Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein And The Mother Of Feminism Essay

Mary Wollstonecraft, a feminist in the 1700s also known as the “mother of feminism”, fought passionately to normalize education for women, as well as advocating for women 's rights. Therefore, it is no wonder that her daughter Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, related the main character’s downfall with the lack of a constant stabilizing feminine influence in the character’s life. The book Frankenstein follows Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who works unceasingly with the goal of making a being of his own creation. He succeeds in creating this monster, but the creation of this being leads to unexpected and grim consequences for Victor, and those close to him. The lack of a strong and stabilizing female presence in Victor Frankenstein’s adult life ultimately leads to his downfall.
Elizabeth, a girl adopted into the Frankenstein family at a young age and one of Victor’s closest companions, has proven to be an incredibly stabilizing person in Victor’s life. However, Elizabeth’s absence in Victor’s adult life has very negative consequences. Victor became engrossed in natural philosophy at an extremely young age. Due to this obsession he often isolated himself to further his studies, and Victor feels as if he “might have become sullen in [his] study, rough through the ardour of [his] nature, but [Elizabeth] was there to subdue [him] to a semblance of her own gentleness” (45). If not for Elizabeth, Victor may have completely disconnected himself from the outside…