Essay On Archetypes In Frankenstein

Terms Definitions Examples Impact

Archetype A very typical example of a certain person or thing “A grin was on the face of the monster; he seemed to jeer as with his fiendish finger he pointed towards the corpse of my wife” (173). This archetype shows the monster for who he really is: a monster. This quote shows the villain archetype because, being the monster that he is, he kills every person Victor Frankenstein ever loved. Being the evil villain, his goal is to destroy Victor’s journey, which he successfully does.

Allusion An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference "But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam

The diction used by Shelley here shows that the monster used a more formal word choice than that of Frankenstein. This is because the monster had to learn language by himself after Victor abruptly left him. So by using this diction, Shelley helps the reader learn more about the monster and understand what he went through.

Figurative Language Uses words in figures of speech. Examples: Alliteration, assonance, cliche, hyperbole, idiom, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, simile, etc. "Simile: “I find it (compassion) arise, like a mountain river, from ignoble and almost forgotten sources” (34).

Metaphor: “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on” (188).

Personification: “But when he entered, misery and despair, alone, welcomed him” (27)." Figurative language in Frankenstein helps add the story and allows the reader to truly see what is going on at that time. The simile helps show the past joy that Victor used to have before his mind was tainted. The metaphor helps establish the depressed mindset of the monster. The personification brings the mood from positive to negative as these emotions accompany Beaufort as he

“Him so bright and joyous in his young beauty”(61)." Through characters such as the monster and William Frankenstein, the motif of light and darkness helps to set the mood of the story. Light is always portrayed as good while darkness is always shown as evil. There is a direct contrast between these two characters. The monster is viewed by everyone, even himself, as dark and repulsive. While William is viewed as a shining light simply because he is human.

Point of View The narrator 's position in relation to the story being told First person The point of view is constantly shifting from person to person consisting of Captain Walton, Frankenstein and the monster. But it always stays in the first person which helps the reader see the perspective of whoever is in the situation. This is big for the monster, as Shelley is able to point out to the reader what all this looks like to him as well and that he has feelings