作者：Noor A. 10 月以前
721
Gothic elements in Frankenstein
作者：Noor A. 10 月以前
721
" It was to be decided whether the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would cause the death of two of my fellow beings"
"To examine the causes of life, we must first have recourse to death."
"As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump."
"Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate; I desire, therefore, in this narration, to state those facts which led to my predilection for that science"
"Under the guidance of my new preceptors I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life"
visits during the dark
cemetery consists of gloomy settings
"As night approached I found myself at the entrance of the cemetery where William, Elizabeth, and my father reposed. I entered it and approached the tomb which marked their graves. Everything was silent except the leaves of the trees, which were gently agitated by the wind; the night was nearly dark, and the scene would have been solemn and affecting even to an uninterested observer. "
Set out to kill the creature in revenge
MARY SHELLEY'S LIFE: Scarlet fever was common disease at the time
"but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death"
Thinks of his family grieving his death and chose not to commit suicide
""Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge."
"but this was not sufficient; I must also observe the natural decay and corruption of the human body."
"But I discovered no trace of him and was beginning to conjecture that some fortunate chance had intervened to prevent the execution of his menaces when suddenly I heard a shrill and dreadful scream. "
married her to rescue her
"I do not ever remember to have trembled at a tale of superstition or to have feared the apparition of a spirit"
spotted while Victor was creating the female companion
"I trembled and my heart failed within me, when, on looking up, I saw by the light of the moon the dæmon at the casement."
Spotted when the creature was out in the woods, creature discovered how it's light helped him see in the dark
spotted during Henry's murder
"Clouds hid the moon, everything was obscure, and I heard only the sound of the boat as its keel cut through the waves; the murmur lulled me, and in a short time I slept soundly."
spotted on the night of Elizabeth's murder
" The windows of the room had before been darkened, and I felt a kind of panic on seeing the pale yellow light of the moon illuminate the chamber. "
after
"The moon had reached her summit in the heavens and was beginning to descend"
before
present while the creature was burning the cottage
"I waited with forced impatience until the moon had sunk to commence my operations."
Does this because confessing in the true murderer and that Victor created the murder as well would make society think he is a madman
" I dreaded to behold this monster, but I feared still more that Henry should see him."
Was afraid of what would happen when Henry spots the creature
"on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump. "
inspired Victor to apply Electricity in the concept of creating life
" I thought with a sensation of madness on my promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion, tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged. "
Victor could not think of why he had agreed to creating the female companion for the creature
"I considered the being whom I had cast among mankind, and endowed with the will nd power to effect purposes of horror..."
Victor starts viewing the creature as a part of him; the worst part, since he seems to be in places where Victor is at times, and starts questioning their connection
" the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out"
"My rage is unspeakable when I reflect that the murderer, whom I have turned loose upon society, still exists. You refuse my just demand; I have but one resource, and I devote myself, either in my life or death, to his destruction."
Victor hopes to replace his feelings of grief for Elizabeth's death with vengeance and determination to kill the creature
"None on earth. I love Elizabeth and look forward to our union with delight. Let the day therefore be fixed; and on it I will consecrate myself, in life or death, to the happiness of my cousin."
"Justine, poor unhappy Justine, was as innocent as I, and she suffered the same charge; she died for it; and I am the cause of this—I murdered her. William, Justine, and Henry—they all died by my hands."
Overwhelmed with guilt
"Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge."
The creature was denied acceptance by the cottagers, his protectors, and feels an overwhelm of upsetting emotions and self hate for the way he looks, since it is the reason society dislikes him.
Links to suicidal thoughts when wanted to be put out of his misery
"But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me, and in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him."
The creature is upset because there was no one there to comfort him in time of needs, and when he attempts to connect with Adam from Paradise Lost, he recalls that his own creator hates him
"But I, the true murderer, felt the never-dying worm alive in my bosom, which allowed of no hope or consolation"
the worm is a metaphor to how Victor is feeling; he is consumed by guilt and believes there's no hope for getting Justine and William back
"an omen, as it were ,of my future misery"
overwhelmed with sadness and fear
Elizabeth's illness could lead to possible death, and therefore cause future misery to Victor since he cares about Elizabeth, hence the use of the word "omen" to refer to Elizabeth' state
