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Gender Roles In Frankenstein

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Women's Portrayals in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein through Beauvoir's Concepts
Abstract
This paper examines the traditional view of women in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. While critics have debated whether Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a feminist text, with Diane Hoeveler and Jackie Docka arguing that it challenges traditional gender roles and critiques patriarchal structures, while Robert Wexelblatt maintains that it is a contemplation of the bond between creator and creation and an examination of human nature, this paper argues that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein illustrates but rejects the traditional view of women. I will first show that Elizabeth as an opaque character is portrayed in the ambivalent images of women in society. Second, I will …show more content…

Some critics may suggest that the novel reinforces traditional views of women; this paper establishes that the novel challenges negative portrayals of women in literature and reveals that adhering to traditional gender roles leads to death.

In discussion of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, critics have debated the issue of gender roles. On the one hand, Diane Hoeveler argues that Frankenstein can be read as a feminist text, as it challenges traditional gender roles and critiques patriarchal structures (49). Hoeveler shows that the creature's representation as a marginalized figure is also a commentary on the ways in which women were marginalized from dominant social and cultural circles (49). He states that the novel highlights the ways in which literature reflects and reinforces societal power dynamics (46). Moreover, he discusses that the example of Victor's refusal to create a female creature in Frankenstein is not just a result of his narcissism, but rather a manifestation of his fear and hatred of …show more content…

She is a minor and flat character and doesn't have an impact on the plot. Beauvoir argues that women are oppressed by a patriarchal society and the legal system is an integral part of this patriarchal structure, so it can serve to reinforce that oppression (1411 ). Justine is oppressed by men through being a slave who depends upon a master. According to Beauvoir, “Like all the oppressed, woman deliberately dissembles her objective actuality; the slave, the servant, the indigent, all who depend upon the caprices of a master” (1411). Justine's marginalized status as a poor and orphaned woman makes her vulnerable to society's prejudices, which ultimately leads to her being wrongfully condemned and sentenced to death for a crime she did not commit. The legal system in this case depends on indirect evidence and disregards more stronger and reliable evidence, such as Elizabeth's defense of Justine. As Elizabeth states, “I do not hesitate to say that, notwithstanding all the evidence produced against her, I believe and rely on her perfect innocence” (Shelley 64). Justine had nursed Madame Frankenstein, with great care and affection during her last illness. She then went on to care for her own mother during a difficult illness, earning the admiration of all who knew her and she was

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