Representation Of Women In Frankenstein

The representation of women within the domestic unit throughout Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), Gillian Clarke’s Selected Poems (1996) and Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) is similarly presented. Although Clarke was writing at a later date they all show representations of women as nurturing, maternal, passive, subordinate, imprisoned and as sexual beings. These characteristics of women are evident across the three texts. This could be argued as typical representations of women throughout the time periods of these texts. Critic Stephanie Haddad regarding Shelley’s Frankenstein has said “gender and sexual tension can be found at the heart of every major issue in this novel”.
The idea of women being presented as nurturing and maternal is a
strong theme throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Evidence of this includes Shelley’s portrayal of Caroline Beaufort as a self- sacrificing mother. This is presented through the love and commitment she shows towards her adopted daughter Elizabeth, when Elizabeth contracts Scarlet Fever and Caroline, her adoptive mother, does not leave her side whilst caring for her which leads to her contracting the illness herself and dying. Despite her family’s disapproval it is said that she, “could no longer debar herself from her society, and entered the chamber long before the danger of infection was passed”. The words “no longer” indicate the desperation and natural urge Caroline felt to care for her adoptive daughter, which further represents women as nurturing and maternal. The use of the word ‘danger’ shows the reader just how much of a risk Caroline was prepared to take to care for Elizabeth which further shows her maternal instincts. Although she knew that the illness was contagious, she made the ultimate sacrifice and risked her own life in order to save Elizabeth’s.
The sacrifice that Caroline made for her family shows her love and dedication however it could also be argued that this was a selfish act on Caroline’s behalf as, although it saved Elizabeth’s life, it did leave Victor, Ernest, William and Elizabeth without a mother. However it could also be argued that the expectations of women to be the main maternal and nurturing figure within the family unit in the 19th century left Caroline with no choice; she would have been expected to be nurturing and sacrifice everything to care and provide for her family.
It is also evident throughout the novel that Victor is never able to replace the role of his mother, this is shown through the quotation “that the brightness of a beloved eye can have been extinguished, and the sound of a voice so familiar, and dear to the ear, can be hushed, never more to be heard”. Shelley’s use of the words “familiar” and “dear” show Victor’s feelings towards his mother, he sees her as his only maternal figure, the use of the word “extinguished” makes the reader think of something losing its fire or shine, this could present Victor’s feelings as it could be argued that he also loses his desire, personality and love for his family following the death of his mother. Alternatively the word “familiar” could be showing Victor’s fear for other women coming into his life due to him losing the familiarity of his mother as the word “familiar” has connotations of comfort and happiness. This further represents the importance of women within the domestic unit and their tendencies to take on the maternal role as it shows the effect the lack of a maternal figure can have upon a person’s life.
Gillman also presents women as having maternal and nurturing qualities in The Yellow Wallpaper through her presentation of John.
She portrays him as the villain, “John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience in faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures.” The words ‘extreme’, ‘no patience’, ‘horror’ and ‘scoffs’ each have negative connotations for the reader leading us to believe that he is not portrayed as nurturing. However he is representing the society of this time as men were expected to be breadwinners within a household rather than nurturing figures. The narrator wants to have a more fulfilled life with more than just her husband and child, this would not have been seen as socially acceptable at this time and is in complete contrast to Caroline who was devoted to only her family and focussed solely on them before exploring other options. The quotation “You see he does not believe I am sick” further shows how the male was the dominant figure and did not ‘believe’ his wife’s illness, this could leave the reader to question Perkins’ presentation of John’s character and his real affection towards his
wife.
The maternal and nurturing qualities found within women is also presented in Gillian Clarke’s poem ‘Birth’. Clarke represents the role of women as nurturing, this is evident through the quotation “I could feel the soft sucking of the new born”. The alliteration of the letter ‘s’ from the words ‘soft’ and ‘sucking’ emphasises the closeness of the relationship and the connection between the mother and the calf even though it is new. The word ‘new’ shows the mother has an immediate and unconditional love for the calf, which further represents the maternal instincts of a mother. Finally the word ‘soft’ has positive connotations, as it emphasises the mother’s love and affection for the new born.
However alternatively it could be argued that the quotation also has negative connotations as the word ‘sucking’ could imply that the new born could suck the life and energy from the mother. The words ‘new born’ highlights the distance between the mother and calf as they are both experiencing unfamiliar territory and could further imply that they are not yet connected. It was still typical in the 1900’s for the mother to look after the children even though their roles were being evaluated.
Gillian Clarke’s ‘Babysitting’ also represents the idea of women being nurturing and maternal however this poem addresses the theme in a different way. Clarke presents the women as only being maternal to their own child. Clarke presents this view through the use of the line “I am sitting in a strange room listening to the wrong baby… I don’t love this baby”. The use of the word “I” shows how she does not address herself as the mother or as having any connection to the child. The use of the word ‘baby’ further shows this idea as it does not give the baby a name, which highlights the detachment that the woman has from the child. The term ‘don’t love’ shows that she has no feelings towards the child. This could indicate that she does not love the child simply because it is not her own, whereas she would be able to show love and maternal instincts towards her own child.
It could also be interpreted that the use of the word ‘I’ removes the father from the situation as from a contextual point of view it was typical for the mothers within the 1980’s to be the predominant carer for the children in a family. The use of the word ‘baby’ could alternatively show how new and fragile the child is which further shows the need for the mother’s attention.
Gillman’s presentation of women being maternal in The Yellow Wallpaper is presented in a different way as Gillman does not present the narrator as maternal.
This is shown through the quotation “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby” this shows that the narrator has no intention of being maternal towards the child or helping to look after it as she is grateful that someone else is. She does not fill the expectations of a woman being maternal and nurturing towards her family as she does not get the chance to. Alternatively it could be argued that she herself needs nurturing like a child, this is shown through the quotation “John gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed. And sat by me and read to me till I tired my head” it could be argued that she would never be able to properly care for a child if she still portrays childlike characteristics herself. This is similar to Clarke’s idea as she does not feel any maternal instincts towards the child and does not want to care for the child
herself.
Women are also presented in Shelley’s Frankenstein as passive and subordinate. Critic Stephanie Haddad has said “Shelley characterises each woman as passive, disposable and serving a utilitarian function… they provide nothing more than a channel of action for the main characters in the novel.” This idea is portrayed strongly throughout the novel through many aspects such as Justine being executed for murder, despite her innocence. Justine’s character is tossed back and forth between the two families, her own and the Frankenstein’s. She is accused over the death of William even though she tries to argue her innocence with “God only knows how entirely I am innocent… I rest my case on a plain and simple explanation of the facts”. This quotation could be interpreted as Justine giving up on trying to prove her innocence because ultimately she knows she may not have any real argument as she is subordinate to the men who make the final decision in this patriarchal society. Shelley’s use of the word ‘God’ introduces a religious aspect to the novel and could imply how desperate Justine is to prove her innocence however the phrase ‘God only knows’ implies that she knows that in the patriarchal society of the eighteen hundreds nobody would believe her side of the story.
Another way that women are presented as subordinate within the novel is through Shelley’s use of the character Elizabeth. She does not have much of a say over her marriage to Victor, and she waits patiently for his return, and eventually ends up being murdered by the monster all because of Frankenstein. This could be argued as Elizabeth being subordinate to Victor because her death is used as a warning to Victor. Walton’s letters at the beginning of the novel are another example of subordination as he only talks about himself and does not ask Elizabeth any questions or seem to take any interest in Mrs Saville. “Remember me to all my English friends” could show that he does not want to be forgotten and uses her in order to retain his status amongst his friends; rather than addressing them directly he uses her as a gateway. However, alternatively it could be argued that Shelley ensures that her female characters are presented as passive and treats them inadequately in order to highlight the questionable behaviour of the men further.
Women are also presented as subordinate throughout The Yellow Wallpaper as Dr Wier Mitchell prescribes the ‘rest cure’. This reflects the men’s attitudes of women at this time, as he prescribes coerced feeding and isolation for her to get better. It could be argued that she is just left alone in order to make herself better, which shows the lack of respect and subordination that women faced from the men at this time. This point further portrays Gillman’s message of feminism and the patriarchy and oppression that women had to face. This is evident through Shelley’s Frankenstein as Elizabeth is made to wait for Victor’s return.
The theme of women being presented as subordinate/ passive is also evident within Gillian Clarke’s selected poems. ‘A Letter from a Far Country’ represents how women are left alone after their job of being nurturing and maternal for their families. The use of the ‘sea’ presents the idea of hope within this poem presented through the quotation “we launch the boats and sail away” this shows how she has future hopes but she does not want them to come true. Alternatively the use of the word ‘we’ represents the role of the mother within the family unit as she is always helping. The use of the line “the big sea running in a shell” further presents the idea that she is left alone and can only hear the echo of the busy household she may be used to. The use of the word ‘shell’ again uses the idea of the sea and the idea that shells echo the noises of the sea, used here as a metaphor for her family. The idea that women are subordinate is further presented in this poem through the line “my bottle in the sea which may take a generation to arrive” this line shows hope from the woman even though she accepts the fact that it will take a long time for her to get her word across and for people to hear her and help her, which shows subordination and a lack of respect for women’s opinions in this time within the early 1990’s. Alternatively the evidence from this poem and the link to the sea could indicate the relaxing period for a woman after all of the hard work that she has put in, it could be the idea of her family being like a storm and the calm period afterwards.