Passive Women In Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, each woman is seen as passive, and is good for nothing more than to teach the men lessons about themselves. Characters such as Safie, Elizabeth, Justine, Margaret and Agatha provide a route of power for the guys in the novel. The things that happen to them, serve to teach a male character a lesson or spark an emotion within him. Each of the women in the novel serves a very specific purpose in Frankenstein.
Justine is very passive and seldom vocal in the novel. She is thrown back and forth between her own family and the Frankensteins, until she is framed for the murder of William. Justine goes against the expectations of someone who is wrongfully accused of murder, because she remains calm and peaceful. Her speech and actions show no concern, but being framed proves to be the purpose behind her character. Therefore, Justine becomes an idle, obedient victim of the situation. …show more content…
These were the first lessons learned by the monster. He had never seen such kindness before he met her. Agatha most inspires him in her relationship with her blind father. Agatha’s passive and caring nature teaches the monster lessons on human relationships and love. The monster’s next lesson comes from another female close to Agatha, her name is Safie. When Safie arrives from Arabia, she is taught English. As the monster continues learning from the family, Safie’s lessons become his own. it is unimportant to the novel whether Safie learns the language or not, as long as what she learns influences and furthers the monster. She is important to his education, becoming another passive, female character who serves to teach a lesson, even though her lessons are taught