I wanted to attempt to find my own feminist reading of Frankenstein before I began researching what
others have to say about the topic. I was first perplexed by the fact that the
females in the story are rarely the focus of the tale, but ultimately the story
lands into the hands of Margaret Seville. We never hear from this woman, but
the message Shelley is sending is quite powerful. It is as if Shelley is saying
here is my revolutionary work and it is for you (women) to really take hold of
and own. Presumably, if Margret does not receive the letters from her brother
the entire story disappears, and that seems to easily reflect how Frankenstein also functions. If women
don’t get the message of the story, then the message will be lost. Once this is
realized by the reader, it really helps build the idea that Shelly has in fact
inserted feminist plots, and that she needs women to decipher them.
Shelly also seems to send the message that women who are
traditionally beautiful and non confrontational meet a tragic fate. The women
we get to know best are Victor’s mother, Elizabeth, and Justine and each woman meets
a tragic end. While alive they are painted as pictures of perfection (pretty,
patient, and not threatening to the men) and Shelley kills all of them. It
could be that Shelley is asserting that being a traditionally proper pretty
lady will only lead to a tragic end.
When it comes to the monster being a representation of a
women I feel that it then makes Victor a representation of God because he is also
a creator. When the monster asks for someone to be equal with, it would be the
same as a female asking God to create a humble man who could appreciate women
for their company not for their beauty. The monster’s cry for love would equate
to the female’s plea for appreciation and the ugly monster companion would
equate to a female getting a companion who seeks company not domination. Though, I am not quite sure where to place the
belligerent nature of the beast once he learns that he will not gain a
companion. I believe this Shelley saying that if women cannot be respected that
we should begin raising hell until men begin to respect us.
Now that I have begun diving into Frankenstein’s feminist criticisms, I have become most interested with the ideas arguing that the story reflects Shelley’s personal concerns and fears about womanhood through Victor and the monster. Several critics argue that Shelley uses Victor’s parenting disaster to express her own fears of being pregnant and a mother. The gestation period lasts roughly about 9 months, we know this because Victor mentions the seasons as they pass, and more details emerge during birth. Victor’s immediate disconnect to his child is much like mothers who suffer from postpartum depression. Anne Mellor mentions in “Making a Monster” that these types of issues and fears had were rarely publicized and that Shelley took a bold step in bringing the problem to light. This moment is very helpful to the argument that I ultimately want to make because it reflects how Shelley’s work of fiction helps the progression of women in society.
ReplyDeleteI am also intrigued with the argument that Shelley was meticulous to hide her motives because she was aware of the backlash that her own mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, received from her much more politically controversial text The Vindication of the Rights of Women. It is known that Shelley was well versed in both her parent’s works and that she was influenced by her mother’s feminism. But, Shelley also had the foresight to know that if she wanted to continue being a feminist writer that she would have to be more covert with her messages to avoid heavy criticisms. I want to take full advantage of this argument because it really helps reinforce the assertion that though at first glance the novel is just a horror story, Shelley does make the work more than just a scary tale. The argument also explains why she had to cover up her messages with a more acceptable storyline.
In hindsight, I am glad that I took a moment to reflect on Shelly before I read the published criticisms. With such a popular work, there are so many different arguments made, so it can be difficult to decide which ones are the most important to you. In my case, my personal analysis points me in the direction of Shelley and her relationship with the monster. So now I know that even though the analysis of other topics is interesting, I really need to focus on the essays that specifically address Shelley and the monster.