Masculinity In Frankenstein

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Throughout European history, the nurturing, care taking parental role has prominently been the employment of the mother. Gender roles have established and restricted the duties of parents: fathers are the breadwinners: mothers are the coddlers. Although these gender roles have not always been enforced in all parts of the world and all throughout history, they were prevalent in eighteenth century Europe. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores the complexity of masculinity and femininity and the importance of parental roles, especially of motherly figures. Shelley presents this complexity through the life of Victor Frankenstein- a character raised by an epitome of a motherly figure, who then grows to fail drastically at mothering …show more content…
This also proves the point that Shelley is trying to convey throughout the novel: the hyper masculinity of men that existed during her time resulted in ineffective parenting.
Secondly, Shelley’s decision to characterize Frankenstein as being unable to “mother” his creatures is a jab at the patriarchy. Shelley’s choice to include the complete absence of a mother for the creatures in turn creates a true caricature of hypermasculinity of Victor. Both the death and complete absence of a mother in the novel “[provides] an idealized or demonized object by which to define masculinity.”1
Consequently, the flaws of masculinity and parental gender roles shines through in the novel. Without the traditional role of a woman being a mother for the monster, or an unorthodox role of Frankenstein stepping up and becoming a motherly figure, the monster is left motherless an unable to “construct his identity”2 resulting in an undeveloped moral and destructive …show more content…
Surprisingly, this creates sympathy for Victor. On the contrary, if it were a woman to abandon her creation, the woman would be considered the monster, not the creation. Shelley utilizes the systematic roles of men being hyper masculine and of women being dainty and feminine in eighteenth century Europe to create the downfall of Victor. Shelley’s choice to paint the truths of the patriarchy instead of creating the depiction of the abolishment of it in turn “acts as a critique and rebellion against the paternal literary tradition.” 1 The transparent approach Shelley takes to reveal the world around her insinuates the feminist views that Shelley held and also reveals the roles of women during Shelley’s era. In conclusion, Shelley criticizes the patriarchy and the paternal relationships in eighteenth century Europe through the contrast of hyper masculine fathers and a caring, ideal mother. This contrast also allows Shelley to reveal the differing expectations society held on mothers versus fathers, and men versus women during Shelley’s time. To conclude, Shelley’s characterization of Frankenstein’s failure to father is a comment on the patriarchy's failure to create decent fathers in the first
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