Theme Of Forshadowing In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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Foreseeing the Future Foreshadowing was used by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein to achieve her goal of making the reader predict what will happen. The first form of foreshadowing the reader notices is when Walton says to Victor, “One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge” (11). This foreshadows the disasters that will face Victor as he experiments and tries to find the unknown. Then, Victor says, “Let me reveal my tale, and you will dash the cup from your lips?” (12). This foreshadows that once Walton hears Frankenstein’s story, he will change his mind about his expedition. Also, during the thunderstorm that happened in Victor’s childhood, Victor sees a tree get struck by lightning. He becomes interested in the idea of electricity, and he starts to study its …show more content…

After reading several books, he became curious to test new experiments. This part of his life foreshadows that Frankenstein is going to use electrical power in his future experiments, and that it will lead to a major creation. In addition, Victor dreams of kissing Elizabeth, but she becomes “livid with the hue of death” (35). This foreshadows that Elizabeth will die on her wedding night. Furthermore, when Frankenstein meets the creature in Chamounix, the creature says, “I am your creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather a fallen angel” (69). Shelley foreshadows that the creature is in a need for a female companion that would give him the love he needs. Finally, when Victor refuses to create a female companion for the creature, the creature says,” I shall be with you on your wedding night” (123). This quote foreshadows that the creature will take revenge on Frankenstein by taking away his lover’s life and making him suffer the same pain he suffered. Foreshadowing makes the story more interesting by allowing the reader to guess the events that may