"Considering the social ideals of time, discuss the social restraints of the female characters compared with the freedoms of the male".

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Jason Dealey        English Coursework-Frankenstein        Miss Kitson

10N                W28

“Considering the social ideals of time, discuss the social restraints of the female characters compared with the freedoms of the male”

In the eighteenth century, when Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ was written, there were many social restraints placed upon women, but where men were still relatively free.  An example of this is from up until a few decades ago where the men were expected to go out and work while the women were to stay at home, doing the cooking and housework. In this essay, I am going to attempt to find out if Mary Shelley has demonstrated these social restraints in the book ‘Frankenstein’, and to discuss these restraints and their effects upon the characters.

During the time when ‘Frankenstein’ was written, the women were considered much less important than the men. This is also displayed in the book where when Justine was to be hanged. Elizabeth tried to save Justine Moritz although failed to save her and she was then hanged.  Victor Frankenstein, however, knew that he could save Justine if he wanted to, but didn’t want to for fear of being prosecuted himself, as he would have to reveal that he let a monster, his own creation, into the world.  This also shows that men are supposedly higher than women because a woman at this time would give up her life to save a man, yet a man would not give up his life to save a woman, shown here, making the men seem of a higher class than the women.

The fact that women were considered less important than men can also be displayed, where, near the beginning of the book Victor’s mother, Caroline Beaufort, spoke to Victor about the arrival of his adopted sister, Elizabeth:

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“I have a pretty present for my Victor, tomorrow he shall have it.”

Here Elizabeth is being referred to as a present, not a human being, thus putting her lower down in the social status.  If Victor were to be adopted then he would most probably be treated completely different to Elizabeth and Elizabeth would still be referred to as a present, like a welcoming present.  Again, later, he speaks of Elizabeth as his possession, not a real human:

“…Mine to Protect, love and Cherish”

Showing that Victor took his mother’s words seriously and so he talks about her like ...

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