Elizabeth Lavenza Character Analysis

A Puppet in a Man’s World Although Elizabeth Lavenza is not present for most of the novel, she is a very pivotal character. Elizabeth is a prime example of how women were viewed as minor characters in a man’s story for the time period in which the book was written. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, includes many instances where women are inferior compared to men. The main example that the novel displays this is through the character, Elizabeth. She represents a woman who cannot seem to gain any power over her life, and once she gets that opportunity, a man takes it away. Victor, the oldest child of the Frankenstein family, was very possessive of Elizabeth at a young age. He became obsessed with just the thought of her, starting the
“They consulted their village priest, and the result was that Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents’ house- my more than sister- the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures” (Shelley 19). When Elizabeth became a factor in Victor’s life, Victor made the decision that she would now become his responsibility and would be a part of every aspect of life from there on out. Although Elizabeth was presented with the liberty of taking control of her life, she was never able to act upon it as Victor immediately stepped in front of her and took matters into his own hands. “To England, therefore, I was bound, and it was understood that my union with Elizabeth should take place immediately on my return” (Shelley 112). As time went on, Victor took it upon himself to set the date of his and Elizabeth’s wedding without consulting her. Traditionally, a wedding is a larger deal to the bride rather than the groom. This is an example of how Victor would make decisions for Elizabeth prior to her even knowing about it. Victor saw himself as Elizabeth’s protector and would devote his life to her from there on