Family Affairs in Frankenstein

At the time that Mary Shelley was writing her novel Frankenstein, the British Empire was generally concerned with the idea of the preservation of the "nuclear family." This being the ideal family that has a patriarchal structure in place. The husband and father is the main dictator of the household and deals with the responsibility of providing for the family. In Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein, family structures and lineage plays an important role in the development of Victor's character. His parents are ideally a representation of what the nuclear family should look like.

At the beginning of the novel, Alphonse, finds his wife Caroline kneeling by the coffin of her deceased father. Shelley chooses this to be the first interaction that we see between Alphonse and Caroline to show that he picks his wife based on her vulnerability. Alphonse is aware that Caroline is desperate for companionship after losing a father figure. So, Alphonse does not only serve as her husband throughout the text, but as a father figure as well that confines her to a domestic sphere within the home. Shelley states that, "Caroline is portrayed as a plant capable of surviving only under the careful cultivation of her surrogate caretaker" (18). Her surrogate caretaker being Alphonse. From the beginning of the novel, Shelley makes it clear that she is critiquing the idea of what a "perfect" family should look like. At this time, the "perfect" family would have all women submitting to the patriarchal figures within the home.

(Above: Picture of what the ideal "nuclear family" would look like)

Mary Shelley also suggests that family structures are carried over and reflected in their children. When Elizabeth joins the Frankenstein family, Victor treats Elizabeth exactly how Alphonse treats Caroline. Both men view their wives as weak and unable to survive without them. Both men view the female body as possessions that they have complete control over. Victor states that he saw Elizabeth as " . . . a possession of my own" (21). Shelly offers a critical approach to stating that the "nuclear family" can only exist if the men are in complete control over the women in the family. But, the woman in the family have to be weaker and willing to let the men rule over the family in order for the family to "properly" function. However, Shelley challenges this notion of the perfect family within the Frankenstein family when Victor creates the monster. 

The creation of the monster could be a reflection or hinting towards having a child outside of wedlock. This challenges the notion of the "nuclear family" because of the way that Victor creates the monster. Besides having children with his wife, Victor "births" or "creates" his own child. However, his refusal to take responsibility for the monster after he creates the monster critiques his ability to be a successful father or caretaker. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1) Discuss how Victor's inability to care for the monster leads the monster to becoming violent? What would you say Shelley's "ideal" family would look like? What type of familial structures would be in place? 

2) What family patterns do you see being transferred through the generations of the Frankenstein's? Could these patterns been broken? Explain, why or why not.