Topic > The Objectification of Safie in the Novel "Frankenstein"

Over time, the presence of patriarchal ideologies in the Western world has decreased dramatically. Yet, in the past, women have lived in brutal social conditions that most people, especially men, cannot imagine. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the patriarchal society and its ideals are the reason behind the behavior of many characters. The daughter of a Turkish merchant becomes unknowingly involved in a commensalistic relationship with Frankenstein's monstrous creature. The monster takes advantage of Safie's stereotypically passive nature by using her as a method of learning the De Lacey family's language. However, academics are not the only thing he learns from the foreign woman, the close relationship between Safie and Felix forces the monster to recognize unexpected emotions due to his negligence. During Safie's stay at the cottage, the monster continually refers to her as "The Arabian" and emphasizes her appearance by demonstrating that he sees her as an object. Frankenstein's Monster objectifies Safie to improve her academics and advance her emotional intelligence along the way. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Language, institutions, and social power structures have reflected patriarchal interests throughout history, resulting in a profound impact on women's ability to express themselves. Through a feminist lens, men in literature use power to establish systems that naturalize power and maintain dominance by making women's inferior roles appear engineered. In Frankenstein, Caroline Frankenstein plays the ideal female character who works to support her ailing father and nurses him until he dies. This displays the attributes associated with patriarchal domesticity because she is polite and selfless, as Caroline puts her father's needs before her own. Traditionally, a woman's usefulness to men is what defines them, so the power exercised over women influences their experiences of selfhood. Within patriarchies, women are also typically objectified and, rather than being seen as the male counterpart, are “the other” or “the one,” making women seem less than fully human. Furthermore, instrumentality, when someone treats a woman as a tool for their own ends, is an underlying issue rooted in both patriarchal ideology and, in particular, the indirect relationship between Safie and the monster. Despite the fact that Safie and the rest of the farmers do not know that the monster is watching them, he decides to form a relationship with Safie that only he benefits from. Although Safie and the rest of the female characters in Frankenstein are the product of a female author, Safie still has a demeaning characterization typical of the era. When Safie arrives at the cottage, Agatha and Felix begin teaching her English; observes the monster, and “the idea immediately occurred to him that [he] should use the same instructions for the same purpose” (Shelley 116). The concept of instrumentality is first introduced after Frankenstein's monster realizes that he can use Safie to his advantage, which is the epitome of the objectification of women. For the remainder of her stay at the cottage, Safie's usefulness to the opposite sex becomes the monster's primary focus and exemplifies the effects of patriarchal domesticity. As the monster continues to observe the happy family, Safie's lessons become his own. Thus, due to a passive female, the monster's first academic education results: “[His] days were spent with much attention, so that [he] could master morethe tongue quickly; and [he] can boast that [he] improved more than the Arab, who understood very little…” (Shelley 117). Since Safie exists only to serve the opposite sex, whether she is actually learning the language or not becomes irrelevant as she now represents a means to the monster's educational end. Although Felix and Agatha view her with much admiration, Safie's role in patriarchal society still remains that of a passive and objectified female character. Safie's incorporation into the story is more than just creating an easy way for the monster to thrive academically and learn Felix's language. and Agata; it also provides an important emotional channel. Observing Safie's relationships with the farmers, especially her romantic bond with Felix, the monster realizes how alone he is. His recent education leads the monster to recognize that he knows no one like him: “Other lessons have remained even more deeply imprinted on me…all the various relationships that bind one human being to another in mutual bonds…I had never seen a being resembling me” (Shelley 120). The monster now knows that he is alone and despised by all who lay eyes on him, and that even his creator has abandoned him. However, without Safie's presence, the monster would not have the opportunity to discover feelings of “indignation, joy, and wonder” or realize that his creator, Victor Frankenstein, took the opportunity to form bonds. The monster's disappointment with his life is in response to the cottage inhabitants' joyful behaviors, which are constantly displayed through their carefree lifestyle. After witnessing Felix's admiration for Safie and learning about strong family relationships, the monster thinks to himself: “But where were my friends and relatives? No father had watched over my childhood, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses…” (Shelley 120). Even if Frankenstein's monster did not intend to observe lessons outside the academic realm, his self-pity is unnecessary considering that it was his decision to treat Safie, someone with humanity, as an object of merely instrumental value to achieve personal goals . Eventually, the monster further develops his emotional intelligence by taking advantage of Safie's interactions with Felix and Agatha, but the results were not in his favor. Even for a monstrous creature, patriarchy still influences how Frankenstein's monster views women; by seeing Safie as an object, he reduces an entire genre to the status of mere tools for his own ends. Based on past observations of the monster and experience with other women, she believes they are by nature passive and object-like, to the extent she refers to. Even for a monstrous creature, patriarchy still influences how Frankenstein's monster views women; by seeing Safie as an object, he reduces an entire genre to the status of mere tools for his own ends. Based on the Monster's past observations and experiences with other women, he believes that they are passive and object-like in nature, to the point that he refers to Safie as "The Arab". Although instrumentality is already a present theme as the monster uses Safie to promote his academics, he continues to belittle her existence by rarely using her given name: "As I listened to the instructions that Felix bestowed on the Arabs, the strange system of society human has been explained to me” (Shelley 118). certain works some women are not named because only men or the few unconventional female characters have the privilege of names she as an object that exists for and promotes one's own self-improvement.