Frankenstein Dialectical Journal

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Frankenstein Dialectical Journal Entry # | Quote/Category | Chapter/ Page/Speaker | Commentary | 1 | “The floating sheets of ice that continually pass us… [do not] dismay us.”Theme | Letter 3/ Page 8/ Robert Walton | Walton informs his sister Margaret Saville of the vast and empty ice sheets that passed them every day exemplified the Romantic themes of mystery and the wild. The emptiness of the arctic also showed many Gothic themes of isolation and loneliness, which Walton and the crew all experience before the arrival of Frankenstein, who was almost dead. | 2 | “We perceived a low carriage, fixed on a sledge and drawn by dogs, pass on towards the north, at the distance of half a mile; a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature”Foreshadowing/ Connections to English class | Letter 4/ Page 9/ Robert Walton | The book has just begun and there are no other characters other than Walton at the moment. So when there is a giant figure on the ice, it is apparent that there is foreshadowing of the monster itself before the main character is even introduced. Later on in the novel, the monster is described as having a gigantic stature, with limbs in proportion. The giant figure in the arctic is not only a foreshadowing of the monster, but also one of a scene/event later on in the story, which plays a key role in the novel. | 3 | “My more than sister, since till death she was mine only.”Foreshadowing/Theme | Chapter 1/ Page 21/ Victor Frankenstein | Frankenstein refers to the new family member Elizabeth as more than a sister, and says that it will be death that will take them apart. In a more direct sense, this passage shows the intense love felt by Victor feels for Elizabeth. This passion and emotion felt by Victor were common in novels of the time; show the Characteristics of the Romantic Era. At the same time the phrase, “till death”
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