Essay On The Role Of Women In Frankenstein

Mary Shelley once said, “I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves” (Shelley). Shelley wanted a society where women would equal to men. Many actions of Shelley during her time were definitely controversial, including her education and the fact that she was a writer. Shelley did not let the expectations of women during this time have an effect on who she wanted to be. Though Mary Shelley is known to be a feminist, the role of women in Frankenstein does not reflect this idea. The portrayal of women in Frankenstein is surprising because of Mary Shelley’s feminist ideas. Women play a very insignificant role in the novel. Shelley as a person is a feminist, but as an author writing Frankenstein, her feminist ideas are not communicated.
Women play a very minor role in Frankenstein. The only representation of the female characters in the text come from a male’s perspective. The female characters are described, but in little detail which makes them seem unimportant. The female characters are really just used to reflect the men (Knudsen 13). The roles of women in Frankenstein are insignificant to the developments
Shelley writes the women of Frankenstein into stereotypical roles. The female characters are often put into domestic roles and are defined by their role of a wife, mother, or daughter. There is little value on the women in this text as people. Their role in the actual novel is also insignificant which is emphasized by killing them off. The portrayal of women in Frankenstein is historically accurate for this time, but it is surprising coming from Mary Shelley. None of the roles of women in the text were controversial, but even having Mary Shelley as the author of this novel was controversial during this time. Though Shelley as a feminist had strong ideas, they did not influence her