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Discuss The Use Of Syntax In Frankenstein

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The story of Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, is a story within a story of Victor Frankenstein warning Robert Walton about the dangers of exploring the unknown by telling him about his own misfortune with creating a monster. Near the middle of Frankenstein’s story, he speaks of his sister/wife’s angst when their servant, Justine, is executed because she confessed to the murder of William, Frankenstein’s brother. In Frankenstein, Shelley uses imagery, rhetorical questioning, and varied syntax to help the reader understand how deeply affected Elizabeth was by Justine’s death. In order to connect with the reader and show how Elizabeth is feeling, Shelley uses imagery. When Elizabeth is explaining her despair to Victor, she compares her …show more content…

She really seems to be asking herself the question, showing the reader Elizabeth’s uncertainty about her own well-being and the integrity of Justine’s execution. Shelley employs varied syntax so the reader can understand Elizabeth’s insecurity involving Justine’s innocence. “But she was innocent. I know, I feel, she was innocent; you are of the same opinion and that confirms me. Alas!”(Shelley 63) Elizabeth begins to use short, choppy sentences, showing the reader that she is reassuring herself that Justine did not deserve to die. The syntax also creates a frazzled and overwhelmed persona for Elizabeth, caused by all the morbid things happening around her. Through the images Elizabeth describes, the ironic questioning, and the choppy sentence structure, Shelley conveys Elizabeth’s distress to the reader. Shelley successfully uses imagery, rhetorical questions, and varied syntax to contribute to helping the reader feel how distraught and torn apart Elizabeth is from the deaths around

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