Women's Rights...Here We Go Again

"I thought with a sensation of madness of my promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged (page 121)." At the time of Shelley's writing this novel, women were considered a lower form of human. It can be argued that this belief is still alive and well within many. Still, this scene in which Victor tears up his creation's female counter piece is symbolic of Shelley's situation. At first, she was forced to forgo listing her name as the author because it would not have been accepted in the literary community. She even had to have her husband write a foreword just to earn the now-infamous novel some legitimacy. There is no doubt in my mind that this would have been a point of frustration for Shelley. Everyone wants their accomplishments recognized. This was likely taken out in this part of the novel. By having Victor kill the female creation and adding that the creation had been almost completed to the point that it was, the killing of the promise of the female creation is like the killing of women's promise in general.