Gender

This depicts the social hierarchy that is present in the book. (Isabelle Jeffrey) Physical Description: (34)
 * GENDER**
 * 1.Physical descriptions of characters|patterns of behavior. Traits and Values. **
 * Frankenstein's Creature **
 * Gigantic in stature (much larger than a typical human)
 * Yellow skin, shriveled complexion, almost transparent skin (muscles and arteries are clearly visible)
 * Dull yellow and watery eyes, hair is a lustrous black, pearly white teeth, straight black lips

The creature's behavioral patterns are very similar to that of a nocturnal owl, which are considered to be wise creatures that preys during the night. Owls are widely considered to be very intelligent species due to their incredibly sharp sense. An owl is built to outsmart its prey; they have large eyes to help them see in the night, very mobile necks for quick reaction, and incredible hearing. The creature is unintentionally built to be larger and more powerful than the people he haunts and hunts. Both the owl and the creature hunt at night - when their prey least expect it. The creature, being male, uses violence instead of the usually oral tactics employed by most females when they are upset. Shelley shows the creature's patterns of behavior through his continuous attacks at night and violent actions.

Physical Description: of an ill Victor on Walton’s vessel (14)
 * Victor Frankenstein **
 * Body dreadfully emaciated
 * Eyes have an expression or wildness and madness

Frankenstein’s behavior is that of an immature scientist who neglects all responsibility for his actions. Not only is he sloppy and unorganized in the preparation of his creature, which some would say is an attribute typical of man, he also does not take any preventative measures in restraining his creature and seeing if it is violent, before allowing it to roam free in the world. Frankenstein is a driven man, and is obsessed first with the idea of creating life from nothing, and once that task is complete, he becomes obsessed with destroying this same life, but ultimately, he fails to do so.

Physical Description: (40, 41, 54, 97)
 * Justine Moritz **
 * Little creature; young
 * Clever, gentle, extremely pretty
 * Her mind and countenance resemble Victor’s mother
 * Amiable and benevolent
 * Blooming in the loveliness of youth and health

Justine Moritz is an example of a strong woman, who is used as an easy target, and is reduced to death by a terrible injustice. Justine is just passing in a wood looking for William when the creature sees her and places William’s locket in her pocket. She is a young girl, who is oblivious to the creature, so he takes advantage of her unawareness. Despite being accused of murder, Justine tries to be calm and strong in court, calling on God to be the witness of her innocence. It is very feminine of her to look to God in her time of need, and to reduce herself to his power, and the power of the court in humble appeal. Unlike many men, she recognizes that trying to make herself better than authority will not help her situation. She is a truly benevolent and innocent girl who unjustly suffers.

Physical Description:
 * Alphonse Frankenstein **
 * "...unhappiness deeply impressed on his countenance..." (50)

Alphonse Frankenstein stretches the stereotype of typical brutish, insensitive male behavior through his compassion and ever positive attitude when dealing with tragic situations. In times of trouble, such as when William is murdered, M. Frankenstein speaks with a focused, clear mind resembling that of a woman. Often, in times of trouble, women are upset and need consoling, but they are still able to think sensibly and realize that just because one tragedy occurred, the whole world is still actively moving around them. M. Frankenstein reminds Victor that it is okay to mourn, however; it is important to not seek revenge. He says to Victor, "Come, Victor; not brooding thoughts of vengeance against the assassin, but with feelings of peace and gentleness, that will heal, instead of festering the wounds of our minds" (46). M. Frankenstein also continually works to bring peace and solace to others, particularly Victor, by removing his family from Geneva to the countryside in order to allow nature to help nurture and heal their depressed spirits.

Physical Description: (51)
 * Elizabeth Lavenza **
 * Graceful, slight, uncommonly lovely, womanly figure
 * An open and capacious forehead - makes her appear wise and understanding
 * Hazel eyes, rich dark auburn hair, fair complexion
 * "Docile and good tempered, yet gay and playful as a summer insect" (19).
 * "Her imagination was luxuriant, yet her capability of application was great." (19)
 * "Her figure was light and airy" (20).

Elizabeth Lavenza is a strong willed, confident, loving, utterly selfless woman. She stands up for justice, such as when she defends Justine in court. She is not afraid of being judged for her actions because she is a woman doing something that usually only men do. She is selfless in her actions, such as when she agrees to wait to marry Victor until he completes his study abroad in England, completely displacing her want to be joined with him, and putting his needs first. She also agrees to stand by her husband and marry him even when he tells her that something bad may happen on their wedding, displaying her loyalty to and trust of those she loves. (BC)

Physical Description (43)
 * Henry Clerval**
 * “Clerval was no natural philosopher” (43)
 * Vivid imagination
 * Victors friend
 * Caring à Nursed Victor to health

Henry Clerval is a soft-spoken man, but is a deep, intellectual thinker. According to Victor, he states, “Clerval was no natural philosopher” (43) but he is interested in the sciences. Henry is a very good friend of Victor’s, however they are the exact opposite. He does not try to do extravagant things, such as create life like Victor does. He is very good about reminding Victor that sometimes the things he tries to do are unreasonable. Clerval is a caretaker to Victor. When Victor becomes ill, Henry is there for him as a friend and makes sure he gets better. Unfortunately, Henry becomes intertwined in Victor’s mess due to Victor’s irresponsible acts and is murdered by the creature. (CC)

From the start of the text, many of the characters are looking for a companion. In his letters to his sister Margaret, Robert Walton writes, “I greatly need a friend who would have sense enough not to despise me as romantic, and affection enough for me to endeavor to regulate my mind” (10). At this point, Robert has been on his journey to the North Pole for six years, and is beginning to feel lonely; in great need of a friend. Likewise, Victor also shows his desire for a companion when he says, “Study had before secluded me from the intercourse of my fellow-creatures, and rendered me unsocial; but Clerval called forth the better feelings of my heart; he again taught me to love the aspect of nature, and the cheerful faces of children. Excellent friend!” (43). Mary Shelley shows the importance of friendship and the value of a good friend. While performing his experiment, Victor is isolated and secluded in secrecy. But Clerval, Victor’s partner and friend, tells him that he has gone too far, since even the creature is in need of a companion. He says, “The more I saw of them, the greater became my desire to claim their protection and kindness; my heart yearned to be known and loved by these amiable creatures: to see their sweet looks turned towards me with affection, was the utmost limit of my ambition" (89). The creature admits that he wants to know his protectors, the De Lacey family. The De Lacey's embrace strangers, and this gives the creature hope for acceptance. He is abandoned by Victor, his creator, and he just wants a chance to be loved and accepted. Even the creature, like Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton, has a great desire for love and friendship. Shelley shows how many of the characters need a companion to love, nurture and accept them, and if not, revenge and retaliation are options. (MM)
 * 2.Characters’ desire for companionship or love. **

As the creature learns more about life through his observations, he realizes that although he has the bare necessities, he will never be happy without a companion. The creature constantly longs for companionship from his “protectors”. At first, the opportunity to observe them is enough to satisfy his needs; however, as time progresses he realizes that he wants so much more when he says, “the more I saw them, the greater became my desire to claim their protection and kindness; my heart yearned to be known and loved by these amiable creatures: to see their sweet looks turned towards me with affection, was the utmost limit of my ambition” (89). By saying this, the creature is displaying a great need to be loved. The De Lacey’s affection is something he wanted more than anything, and his desire and fear got in the way of his reasoning. He neglects to think about their reaction if he were to confront them, their rejection was never an option. After confronting the De Lacey family he realizes that he has acted imprudently and has come to a decision far too quickly.. It is not until the De Lacey’s departure, that the creature sees how truly alone he is in the world. The creature realizes that he has been abandoned by Frankenstein, and it is his yearning to have a companion that began his search for his creator. When the creature finally finds Frankenstein he has a proposal ready for him and demands, “You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse.” (98) The creature is not only revealing his need for a companion, but he is demanding it of his creator, and it is no longer a question. He does not even question the possibility of his request, and is again failing to think clearly because of his desire. Shelley is suggesting that it is the creature’s great need for companionship that creates great conflict between him and Victor. Had the creature not wanted a companion, he would have never had to face the rejection which eventually turned him into an abandoned creature searching to take revenge on his creator. (RF)

Throughout this text, Mary Shelley portrays the status of men as more useful and powerful than women.Men are the ones who work outside, and make the money, as the women are inside doing the chores around the house. The creature states, “The young man was constantly employed out of doors, and the girl in various laborious occupations within” (73). Here, Felix is out working all day while his sister Agatha does the chores around the house. There is no flexibility between the status of men and women. Boys and girls are raised to learn that the men do the outside work and the women do the inside work. Men were important because they were the one’s making the money, but women, indeed, played a big role too. The creature demonstrates this by saying, “you must create a female or me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being” (98). The creature himself is asking for a female in his life because men cannot do it all by themselves. Men and women were seen to be unequal. The teaching of status that men are higher than women in the 1700’s had been drilled into people’s minds that it was never to be questioned by anyone. (CC)
 * 3.Social conventions concerning the status and behaviors of men and women, separately. **

In Mary Shelley’s //Frankenstein//, men make the final decisions, but the women are the reason behind their choices. Therefore, the women truly possess the power. For example, Victor makes the decision to give life to an inanimate creature, because of the loss of his mother. The only way that he is able to end his mourning over his mother is to find a way to bring her back. In addition, Victor's cousin Elizabeth indirectly influences him to visit Justine Moritz. He sees how distraught Elizabeth is due to the false accusation that her friend is a murderer, so he can only imagine how Justine must feel. Despite the fact that he knows Justine is innocent and deserved justice, Victor may not have had the courage to visit her without Elizabeth. Women are not the obvious leaders in this narration; however, their minor actions and feelings highly influence the men to act as they do in this text. (AM)
 * 4. Power dynamics between women and men. Who has the power in a given situation, and where does it come from? **

In the brilliant novel //Frankenstein//, Mary Shelley deliberately fixes the men and women characters into set gender roles to demonstrate the restricting stereotypes that society creates. Elizabeth, a well-liked and imaginative orphan girl, is portrayed as passive and dependent; always waiting on Victor to listen to and love her. Justine, an orphan girl as well, is displayed as kind and intelligent, yet she works as a maid. Eventually, Justine has such little power in society that she has no means of defending herself when she is wrongly accused of murdering a little boy. These two main women in the novel have plenty of intelligence and potential to do just as much, if not more, than the men in the story, however; because of the gender roles constructed in society, they are stuck doing what women are “supposed” to do. An example of how women and men’s minds are thought to be is when Elizabeth and her uncle are discussing what profession Ernest should undertake. Elizabeth believes that he should become a farmer, while her uncle believes he should become a lawyer. The man is displayed as wanting the boy to take a highly paid job that involves intelligence and can be considered a more “classical” profession. On the other hand, the woman wants the boy to pursue a more “romantic” profession. Furthermore, the majority of the men in the novel have careers that are involved in science and require great intelligence, while the very few women in the novel either have insignificant jobs or no job at all. Mary Shelley suggests through her depiction of the lifestyles of the men and women in //Frankenstein// that stereotyped gender roles confine people to limiting expectations and do not let them live their lives to the fullest. (ME)
 * 5. Standard Gender Roles portrayed in the novel **

Throughout Mary Shelley’s //Frankenstein//, some of the women reflect traits and themes associated with Romanticism, while men have a more Classical bent. In the text, Elizabeth Lavenza displays Romantic views through her response to social injustice and egalitarianism. Elizabeth says, “I believed you guiltless” (55). Justine Moritz is accused of the murder of William Frankenstein. Elizabeth advocates for Justine in the courtroom. Elizabeth Lavenza, like a Romantic, responds to her emotions. A Romantic is concerned with “feelings rather than facts.” Throughout the text, Mary Shelley displays woman with Romantic ideas by associating them with strong feelings and responding to their emotions.
 * 6. In this novel, woman are more Romantic while men have a more classical bent **

The men portray qualities of a classical being, such as Robert Walton. Robert Walton falls into the category of classicism because he rarely displays emotion. While sailing, he is informed that he may never see his family again because his boat is surrounded by ice. He writes, “ I am surrounded by mountains of ice, which admit of no escape, and threaten every moment to crush my vessel…yet my courage and hope do not desert me” (148). Here, Robert Walton’s life can potentially be over, but he does not weep in sorrow. He has content emotions and is not over –exaggerating the situation. He accepts the condition he is in and moves on. Robert Walton displays the classical trait of bringing order out of chaos towards the end of the text. When Victor dies and Walton runs into the creature, Walton communicates with him and sorts out the situation as best he can. Mary Shelley displays men in the text to be classical, by focusing on their straightforward and unemotional personality. (CC, MM)

Throughout the novel, //Frankenstein//, Mary Shelley continually portrays nature as a soft, delicate, and passive female entity, which honors the popular saying today of “mother nature”. However, when put into context, what exactly defines something as a masculine or feminine entity? Masculinity and femininity are stereotypical characteristics that come with each gender. A masculine male’s personality typically tends to consist of a more aggressive, powerful, strong, and commanding attitude. People in the feminine category, stereotypically women, are commonly emotional, expressive, careful and delicate. In Shelley’s //Frankenstein//, this feminine mystique is generally seen in the beautiful scenery of the mountains. As Victor’s guilt of creating a “wretched” (35) being overwhelms his mind and body, he goes up to the top of mountain to view the “serene sky and verdant fields” (44) because they fill him with “ecstasy” (44). Shelley uses nature to “subdue and tranquilize” (63) all of the characters in the novel, specifically Victor. Victor’s mood improves when in nature because of its pure sublimity. Nature is composed of beautiful and natural substances such as flowers, trees, plants, and grass. These inanimate objects are not hostile, authoritative objects looking to condemn a being’s mood, but rather they represent a place to escape and focus on the natural beauty of the world.
 * 7. Nature seen as a female entity **

Along with viewing scenery as a passive environment, Shelley also regards the nightingale in particular as a very intimate creature connected with human beings. The nightingale is a bird that represents love, longing and poetry. At only a few months old, the creature is able to feel “sorrow and delight” in the “rich cadence” of the song the Arabian woman sang, because it sounded like a nightingale in the woods. Shelley describes every feature of nature in this novel in order to portray “mother nature's” power to console a person. The serene and beautiful environment that nature often manifests is equivalent to those passive and delicate features feminine entity's possess. The fact that Shelley chose to portray nature as a female entity represents the nurturing and pacifying influence nature can have on a person’s attitude. Shelley uses a Romantic view to write this story, and by appreciating nature as such a potent feminist supremacy, she embraces nature in its delicate, benevolent and peaceful state. (JN)


 * 8. Please make distinctions between your perceptions, Victor’s perceptions, the creature’s perceptions. Because Mary Shelley has constructed a novel with multiple narratives, you bear witness to several points of view. **

(IJ & JN)
 * Your Perspective:**
 * Stereotypical jobs and careers for men and women: men are more aggressive and career oriented, and women are motherly and nurturing
 * Women are more vulnerable, while men are supposed to stand tall (not effected- pretend everything is okay)
 * Today our world is still very sexist and gender oriented
 * Victor’s Perspective:**
 * Understands the different gender roles in society, portrayed through his mother and father (Shelley 24)
 * Views man as superior (Shelley 31)
 * He is motherless and wifeless - no female influence
 * Victor destroys the female creation suggesting that “she” could potentially be more dangerous than his first creature (Shelley 114-117)
 * Creature’s Perception**
 * Embraces qualities each gender has to offer
 * “Father doated on the smiles of the infant” (81)
 * “All the life and cares of the mother were wrapt up in the precious charge” (81)
 * Different knowledge can be obtained from each gender difference - perspectives (81)
 * Admires the beauty of women (78)
 * Nature as a female entity humanizes the creature (95)
 * Understands stereotypes in society
 * Fully embraces the authoritative and aggressive behavior of men
 * Murderer
 * General questions to think about as you read: **

Throughout the novel //Frankenstein//, the male characters continually depict the aggressive, arrogant and thoughtless side of masculinity whereas the women are glorified figures who represent the injustice and violence that shapes the story. Victor as a young man is thriving to create something out of the ordinary, a creature that will defy humanity and rise to its own “supernatural” level. After this innocent and hideous creature is begotten, its growth over the years turns Victor into a scared, vengeful wreck whose “devouring” and only “passion” of his soul is to “pursue his enemy with the punishment which is his desert” (139). The creature on the other hand begins as a “baby-man” who seeks only for love from his creator. As his search for love is rejected multiple times, the creature turns into a monster in pursuit of torturing Victor. Unlike these two “monsters” that represent all evil and horror in the novel, Walton, Alphonse, Henry and William are the sole male characters who represent the good. Although these are the preferred characters, they are not the main characters and are therefore rarely referred to. Shelley chose to focus on the evil aspect of masculinity, which is why the “monsters”, Victor and the creature, are the central focus in //Frankenstein.//
 * 1.How are “gender” roles created and reinforced? Why are they so rigid? **

Due to the corrupt and vile actions Shelley chose to embrace, she shapes the feminine roles to manipulate and enhance the actions of the male roles. Justine, Elizabeth and Caroline are all nurturing figures who represent injustice. They are all young women with mothering instincts, whose dreams still lie ahead of them. Unfortunately, all three of their lives are cut short, which triggers the emotional side of the males in the novel. Ultimately, these deaths prompt the vengeful and dark aspect of Victor. These women are the central characters in the novel, partly because all of their actions affect the main plot of the story. Overall, the gender roles in //Frankenstein// evolve in such as way that the absence of women prove to be the foundational flaw as to why disaster occurs, proving that Shelley wished to persuade her audience that women are the fundamentals of society. Without women, the plot of the novel and the men turn arie and out of control. (JN)

People of Mary Shelley’s generation, in the early 1800s, had definite opinions about gender roles in society. Women were for years seen as the lesser sex – only needed for reproduction and simple jobs like cleaning the house or doing the laundry. Women were not allowed to have “important” jobs, whereas it was a man’s prerogative to receive a great education and eventually a profession, if desired, as a lawyer, banker, doctor, etc. Men were stereotyped as the more exceptional gender because they for years had been seen as stronger, both physically and emotionally, than women. This understanding of the distinctions between men and women greatly differs from the understanding that we have today. Nowadays, many women are just as, if not more, successful than many men, and the world seems to becoming closer and closer to complete equality between the genders. Occupations related to law, engineering, mathematics, and many others, are no longer seen as solely masculine. In addition, more and more men have established lifestyles that previously were seen as merely feminine, such as being a stay-at-home parent. The bold, stringent line dividing the two genders is gradually beginning to fade. Although there will always be differences between the sexes, women are no longer type-casted into gender-specific roles in society, as was the norm in Mary Shelley’s generation. (ME)
 * 2.How did people of Shelley’s generation define gender, and how does their understanding contrast with our own? **

** 3. What is your reaction to transgression (crossing) of traditional stereotypes? ** ====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Mary Shelley takes a risk in placing characters such as Robert Walton and Elizabeth Lavenza in roles that defy typical gender stereotypes in order to show that these are boundaries that are created by society, and can be broken if one does not fear being a social pariah. Walton transgresses the “gender boundary” by exhibiting attributes usually associated with a woman such as organization, compassion, positivity, and determination. He is always very kind in his letters to his sister, and despite many desperate, possibly fatal challenges he has to face on his journey, he continues to be optimistic, reminding himself that at least he would be dying in the hopes of accomplishing his dreams. He is a very emotional person, and like many women, his sentiments turn to sadness upon seeing another person upset. When he sees the creature unsettled and made unhappy by Victor’s death, he is immediately moved to continue acting with kindness towards the creature out of pity and says, “…my first impulses, which had suggested to me the duty of obeying the dying request of my friend…were now suspended by a mixture of curiosity and compassion.” (153). He readily accepts the creature, or at least willing enough to have a conversation with him, which goes along with the stereotypical statement that women are quicker to trust and are more open to speaking with strangers than men are. ====

====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Elizabeth is a strong-willed, confident, selfless woman, who through these attributes is able to deal with difficult situations like a man. When Justine is subject to injustice, Elizabeth stands up bravely in court to defend her, something usually only a man would do. When poor William dies, she goes out in the night searching for him. She is courageous when she writes to Victor, asking him if he truly loves her, and she is truly selfless when Victor postpones their marriage two years so that he can finish his studies in England. ====

====<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Mary Shelley does a fantastic job at creating these gender transgressions, and through them, readers are able to see how society cannot completely change a person and the way they act. Walton and Elizabeth are not born to be rule followers, and they branch out from what society considers normal, acceptable behavior for a man or a woman, and they become the outsiders. This ties in perfectly with the theme of the "other" in //Frankenstein//, breaking not only gender boundaries, but “normalcy” boundaries as well. (BC) ==== Gender is a medium that Shelley uses as an entity to express social and political ideals of the times. Men in particular are seen as a dominant force that carry out important tasks; their cocky, arrogant, and sometimes spur of the moment decisions are proven in this novel to cause a titanic decline. In her novel, //Frankenstein,// this idea is conveyed when Shelley creates limited roles for women and decisively kills almost every female in the tale. So the big question still lurks, “What is so important about the male preoccupation?” This very question makes gender roles to be a particular phenomenon in Shelley’s novel.
 * <span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4.How is gender an important part of the novel’s structure, story and resolution? **

Mary Shelley constructs this novel in such a way that the limitation of female influence is evident and the lack of female nurture indeed causes some horror. Many of the male characters are in need of female consultation, but are unable to find it. This yearning can be considered to be a cause of many of the unfortunate events in the novel, such as the creation of Victor’s creature. This creation of such rare design could be Victors void into trying to give rebirth to his mother, or women close to him that he has lost. The preoccupation of the men in this novel goes to its extremes during its turning point; when the creature is made. Shelley makes the creature a male for a reason. Is she suggesting that man is in fact monstrous? Victor wants to create a human being quite like himself; does this mean that the creature is actually an accurate portrayal of the male gender in this novel? As Victor states, “My ability to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful as man.The materials at present within my command hardly appeared adequate to so arduous an undertaking; but I doubted not that I should ultimately succeed” (31). Women are again not portrayed as the ideal human being, because men are at the highest position in the social order. These gender traits are impressive insight into this fanciful novel. (IJ)