By stealing the female's control over reproduction,
Frankenstein has eliminated the female's primary biological function and source
of cultural power. Indeed, for the simple purpose of human survival,
Frankenstein has eliminated the necessity to have females at all. One of the
deepest horrors of this novel is Frankenstein's implicit goal of creating a
society for men only: his creature is male; he refuses to create a female;
there is no reason that the race of immortal beings he hoped to propagate should
not be exclusively male.
shelly presents the position of women through the lack of sex within
frankenstien, therefore evoking the feelinf of science being more needed than
natural sex. The lack of sexual activity stems from Frankenstiens’s perverse
sexual feelings towards his mother, commonly known as the Oedipus complex. Shelley describes a
dream in which Elizabeth morphs into his mother, “as I imprinted the first kiss
on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death”. In having Elizabeth
replaced Caroline, Shelley is not only equating Frankenstein’s affection for
his mother with Elizabeth but also she also alludes to a sexuality that goes
against the norms of society, and the lack of the need to have sex with a
woman, usurping the position of women as their main role of being a woman is to
bear children. What Victor Frankenstein truly fears is female sexuality
as such. A woman who is sexually liberated, free to choose her own life, her
own sexual partner (by force, if necessary), and to propagate at will can
appear only monstrously ugly to Victor Frankenstein, for she defies that sexist
aesthetic that insists that women be small, delicate, modest, passive, and
sexually pleasing -- but available only to their lawful husbands. This is
clearly seen as a possessive nature when he talks about Elizabeth as "My more than sister, since till
death she was to be mine only." This shows that the position of women are
not key in frankenstien except as a possesion, in which he does not wish to
escalate a sexual relashionship with. Further more victor refuses to create a
“she” creature for the monster for him to enjoy and possiably have a sexual
relasionship, showing that women are possiably needed for happiness as it is
after he refuses in which the monster kills elizabeth. Therefore he is denying
the delights on natural intercourse. This is contradictary in the handmaids
tale where sex is the only reason of any position within the giliad regime as a woman.
Atwood also presents women in an oppressive way
however it is the contradiction of frankenstien as they are oppressed by being
‘ state-raped’, or forced to have sex like a “machiene”, causing a complete
lack of libido between both the commander and the handmaids. The lack of
enjoyment through sex makes sex another “chore” in which is another way to
persecute and put women down. The women are made to believe that this
is their duty and the only reason they are important. The Handmaids are told
stories about these conditions to justify their situation. They are told that
“men are sex machines… and not much more. They only want one thing”. Again the Gilead discourse returns to the fact
that men cannot be blamed for their behaviour since it is something “natural”.
The Handmaids are told that: “It’s up to you to set the boundaries” (reference). “used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of
transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will . . . Now the
flesh arranges itself differently. I’m a cloud, congealed around a central
object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows
red within its translucent wrapping” This shows that it seems that women are
made just for sex and that’s also a natural instinct for men, therefore women
should comply. Similarly in frankenstien there is an idea of going against the
norm with moira,being a prostitute and a lesbian, representing the
individualistic and plauralised feminisms of the late 80’s and 90’s which
include the different agendas of formerly marginilized women: black women and
lesbians whos intrests were closer to equality gay rights than traditional
feminist agendas of the 1st wave feminism.this clearly shows that
the position of women are usrped and taken away from them unless they have
children. If they cannot then they are sent to camps, in which offred mother
was sent to. These points clearly show that womens position in this regime is
not high and the only time they get any position at all is when they have a
baby, and this is only temporarly.
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