Mary Shelley depicts in Frankenstein, an outcast of humanity, the grotesque in appearance, and the evil that seems to dominate society. Ironically though, it is the beautifully described characters in Frankenstein, that are oppressed, outcasted and dominated by society. Shelley's portrayal of the female in Frankenstein reveals the reality of society's control over women by placing on them expectations and limitations.
             Mary Shelley's behaviors and ideals rebel against the conventional expectations of women. She enjoyed liberty as a woman in a suffocating society of traditional views and practices. In Frankenstein, Shelley illustrates this female oppression, revealing women as captive servants in the household, restricted to domestic roles, perhaps providing the reader with explanation to her obscure lifestyle. (Patterson Marriage..)"The females [in Frankenstein] are securely fixed within the domestic realm, performing their duties as mothers, sisters, wives and daughters without the slightest murmur of discontent or any discussion of the inequalities that shape their lives" (Wittenberg). Elizabeth Lavenza, adopted and raised by the Frankenstein family, is a perfect girl and eventual young lady both in physical appearance and personality traits. She cares for Caroline when she falls ill, and is seen as a perfect female partner for Victor, even called his "present".
             On the evening previous to her being brought to my home, my mother had said playfully, "I have a pretty present for my Victor--tomorrow he shall have it." And when, on the morrow, she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift, I, with childish seriousness, interpreted her words literally and looked upon Elizabeth as mine--mine to protect, love, and cherish. All praises bestowed on her I received as made to a possession of my own (Shelley 18).
             Caroline Beaufort, Frankenstein's mother who presented this ...