s critical analysis titled â€Å"Possessing Nature: The Female in Frankenstein†, Mellor analyzes the role of the female in a patriarchal society. Mellor first points out†¦show more content†¦When the Victor Frankenstein was vacationing in the mountains, he encounters the monster who then proceeds to tell Victor his life story and admits to the murder of Victor’s brother, William Frankenstein. The monster then makes his case to Victor convince his creator to create a female companion for him. At first Victor refuses, but is eventually persuaded. He starts work on a female companion for the monster, but ultimately stops and destroys his creation. This begs the question of â€Å"why?†. Mellor asks the question of â€Å"What does Victor Frankenstein truly fears?† (Mellor 407). Mellor asserts that Victor Frankenstein is â€Å"afraid of an independent female will† (Mellor 407). She also states that Victor fears that the female monster would be â€Å"ten thousand times† more evil and feared that the male monster would reject the female monster and that the female monster would be attracted to other human males. Essentially, Mellor is proclaiming that Victor Frankenstein fears that his male monster would not be able to control the thoughts and opinions of the female monster. Lastly, Mellor argues that Victor is fearful of the female monster’s reproductive power when Victor says â€Å"even if they were to leave Europe, and inhabit the deserts of the new world, yet one of the first results of those sympathies for which the dà ¦mon thirsted would be children, and a race of devils would beShow MoreRelatedFrankenstein and the Portrayal of Women by Mary Shelley996 Words   |  4 Pagesproperty, and occupying political leadership. When such important roles are taken by men, women, on the other hand are expected to be obedient, silent, and useless (except in chores). History has numerous examples in books, morals and real life in which women are known through culture to be unimportant. A classic novel, Frankenstein, also demonstrates this fact about women. 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It’s not a obvious social problem but a direct hit to the knowledge of Frankenstein’s millions of readers. Frankenstein is a fine example confronting a majority of its readers that are only able to analyze