A vegetarian ecofeminist reading of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Abstract

From 1818 to the present day, over 200 years, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been the source of inspiration for a myriad of works ranging from scholarly articles and books to films and cartoons. Receiving a great amount of attention from many critics from various fields, the novel has been analyzed in detail by considering different perspectives and theories. However, the theme of vegetarianism and its relation to feminism has nearly remained untouched. The main reason for this drawback is that the link between vegetarianism and feminism, which bases its argument on the theories of ecofeminism that emerged in the early 1980s, is still little known and researched. For vegetarian ecofeminists, all forms of oppression are formed and spread through the dictations of phallocentric systems arrogating the hierarchical binaries. Within this dualistic logic perpetuating and organizing all dichotomous couples, not just women but nature, and animals are also exposed to violence and humiliation. Looking through feminist-vegetarian perspectives, the starting point of this established hegemony is the mistreatment imposed on ‘nonhu(man)’ animals, whereby this speciesism leads to many other forms of oppression and violence for the passivized others. Therefore, considering these current issues and analyzing Frankenstein within the framework of vegetarian ecofeminism, the principal contention of this study is to prove that women’s getting rid of oppression, injustice and humiliation is closely related to realizing and ending the inhumane treatment against animals and nature. Only then it will be viable to ensure welcoming ties between the experiences of vegetarians and ecofeminists and to establish an all-encompassing structure for all living creatures.