Chapter 5 analysis

How does Shelley use language to create an atmosphere of gothic horror?

Shelley creates an atmosphere of gothic horror and suspense throughout the five paragraphs by a clever use of language. Paragraph one starts off with a setting of a ‘dreary’ night in the month of ‘November’, which gives connotations of death as November is the beginning of a long and cold winter where plants wither and die. He refers to his work as ‘toils’, rather than experiments, which suggests that he suffers painfully to complete it. There is also a stark contrast between ‘collected the instruments of life’ and ‘lifeless thing that lay…’, telling readers that he is toying with life and death, which is supposedly up to God rather than mere mortals. Shelley also uses pathetic fallacy to mark the horror of Victor’s experiment ‘rain pattered dismally’. This evokes a feeling of suspense among readers as his experiments cues the sky to open up, as if Mother Nature is crying at the horror of his work. There is also a semantic field of light with words such as ‘light’, ‘spark’, ‘candle…burnt out’, ‘glimmer’ and ‘dull’. Shelley uses this semantic field to play on readers’ fear, as fear is always associated with light and darkness.

In paragraph two, again, he degrades his work by referring it to a ‘catastrophe’, a disaster that he deeply regret upon as he has to put up with ‘infinite pains’ to form the ‘wretch’. Shelley also uses contrast in the description of Victor’s creation- ‘limbs were in proportion’, ‘features as beautiful’, ‘hair...lustrous black’, and ‘teeth of a pearly whiteness’ is contrasted with ‘watery eyes’, ‘shrivelled complexion’ and ‘black lips’. The attributes that the creation possesses suggest that humans can never be picture perfect in feature or character, as we will always have areas of flaw. Overall, it gives an impression that the creation is rather strange and peculiar, as we wouldn’t expect someone to have ‘teeth of a pearly whiteness’ but also ‘black lips’- people with white teeth would normally be associated with being healthy and thus having healthy pink lips.

Victor also deems his work as ‘accidents of life’- after having worked so long ‘nearly two years’ and toiled with ‘infinite pains’, one would regard his product as an accomplishment, but Victor sees them as ‘accidents’. This tells us that he is deeply regretful of his horrific experiments, which have also drained his health ‘deprived myself of rest and health’, telling readers that tampering with Nature would in the end put you in a disadvantageous position. Instead of being contented with the results of his experiment after anticipating with ‘ardour that far exceeded moderation’, Victor feels worse than before, saying that his ‘beauty of the dream vanished and breathless horror and disgust filled’ his heart. The irony that Shelley uses shows readers that Victor’s experiments are so petrifying to the point that the creator himself regards them with contempt and disdain in the end.

In paragraph four, Shelley uses pathetic fallacy once again ‘dim and yellow light of the moon’ combined with personification ‘forced its way through the window shutters’ to maintain the tone of horror and suspense. Victor describes the act of the monster reaching out to him negatively- he claims that his creation seemed to ‘detain’ him, as if it grasped his hands so tightly and refused to let go, when in fact it might just be that it is curious and wants Victor’s attention. Victor is being an unreliable narrator- he twists the actual situation to make readers feel fearful and disdainful over his creation. In fact, he alludes to his creation as a ‘demoniacal corpse’, a strong imagery that evokes a feeling that the creation is grotesque beyond possible imagination. Later in the last paragraph, ‘horror of that (the creation’s) countenance’ is compared to that of a ‘mummy’- Victor says that the former is more ‘hideous’ than the latter. There is also an allusion when Victor says ‘even Dante could not have conceived’, which is a direct reference to Dante Alighieri’s epic poem The Divine Comedy. The reference to Dante suggests that Victor has created a devil out of his experiment and his life will begin to be as torturing as hell.

 

Chapter 3 & 4

Close focus on the end of chapter 4. How does Shelley create an atmosphere of horror and dread around Victor’s experiments?

In order to set up a dreadful atmosphere, Shelley lays a sheet of introduction regarding how Victor derives his inspiration before he carries out his horrific experiments. Inspired by the inevitable cycle of life and death, Victor observes 'the natural decay and corruption of the human body' by spending 'days and nights in vaults and charnel-houses'. Readers would be terrified at the prospect of Victor patronizing places where dead bodies are kept to further his investigation. The phrase 'how the worm inherited the wonders of the eye and brain' paints a terrible vivid image of detritus feeding on human organs, which sets up the eerie atmosphere for his impending experiment.

To obtain body parts for his experiment, Victor digs up graveyards and collects 'bones from charnel houses'. Again, the reference to the settings where he collects his materials suggests the ghastly nature of his experiments. His experiments are executed in a 'solitary cell....separated from all the other apartments'- his work is so malicious that he has to conceal his 'workshop of filthy creation'.

In fact, his work is so fraught with sheer malignity and evil that it even jinxed Victor himself. 'My cheek had grown pale with study and my person had become emaciated' tells us that though he is able to 'renew life' through relentless trial and tribulations, it has to be done at the cost of his own health. As the progress of Victor's experiments grows, his health deteriorates and he gradually projects strange behaviors- he somewhat turns into a monstrous beast, evident from his countenance 'my eye-balls were starting from their sockets in attending to the details of my occupation'.

Note also words from the semantic field of birth (‘conceive’, ‘labour’, ‘bore’) – why might Shelley use them?

These words hint readers that Victor is suppose to act as a fatherly figure to his creation, the monster. Words such as 'conceive' figuratively suggests that Victor has toiled so much with his experiments to ultimately "give birth" to his creation. The process is described as 'labour' as it is so painful and arduous that it has taken a toll on Victor's health. The word 'bore' evokes a feeling of responsibility, as parents are accountable for their children's well-being, which contrasts with the irresponsible manner Victor treats the monster when he abandons it.