Gender Confusion

Throughout the novel, Shelly portrays women in a passive, concerned, and sacrificial manner. In several different instance they rely on the men to rescue them or simply accept the decisions of the male. An example of this is the outlook that Victor Frankenstein has towards his step-sister, Elizabeth. He believes that he must protect her against all wrong and that she is incapable of making her own decisions. Also, when Justine is accused of murdering Victor's brother, she cannot do anything about it herself, but must rely on Victor to get her pardoned. To me, the fact that Shelley puts women in such a secondary role is unfathomable and confusing. Although women were not greatly appreciated during the time this novel was written, it seems that Shelley would still want to make the women in the story have greater roles. It seems like a sellout attempt to make sure the book sells, since people may have not appreciated the book as much if it was more centered on women.