When Solitude Meets Fear and Terror- and analytical essay based on Passage from Mary Shelley’s Novel Frankenstein

The excerpt from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is significant for its excellent combination of dark themes, frightful mood, and strong influence on the reader. In the provided passage, the reader explores the internal struggles of the narrator, who is full of confusion and has to face the demonic creations of his own laboratory work. The themes of solitude, fear, and terror are masterfully presented by using setting, diction, and first person narrator as key literary features.
From the very first line of the passage, the author presents the motionless environment through the words of the narrator. The role of the setting is fundamental, for it can be directly related to the inner state of the protagonist. In the beginning of the excerpt, it is stated that: “the sun had set, and the moon was just rising.” The narrator further says that he “had not sufficient light for [his] employment,” which leads him to a “pause of consideration.” All of these elements of the setting depict a dark, motionless picture, which is full of confusion, and possibly, delusion. Additionally, the transition stage between the sunset and the moonrise implies that a change is coming; thus, this may be interpreted as foreshadowing of an event that is about to occur. Later on in the passage, after the meeting with the fiend, the protagonist enters his apartment and spends several hours gazing on the sea from his window. The sea is “motionless,” the winds are “hushed,” and the moon is “quiet.” Once again, setting is used to develop a static picture, which can be related to the theme of solitude. Nonetheless, the strong effect of the setting would not be reached if the author used mediocre words; the word choice of Mary Shelley makes the descriptions colorful and mystic.
Indeed, diction is a key literary feature, which enriches the vividness of the passage. Considering the fact that Frankenstein is a Gothic horror novel, the majority of descriptions are eerie and mystic. Words such as “remorse,” “ghastly grin,” and “malice” are used in order to make the reader’s blood freeze in his veins. In addition to this strong effect, diction contributes to the development of important themes. For instance, the fear, which the protagonist undergoes, may be felt through the words that he uses to describe his emotional state. An example of that is: “I trembled, and my heart failed within me.” Furthermore, the scientist fears not only from creating another monster; the extent of his fright is greater because he senses that society might decide to have revenge: “I shuddered to think that future ages might curse me as their pest […] at the price perhaps of the existence of the whole human race.” In the last paragraph of the excerpt, the protagonist experiences fear once again; this time it is due to a non-expected visitor; as fear arises, the narrator “trembles from head to foot” and is overcome by a “sensation of helplessness.” Through these personal words by the protagonists, the reader clearly understands his situation and also experiences fear.
The role of the first person narrator is important not only because he leads the reader through the world of the novel, but because he provides a personal experience in a sincere way. The protagonist describes his actions retrospectively, in the past tense, and narrates the story in a sequential way. The feelings inside him are presented directly, and the enormous terror is easily felt. Words such as “I had been struck senseless by his fiendish threats,” and “trembling with passion, [I] tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged” show the extremity of the narrator’s terror. In his descriptions of the creature he has created, the protagonist emphasizes the demonic side of the fiend; thus, he influences the reader by presenting from his own perspective. A final major feature of the first person narrator is that the reader feels the fear and terror as if he is experiencing it; the use of the “I-form” makes this effect strong.
The excerpt from Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is a thrilling and effective piece of prose; what makes it strong and vivid is the powerful use of literary features. The author employs setting, diction, and the first person narrator as fundamental factors which make the text descriptive, emotional, and attention-grabbing.