split identity whose whole being should be cooped up in the same institution of family . They are both playmates and nearly of the same age , while one is able to explore the world and the other is merely a Hestia , one is self and the other is other , one is the center and the other a supplement , one is a man and the other a woman which is why there exist all those differences .
It can be said that the feminine figures of Shelley , breathing in an androcentric society without having any prominent presence or space , are portrayed in a way to function as the other to provide sufficient space for men to construct a positive identity for themselves as masculine . Elizabeth and Caroline , accordingly , act as if they were so fragile that they would not be able to survive without Alphonse ’ or Victor ’ s support . Being masculine , they are rational , assertive and strong enough to control these irrational , unassertive and fragile women .
Consequently , Elizabeth exists only through the absences in order to fulfill the role demanded from her for the sake of Victor : a sister , a playfellow , a sweetheart , and a wife . She is but a “ promised gift ” ( 18 ) whose being is bound to Victor ’ s ambitions and speculations . Throughout the novel , she “ lives ” either via letters to Victor or conversations with Victor quoted by him . Eventually , Elizabeth is only because Victor exists so that she can pave the way for Victor ’ s illusions and desires . She is a scapegoat victimized both for being a woman first and then as a means of revenge for the Being to atone for Victor ’ s misdeeds . It seems as if her life is a blank sheet which is colored merely by Victor ’ s presence .
To such a degree , the public and domestic spheres are devoted to their owners throughout Frankenstein through
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