1. In constructing her female characters, Mary Shelley implies for them to be stronger than men and impervious to the woes of effeminacy. However, many critics state that this intention failed. Instead, the female characters are mentioned to "be charged with extreme weakness" and to have learned the "lessons of submissiveness and devotion" almost too well. Shelley does not help her case when she furthers the downfall of her women by "creating a world impossibly strong" to resist.
2. The audience is meant to sympathize with Justine and the other women not as weak or damaged, but rather as victims. Shelley creates a situation for Justine in which she confesses after the verdict, despite not even having committed the crime. However, Justine is able to hold out for awhile before being "besieged by [her] confessor." By the end of the courtroom scene, Justine proves that the females in the book are not weak, but rather beaten down by the plot. For example, how could Justine have imagined "that an eight-foot-tall, man-made monster had sneaked up and slipped the miniature into her pocket. Thus, Shelley's plot creates excessively negative effects on the women of the novel.
3. Elizabeth and Justine, despite being punished by the plot at times, still serve a purpose. Shelley reveals that her true women are destroyed for "a radical purposiveness that releases them." Therefore, these female characters each push the novel forward and are used to prove significant points.
- The fact that Shelley's female characters are unable to resist the negative effects of the plot and still serve a radical purpose has truly supplied a new perspective on the book. For example, following the destruction of the De Lacey cottage, the drowning little girl will either be ended by the plot or saved by the creature. Because the creature saves the girl and is still shot, Shelley implies that the plot is unable to be combated by women even with outside help; for example, Elizabeth's sticking up for Justine carries no benefits. In the end, this new perspective points that Shelley's failure to make female characters stronger than men leads to a plot of struggle for women.
Although I brought up opposite points in my blog, you offered a new perspective to the criticism that I would have otherwise overlooked. You supported your points well, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI like your perspective, however, i agree with Walker's point of view that Shelley empowers women rather than weakening them. Your Blog's length shows that you put a fair amount of work into it, while still staying succinct and to the point.
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