Essay Sample on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Revealing the Injustice of Women

Introduction

The book was released, at the time when female figures were not recognized as important people. Instead, they were known to be housewives with no educated minds. According to gothic romance known as Frankenstein, helps to reveal the due fact by which women are appointed located to unpleasant roles in the novel. Mary Shelley, a mother that had been experiencing feminism, struggles decided to use this novel to communicate to most individuals about how women are mistreated. By doing this, it helped to reach out to all women around the world, including famous females and philosophers like Johanna M. Smith. To add on, Mary Shelley uses Frankenstein novel as an example by depicting how female characters did not possess any distinctive style and instead, all were assigned to male characters while assigning female characters like Caroline, Margaret and Elizabeth cheap roles that had no option or say but instead accompanied by too much suffering that mostly led to death. Through this, it only left male characters to be dominant in the book.

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Female Characters in Frankenstein: Objects of Desire and Neglect

According to Frankenstein, male characters are assigned to prominent roles, and they are described by their roles in dealing with sensitive domestic matters in their places and being visionaries to their set goals. In support of this, the book quotes man to be "calm and philosophical," and also "delighted in investigating the facts relative to the actual world." (66). To add on, the book assigns male characters to reliable attributes and entirely composed by nature, and also they deal with scientific tasks and natural philosophies. When we quote in the book also, "days and nights in vaults and charnel houses" where he "lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit" (78) deployed a missionary, being a person that is driven by nature and self realistic. In the entire research made by Frankenstein, it shows how he carelessly neglected both domestic and social roles.

Through his confession, "knew (his) silence disquieted them" (81) shows some level of being selfish even to those closest to him. Despite being a monster, he explains how he is obsessed mostly when he wants to a mate. As the book quotes "I will work at your destruction, nor finish until I desolate your heart" (156), this shows how monstrous he is and determined to what he wants, through this, it highly torments Frankenstein greatly. "As a slave, these impulses" (218) shows how determined Frankenstein is to all male character impulses and passions that lead to them losing control in this book. Through this, the article shows how male characters enslaved and single mind in nature.

Moreover, this book shows how women are undermined with no say in important matters where Margaret Saville's role and personal life is not given and to whom letters were being sent to. Margaret is seen to be the main reason connecting Robert Walton, her brother to his home and all of the comforts he has through moral supporting. Also, readers have been separated from Margaret with allies that she is emotional about worries and fears of Robert Walton. Despite her brother undergoing challenges, readers do not care about that, but instead, they are concerned with how she feels. "You will not hear of my destruction, and you will anxiously await my return. Years will pass, and you were visiting of despair and yet be tortured by hope." (Shelly, 196) To add on, Margaret being a female character in this book is forced to stay at home and readers could only offer her house duties whereas her brother is seriously seeking dangers and adventuring in accomplishing his dreams. The whole audience does not know about Margret's life, her attitudes or even lifestyle. Mary Shelley rejects to provide them with any intellect about this useless character.

Characters like Elizabeth are seen to be a weak woman that is only able to be hidden behind a text. Elizabeth is seen to be a nobody but only Victor's source of satisfaction. Through the description of Elizabeth in Victor's life, he says that "my mother had said playfully,' I have a pretty present for my Victor-tomorrow he shall have it.' And when on the morrow, she resented Elizabeth as her promised gift." ( Shelly, 21). Moreover, on the night of his wedding, Victor saw the woman he loved as the least important. In the quote "I shall be with you on your wedding night" by a monster, Victor did not care about his lover Elizabeth, but he only focused on himself as being a treasure to her.

Additionally, Victor's ignores what Elizabeth needs, and he concentrates only to his work. Since women are seen to be naive in this book, Victor never trusts Elizabeth on what are his creations up to when he let her die without finding the real reason that led to her death. Shelley decides to use Elizabeth death to show mercilessly she was left. "She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head hanging down and her pale and distorted features half covered by her hair." (Shelley, 179) The quote shows how Elizabeth, as a female character, was unrecognized up to when she died carelessly.

Mary Shelley and William Golding: Advocates for Gender Equality

This novel doesn't have female characters that can act on their own. This is in contrast to the fact that the book was written by Mary Shelley, who's the daughter of a feminist. Women in this novel undergo a lot of strain concerning their lover, which lead them to death. Women in this novel show their great importance in its development in the fact that they influence their male lovers though they are not given any critical duty. William Golding's Lord of the Flies role is more essential that young school going males who are in an island, stranded, without any means to get out .in this novel, he presents a crucial case of how human beings behave showing the society it has lost innocence. He demonstrates how the boys survive in an island passing through ups and downs without women that could distract them. Shelley says that women in this novel as seen to be so submissive; therefore, they end up being mistreated by emphasizing the offensive behavior depicted by male characters.

The Significance of Female Presence in Maintaining Social Order

Mary Shelley gives the reader another view of the women in the novel by showing responsibilities that they have in family and society. "I looked upon Elizabeth as mine" (20), as said by Frankenstein. This statement shows how male characters are in control. The idea of Elizabeth being "owned" clearly shows how women are weak and helpless in the novel. By Frankenstein disclosure "till death she was to be mine only" (21), this statement foresees Elizabeth's death. Elizabeth is such a concerned wife that cares about Victor's general life, even after Victor decides to go for further studies; she gives him moral and physical support on the decision.

After Victor went for studies, Elizabeth still waits to wed him, but instead, she is left to die by the man she loved so deeply. Before her death, her psychological support is depicted as necessary in this novel. All letters that Elizabeth wrote to Victor makes him feel comfortable that is essential to all creatures. Abortion reveals that Victor is incompetent and cannot control something that he created. Mary Shelley looks down upon women to show the effects of the male in science experimentations.

Exploring the Submissive Nature of Women in Gothic Fiction

In Justine's accusations, it how shows how seriously English individuals undermines women. Elizabeth demonstrates Justine through her expressions" softness and winning mildness" (52), but Victor describes her as "frank-hearted and happy" (52). One woman can approve another woman of her passiveness. Submissive character is also found in Justine, death of William by a creature is believed to have been caused by Justine, it leads to Justine being helpless in approving what killed him.

Also, Victor is seen to be self-centred through considering his credibility's before Justine's. Due to this, no further investigations are made leaving Justine to face trial instead of proving her innocence in the due studies, she quotes "I must be condemned, although I would pledge my salvation on my innocence" (70). Accusing Justine of murder leads to Victor placing his faith on the decision with living with whereas Elizabeth is arguing him, Victor makes a final decision. Women are, therefore, both unsupported by society and male.

How Victor narrates to his parents' relationship with Walton, illustrates passiveness. Victor is a nourishing person, but his mother cannot take care of herself, due to this, Victor's father "came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, committed herself to his care" (27). To add on when Elizabeth is "given" to Victor while still a child, Elizabeth is compared to a pet. When we look at how Victor is related to his parents, it shows that women passiveness is not only in social and political understanding but also it is found within families. Margaret Saville is seen to be in other woman's character trait where she became an addressee of letters that unravel Frankenstein's story. Saville is seen to be passive since she reads messages only instead of giving her concerns; she also lacks the traits that can make her reply and revealing opinions about her brother. Safie is seen to be the only woman character that is not submissive, and this is seen whereby she disobeys her religion and disapproving her father's wishes on her returning to Constantinople. Therefore, Mary Shelley uses her in Frankenstein to communicate to English society on what "ought to be."

Both families and social institutions show how women's personality entertains males' aggressiveness. Due to this, it leads to the division of male and female, from Lord of Flies, absence of women shows a fantastic alternative to all destructions that boys have created. By any chance girls were left on the island, they would be considered to both stay together while taking a comprehensive list of names and numbers too. They couldn't think of going to pig hunting since this could bring a division to hunters and non-hunters, in fact ,they could have taken the situation with severe measures unlike Jack who "on all fours, smeared with clay to disguise his scent, he sniffed the warm, steamy pig droppings, and stalked his prey" (25). To add on, conch shell could have proved to be a different symbol. When we compare to girls, it could have been a sign of maturity and power, but boys signified fall of civilized interpretation of almost all boys on the island.

Gender Roles and Restrictions in Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies

Absence of women from the island shows how defective prevailed socially by this period. A female could lead to an attempt to kill and stop war hence reducing the extent of destruction of the island. Jack's tribe was prevalent in people dying due to their boys' primordial nature. Also, girls were restricted to be insane and immature. Despite boys being dominant, the female presence was recognized during Simon's problem for littnus. An inactive female role was seen when Simon was murdered brutally on the island. Through this, Golding uses Male Island to elaborate on how the roots of savagery are stronger than the origins of civilization.

In Frankenstein, women are seen to be important in guidance and maternal in families, and they also say how females' roles are of importance to social order. When nature is considered to be partial state to the optimum, there is importance in female care through ensuring society stabilizes leading to a false understanding in the environment and nurture due to contingency societal stability in female gender-roles. Creation of Frankenstein monster appreciates nature by giving birth, Frankenstein searches for the environment "her hiding places" while emphasizing on his natural laws that were hidden for a reason. Inorganic, monster's artificial nature shows on the biological importance of female, this is depicted in monster's orderly elimination of women characters through the novel with males like Henry Clerval that spent his winter "consumed by the deadly weight that clung to me" (142), an expression illustrating the misery caused by female influence and care being absent in his life.

The Impact of Female Marginalization in 19th-century Literature

Women play an integral part in both Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies novels, highlighting societal expectations and limitations placed upon them at the time period in which these novels were written. Mary Shelley an author who recognized these injustices had an intention for her portrayal of female characters to shed light on the mistreatment or marginalization experienced by women within society.

Frankenstein presents women as subservient and submissive characters, often defined by their relationships with men. Women lack agency and are reduced to objects of desire or sources of comfort for these characters - Elizabeth for instance is depicted as Victor's possession, yet ultimately left alone to suffer and die as Victor pursues his own goals - further underscoring how little respect is shown towards women's well-being or lives being valued in this story.

Lord of the Flies similarly explores how an absence of female characters enables an exploration of the destructive and aggressive tendencies of young boys left to their own devices. Their descent into violence highlights the necessity of female influence in society - its absence exacerbates chaos and violence further.

Mary Shelley and William Golding wrote these narratives to challenge the current social order that marginalized women to being mere support and nurturers, underlining how essential female presence is in maintaining a harmonious society. By showing its effects when absent from society, these authors underline how essential women are in maintaining balance.

Conclusion

Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies both depict women being mistreated and marginalized during their respective time periods of writing. Mary Shelley and William Golding use their respective narratives to shine a light on restrictive roles assigned to women and the limited agency given them. Furthermore, the absence of female characters in these novels serves as a critique against societal norms, emphasizing their importance in shaping a balanced and civilized society. By challenging prevailing views at that time period, these authors contribute significantly to ongoing discussions of gender equality and female empowerment in society today.