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Gender Roles In Frankenstein

2221 Words9 Pages

Brody McNew
Stephanie Lewis
English DC 2333
05 May 2023
Frankenstein, Historys Manliest Baby Mama
In literature, women have always been objectified and fell into stereotypes that reflect the patriarchal history that existed in novels throughout time. In the 1800s, male authors dominated the writing scene, with very few women being able to make a name for themselves. However, despite this, Mary Shelley, daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, a famous female author of her time, as well as one of the few women to gain this popularity. Wollstonecraft also wrote the radical and celebrated book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, which is widely regarded as one of the earliest examples of feminist philosophy. While her mother gained her fame through …show more content…

When looking closer, it is unmistakable that this anti-feminism was a way of getting her story out there and at the same time exposing gender norms surrounding women. This subtle form of feminism was a very clever way for Shelley to create a story with many feminist themes while seeming anti-feminist on first look, a way to hook both the male audience as well as members of the female audience. In the novel, Shelley refers to the literary stereotypes that women often fell into as well as the experiences and fears surrounding maternity. She simultaneously shows the problematic male privilege and dominance prevailing at the time. Shelley manages to slip a criticism on gender in writing in this story while also maintaining the main story and solidifying Frankenstein as an-all time classic of horror literature. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley uses common stereotypes as well as character and …show more content…

However, Dr. Frankenstein is the perfect representation of maternal apprehension, but that is not seen in the opening of the story. Victor Frankenstein is an egotistical mad scientist that believes he can play God. His aspirations almost outweigh his ego, seeking to create a new species by resurrecting a stitched-together creature, "Life and death appear to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world" (Shelley 49). With this egotistical nature, his downfall is inevitable, as he does not truly grasp what atrocities he was about to release on the world and this will eventually lead to his own death. The analogies of Frankenstein to maternity are prevalent right away, having his laboratory representing the female reproductive system. Furthermore, the lab is referred to in many negative ways like filthy or horrid, this reflects Shelley's own anxieties surrounding birth and the reproductive system. “Shelley is revealing how much depression, guilt, and anxiety frequently follow parturition; or she is recalling the special painfulness of her own life” (Randel 530). This could be in reference to the death of her first infant child and the death of her mother. Her mother survived childbirth while birthing Shelley but died soon after. This tragedy puts credence behind the negative connotations of the lab considering its

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