Spencer WeilandProfessor HenkeEnglish 25016 January 2018Frankenstein: A Feminist Critique of Science In Anne K Mellor’s “Frankenstein: A Feminist Critique of Science,” she explains the scientific ideas of Dr. Frankenstein, including the ideas of nature and its relation to feminism.
Mellor depicts Frankenstein’s monster as a fearful figure who is created surgically by sewing together multiple limbs, as well as being scientifically modified using electricity. The ideology of monsters is based on scientific fact — Mellor uses the teaching of Erasmus Darwin, Luigi Galvani, and Humphry Davy in her writing. Historically women have been perceived as inferior and subservient to men. This is apparent when Mellor brings up the concept of pollination as well as the maternal aspects of mother nature, and the class system between men and women. Mellor emphasizes that early in Darwin’s research he hypothesized that the male and female flowers do not equally aid in reproduction. He states the male flower would, “produce the seed or embryon while female plants provided only nourishment” (45).
This scientific idea suggests that the female plant is inferior to the male.This idea is apparent with Frankenstein when he experiments with reproducing his monster, and in turn becomes aggravated with the fact that it needs a woman to successfully reproduce. Frankenstein believed his creation was above the laws of nature and that it did not require a woman to reproduce.
This exemplifies the idea that women are truly inferior to men and that their role was entirely for child nurturing purposes. In conclusion, Mellor believes that women were indeed inferior to men and over time will continue to be. The idea of monsters has been written about in great detail over the years, and time and time again when it comes to women they are perceived in a negative light compared to their male counterpart.
