Stereotypes In Frankenstein

For as long as I can remember, stereotypical differences in gender have existed in my everyday life. As I child, I learned that girls like pink and boys like blue; that girls play with beautiful Barbies while the boys play with strong action figures. It was not until I was around ten years old when I began to question why these gender differences occurred in our society. I wondered why some of my classmates teased a boy for having a pink colored pencil bag or why the boys told me that I could not play baseball with them during recess time. During this time, I did not understand that everyone has both feminine and masculine attributes and all people have varying ratios of the two genders. Some people have overpowering masculine or feminine characteristics

For example, after Frankenstein spirals out of control after the his monster comes to life, Henry Clerval arrives at the university to assist his dear friend Frankenstein. Frankenstein “dread[s] to behold this monster; but [he] fear[s] more that Henry should see him” (38). Even though Frankenstein “forg[ets] [his] horror and misfortune” when he is with his friend, he “could no endure to think of, and far less to allude to” his terrible experiences with his monster (37, 38). If Frankenstein had been honest with his friend and explained his situation, then Henry could have helped and possibly stopped the monster before he starts to murder many members of Frankenstein’s family. Henry Clerval “display[s] feminine, nurturing qualities,” and he “sacrifices his studies for the better part of a year in order to nurture Victor back to health,” clearly showing that Henry has the mental capacity and compassion to help Frankenstein had he just asked. Henry Clerval’s feminine approach could have brought happiness to Victor’s life again while also bringing society back to safety. Similarly to how Frankenstein needs Henry Clerval’s feminine approach, he also could have used better judgement and had a more feminine way to answer the monster’s request for a partner. Frankenstein quickly contemplates creating a female monster, before deciding not to craft a companion for the creature, as seen when he says that “[he is] firm, and [the monster’s] words will only exasperate [his] rage” (120). Instead of viewing the situation with a feminine lense and becoming aware that his monster craves love and attention, Frankenstein thinks only of himself and firmly rejects the creature’s