Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Foreshadowing - Novel Blog 2 (Frankenstein)

"I had determined, at one time, that the memory of theses evils should die with me, but you have won me to alter my determination. You seek knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been."

Frankenstein, page 13

Foreshadowing occurs several times in the novel. The first is in the quote above, before Victor dives into the real story of how he created Cornelius. He warns Robert Walton that knowledge and wisdom can lead to destruction and misery as his did. This lets us readers know that something went wrong with the creation, which will be totally clear in the next couple of chapters. Another instance of foreshadowing is when Victor has just created Cornelius and he goes to sleep, only to dream of Elizabeth. He imagines her dying a horribly just like his mother had recently; this foreshadows her imminent death (well, I'm not completely sure; it hasn't happened yet, but it seems likely). The third instance is when Cornelius is narrating and he says that he isn't going to tolerate the actions of his enemies. This is warning us of what happens when he comes in contact with people later and the destruction he causes. These are only three times foreshadowing occurs in the novel, but I'm sure they won't be the last times before it ends.

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