" Devil," I exclaimed,"do you dare approach me? And do you not fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wrecked on your miserable head? Begone, vile insect! Or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust.." (pg.86) I believe that this quote represents the first interpretation of what an epic characteristic is because it shows how Victor is trying to be a hero to his hometown by wanting to rid of the monster yet this epic characteristic can be wrong because he is actually ruining himself since that would be his "son" and he really isn't going to be a legacy this way.
|
Epic CharacteristicsAn epic characteristic is an ideal where the character being described is typically over dramatized to be like a hero. As well an epic characteristic uses the form of being a hero to clear up characteristics that reflect on society and timeless values through universal themes with tone that is very serious and a very well performed for the epic being legendary. Throughout this book thus far, Dr. Victor Frankenstein seems to show the characteristics of such character in the way he tries to create for the use of science to help with future developments if human life wanting to leave it as his legend where he was the one to establish such an idea with influence from ideals of scientist who studied natural philosophy. Such epic characteristics contribute to the behavior of the character where in some cases through this book Victor is compared to ways of Lucifer in the mythology of Paradise Lost mainly in the view of the monster. Epic characteristics are also seen to be characteristics that make a person seem average yet special. For that case of average but special to posses epic characteristics, I believe the monster holds them. He is supposed to portray a human of extreme size, but human and able to do humanly things. He is special in a way that he is not a very normal creature and most are scared of him. Epic characteristics were apart of both the antagonist and protagonist and both seem to carry all characteristics.
|
SimileA simile is a figure of speech in which you compare two unlike things. When comparing it is very common that the use of like or as is present when drawing the comparisons to the two unlike things. An example is the car is as fast as a rabbit. These comparisons do show complete opposite things like negative to positive. Throughout this book written by Mary Shelley, smilies are very present in her writing style but seem to be hidden at first glance. The first instance of a simile in Frankenstein is "And thus for a time I was occupied by exploded systems, mingling, like an unadept, a thousand contradictory theories and floundering desperately in a very slough of multifarious knowledge..." (pg.26). This simile shows a comparison of exploded systems to unadept circumstances which seem to be unlike instances that are compared and in the context they appear to be very unlike with a messed up situation versus an unqualified person or being with a lot of knowledge. Another instance where a simile was present in Frankenstein was "The thunder sound of the avalanche or the cracking reverberated along the mountains, of the accumulated ice, which, through the silent working of immutable laws, was ever and anon rent and torn, as if it had been playing in their hands." (pg.83). This simile compares thunder and mountain avalanches to people being able to handle things in their own hands without causing such a scene of one that an avalanche creates. This simile is comparing the ways the monster seems to be than what people hope to happen. The quote below is also a simile that signifies the difference between a ghostly spirit and poor girl that is most likely sad. This is a quote from chapter 1. "He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl." This is comparing the two with the use of "like" to separate the two opposite things.
|
"I felt cold, also and half frightened, as it were, instinctively finding myself so desolate." (pg.90) The quote above represents a simile because it compares the two opposite feelings one gets when being in a situation where you see true potential in yourself and see what other people see. The two things being compared are fear and loneliness. I believe in Frankenstein, this quote is relating to the monsters feelings once some people react to him and he has some mixed feelings.
|
Metaphors are typically not meant to show a literal meaning originally until you continue reading it over you understand the hidden message that is being said, an example of this is "You're the apple of my eye." In Frankenstein as stated before many metaphors are hidden and they mean more than just simple meanings. On page 120, nature is mentioned to create a metaphor in which self reflection is mentioned to portray emotion and feeling in a implied way, " Autumn passed thus. I saw, with surprise and grief, the leaves decay and fall, and nature again assume the barn and bleak appearance...". The metaphor really present here is to compare feeling and emotions to certain times of the year by using varied figures of speech and symbolism for this metaphor of actual emotion toward times of the year.
|
MetaphorA metaphor is also a figure of speech that creates implicit,implied,or hidden comparisons between two opposite things or objects but they have some common similarities. Usually there is no indicated words for knowing this is a metaphor but is mostly very direct with using no words such as like or as. But metaphors seem to be more direct with the use of the or is being completely clear of what is being compared. Usually they are also used in a sense where something portrays being something other than what it really is. A metaphor found on page 85, "The field of ice is almost a league of width, but I spent nearly two hours in crossing it. The opposite mountain is a bare perpendicular rock." This quote is comparing a field of ice that is supposedly the same to a league which is a distance that is quite short and the similarity is only one that ice and leagues are short and thin. Another metaphor found in Frankenstein is actually not a quote found but analysis based off of what a character is seen as. For instance, the monster is used to be a metaphor for humanity because it was once a pure being but once living in society the monster became corrupt much like most of humanity. I believe this quote represents this idea because life isn't too changeable only depending on certain instances, where in this case the creation of the monster didn't change most of society only establishing the differences that occur in humanity.
" The different accidents of life are not so changeable....." (pg.43) |