Symbols
The moon
The moon is an important symbol in Frankenstein. Mary Shelley frequently uses personification in her descriptions of the moon, suggesting that it is a powerful force in the story. Frankenstein’s unnatural work on the creature is carried on at night, by the light of the moon: “the moon gazed on my midnight labours, while […] I pursued nature to her hiding-places.” (p. 55). Here, the moon symbolizes the secrecy and abnormality of Frankenstein’s investigations.
After the creature has been brought to life, the moon becomes a symbol of the creature’s presence: “by the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window shutters, I beheld the wretch.” (p. 59). The moon repeatedly foreshadows the arrival of the creature. For example: “I trembled, and my heart failed within me, when, on looking up, I saw, by the light of the moon, the daemon at the casement.” (p. 171)
The creature’s murder of Elizabeth is a...