Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born on August 30, 1797 to the couple of Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin. Wollstonecraft was a well-known feminist and Godwin was a popular political philosopher as well as a novelist. The two were quite the couple; both were intellectuals and had had a knack for writing. Most of their time together was spent writing letters to each other. Wollstonecraft already had an illegitimate child, so when she found out she was pregnant with Godwin 's child, she demanded marriage. Ironically, both were firm believers in non-committal relationships and frowned upon marriage. Nevertheless, months after the wedding, Mary was born, and ten days after giving birth, Mary Wollstonecraft passed away. Godwin blamed himself for the death of his new bride, and was not yet up to the task of raising a new baby girl by himself. Despite his uncertainties, he took on the new responsibility. Even after he remarried, he and his daughter Mary retained a strong bond. (ST Clair)
Few years after Mary Wollstonecraft 's death, Godwin was remarried. Mary now had a new stepmother and two brand-new stepsisters. Godwin thought that it
would be a step in the right direction to get remarried for the benefit of his child. However, the woman that he married did not accept Mary as her own. Her own two daughters always came first and because of this, Mary was often disregarded. When there was any conversing between Mary and her stepmother, it was mostly filled with friction. The loathing attitude from the stepmother was from a resentment of Mary and her