The Character of Safie in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay -- Franken

The Character of Safie in Frankenstein Even though she is only mentioned in bloody shame Shelleys Frankenstein for acomparatively brief period, the fibre, Safie, is very interesting as she isunique from the other characters in that her subjectivity is more clearlydependent on her religious belief and the kitchen-gardening of her nation. Contrasts rear be madebetween the Orient and the European society which attempts to interpret it.Often, this creates stereotypes much(prenominal) as western feminists that have viewedthird-world women as ignorant, poor, uneducated, tradition-bound, religious,domesticated, family oriented, (and) exploited(Mohanty 290). Of course, someof these things could alike have said of European women of the time period,although no one would argue the point since Oriental women were viewed as beingmore oppressed. pie-eyed contrasts can besides be made in relation to the differencesbetween Safies development as a foreign character and her subjectivity as afe male character in relation to those of the other female characters of the book.While the other female characters lack depth into how their morality and cultureaffect them, Safies religion and Arabian culture sculpt her into a subject withfeminist qualities juxtaposed against her fulfillment of European domesticideology. Many theorists, such as Benveniste who said, Consciousness of self-importance orsubjectivity is only executable if it is experienced by contrast, argue thatones subjectivity can only exist in their relation to the Other(85). Thesubjects relation this Other depends on which reflexion is being examined. Forexample, when traffic with gender, it would be the relationship between Man and... ...it fulfilled the domestic ideology of the European society. Thesociety itself was phallogocentric and, by nature, riddled with its ownsubjectivity, such as the Orientalism built-in in Europe, which attempted toexamine the Orient which had a brute reality obviously greater than anythingthat could be said about them in the West(Said 304). whole works CitedBeneviste, Emile. Subjectivity in Language. Course Reader. 83-88Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. Under Western Eyes Feminist Scholarship andColonial Discourses. Course Reader. 289-300Said, Edward W. Introduction to Orientalism. Course Reader. 303-312Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. Johanna M. Smith. capital of Massachusetts Bedford Books,1992Smith, Johanna M. Cooped Up Feminine Domesticity in Frankenstein. BedfordBooks, 1992 270-285 The Character of Safie in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay -- FrankenThe Character of Safie in Frankenstein Even though she is only mentioned in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein for arelatively brief period, the character, Safie, is very interesting as she isunique from the other characters in that her subjectivity is more clearlydependent on her religion and the culture of her nation. Contrasts can be madebetween the Orient and the European society which attempts to inter pret it.Often, this creates stereotypes such as western feminists that have viewedthird-world women as ignorant, poor, uneducated, tradition-bound, religious,domesticated, family oriented, (and) victimized(Mohanty 290). Of course, someof these things could also have said of European women of the time period,although no one would argue the point since Oriental women were viewed as beingmore oppressed. Strong contrasts can also be made in relation to the differencesbetween Safies development as a foreign character and her subjectivity as afemale character in relation to those of the other female characters of the book.While the other female characters lack depth into how their religion and cultureaffect them, Safies religion and Arabian culture sculpt her into a subject withfeminist qualities juxtaposed against her fulfillment of European domesticideology. Many theorists, such as Benveniste who said, Consciousness of self orsubjectivity is only possible if it is experienced by contras t, argue thatones subjectivity can only exist in their relation to the Other(85). Thesubjects relation this Other depends on which aspect is being examined. Forexample, when dealing with gender, it would be the relationship between Man and... ...it fulfilled the domestic ideology of the European society. Thesociety itself was phallogocentric and, by nature, riddled with its ownsubjectivity, such as the Orientalism inherent in Europe, which attempted toexamine the Orient which had a brute reality obviously greater than anythingthat could be said about them in the West(Said 304).Works CitedBeneviste, Emile. Subjectivity in Language. Course Reader. 83-88Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. Under Western Eyes Feminist Scholarship andColonial Discourses. Course Reader. 289-300Said, Edward W. Introduction to Orientalism. Course Reader. 303-312Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. Johanna M. Smith. Boston Bedford Books,1992Smith, Johanna M. Cooped Up Feminine Domesticity in Frankenstein. BedfordBooks, 19 92 270-285