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Essay on 'How Frankenstein Exposes the Failures of Justice'
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Essay on 'How Frankenstein Exposes the Failures of Justice'
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How Frankenstein Exposes the Failures of JusticeIt is unsurprising Mary Shelley would be a writer that focuses on justice as a key theme in
her 1818 work ‘Frankenstein’. Daughter to philosophers who spent most of their days picking
society apart to explore and expose the failures of justice and society. Shelley takes this
further by instead of using reason and evidence she nuances her critiques in the world of
gothic fiction to explore and expose the failures of justice that surround her in her daily living.
Firstly, Shelley utilises the character of Justine to expose several failures of justice. Justine
is a key character as underpinned by her name which means ‘justice’ creating an ironic
juxtaposition as her life is marked by injustice as a result of a failing justice system. One of
the key failures of justice seen in Justine’s narrative is in her trial when we see unsubstantial
and false evidence end her life as a murderess. Shelley overviews the evidence as, “Several
strange facts…” The ambiguity in number in combination with the adjective ‘strange’
combine to show the inadequacy of justice. A further failure in judicial evidence is seen in
Justine’s confession as she says, “I did confess; but I confessed a lie…that I might obtain
absolution.” Justine’s characterisation throughout the subplot paints her as a strongly pious
woman who is god fearing and a strong believer. This is seen here in the religious allusion to
absolution and a questionable juxtaposition arises between the repetition of ‘confess’.
Justine commits a sin (as Exodus’ Ten Commandments clearly state ‘Do not lie’) but she
commits a sin to please God. She believes she is giving an offer of redemption to the true
perpetrator and redemption is a trait that was popular in the Regency era literature,
especially in the works of Victor Hugo. Justine’s piety demonstrates her as a ‘proper
woman’ by contextual standards but her deep indoctrination into the state-church
superpowers that govern her and proclaim her criminality. The dynamic between church and
state adds to Justine’s reasoning in her confession as she serves her state as well as God
and almost manipulating her to confess. Within the patriarchal paradigm that is her home
she is respected for her moral upstanding (a fact she hopes can save her but fails, “I hope
the character I have always borne will incline my judges to a favourable interpretation.”) but
it can’t help her as the system smothers her voice and those voices who try and show her
pure innocence; “Elizabeth’s heart-rending eloquence failed to move the judges…” Victor’s
narrative voice is a clear example of how the patriarchal system is woven through society
and vis-à-vis the justice system. His hyperbolic description of Elizabeth’s testimony
emphasises the feminine, emotional qualities almost blaming it as a weak argument. This
makes Victor seem dismissive and it’s an intentional depiction on Shelley’s part as it
emphasises how women were treated as irrelevant and unreliable in judicial settings. In turn
this sexism and manipulation of facts and beliefs shows how the trial of Justine is a farce as
a result exposing the failures of the justice system Shelley sees and in the novel lead Justine
to the gallows.
Furthermore, Victor, as one of the key characters within Frankenstein is involved in the
depiction of real-world ideas Shelley laces into the text, one of which exposing the failures of
the justice system. Victor is driven on sole anguish at the turn of Volume Three and so
initially he seeks the proclamation of a local magistrate but is failed by the justice system as
he is ignored; “I would willingly afford you every aid in your pursuit; but the creature…would
put all my exertions to defiance.” Shelley utilises a strong focus on personal pronouns that
symbolise how justice did not serve a common interest in the novel it served those of social
standing. Victor came from a family of repose, but his reputation was damaged by his
madness. Therefore, Victor’s claim is not even investigated but it is believed. This is a key
point in this being a failure of the justice system as Victor is not branded as a mad man
instead, we see justice whimper in the face of the creature. Its fear echoes throughout
Victor’s plea for judicial help but the self-serving justice runs scared and does not help the
citizens it serves to protect. This failure of justice as a state system leads to Victor having a
failure in his personal sense of justice; “I will exert myself, if it is in my power to seize the
monster, be assured he will suffer a punishment proportionate to his crimes.” Shelley
cleverly makes a skilful use of doubling between the creature and Victor. A stark difference
may be noted between Volume One and Three as the lines between man and monster,
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