Angel

"this pure brow, seemed surrounded by an ashy halo from which the dark eyes looked out at me. Their glance was guileless, profound, confident, and trustful." (69)

Kurtz's lover is producing light which shows that she is a symbol for an angel. She is clean and innocent like an angel, because she has never traveled like the men do in this novel, to tarnish her thoughts and belief in humanity. Marlow has been tarnished by his travels so he produces darkness instead of light, so when she looks at him this darkness is reflected in her eyes. She is confident that Kurtz died the same man as he was before he went into Africa. She is wrong about this, but Marlow lies to her to keep her pure.

Shadow

"a shadow darker than the shadow of night." (68)


Shadows are a common thread in this novel. They symbolize imperialism and its deceit. Marlow casts a shadow around him when he goes to Kurtz's lover's house. This shadow represents his knowledge of Kurtz, that would hurt the women. He knows that Kurtz wanted justice and to stay in Africa more than he wanted to go home to her.

Drum

"the beat of the drum, regular and muffled like the beating of a heart- the heart of a conquering darkness." (68)

Marlow now has the steady beat of the drum in his heart. This pulse symbolizes the change he has when he heard the drums at Kurtz's. He is forever enlightened and will always have the beat of a drum in his heart.

God

"Some of the pilgrims behind the stretcher carried his arms- two shotguns, a heavy rifle, and a light revolver carbine- the thunderbolts of that pitiful Jupiter. " (55)

Jupiter was a powerful god of the sky from Greek mythology, who had power over men and other gods. Jupiter used lightening as a weapon. Kurtz is a symbol for a god, because he has guns and is civilized. The guns seem like magic to the savages, so he seems mighty to them.

Fleet Street

"I went on along Fleet Street" (6)

Fleet Street is one of the main streets in England. It is named after the Fleet River, which is one of the rivers that now flows beneath London's streets to the Thames. The first newspaper, called The Daily Courant, was issued from this street in 1702. It was the center of London's publishing industry, so it has been mentioned in many literary figures.



~"Fleet Street" Streets of London. August 26, 2008. <http://www.touruk.co.uk/london_streets/fleet_street1.htm>

Snake

"a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea and, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land." (6)

The Congo River is being compared to a snake because snakes can be poisonous. Marlow is fascinated with the snake like a bird would be. It also symbolizes the snake in the Genesis, that convinces Eve to eat the forbidden fruit that causes original sin. The snake lures Marlow to go up the Congo, which is poisoned with deceiving imperialism.

Knights

"It had known and served all the men of whom the nation is proud, from Sir Francis Drake to Sir John Franklin." (2)


Sir Francis Drake (left) set out from England in 1577 on a great adventure known as the Golden Hind. They traveled south to Africa and South America. They traveled for nearly three years and went approximately 36,000 miles. Sir John Franklin (right) set out from England in 1756 and disappeared. His expedition was in northern Canada. The two left from the Thames river and went in different directions at different times. Joseph Conrad mentions these men because many great adventures have started at the mouth of the Thames and it foreshadows that Marlow's adventure is profound.

~Secoy, Diane. "Franklin, Sir John" The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. 2008. August 26 2008. <http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/franklin_sir_john_1786-1847.html>

~Seeler, Oliver."The Voyage" Sir Francis Drake. 2001. August 26, 2008. <http://www.mcn.org/2/oseeler/voy.htm>

Morituri te Sautant

"Ave! Old knitter of black wool. Morituri te sautant. Not many of those she looked at saw her again-not half, by a long way." (8)

Morituri te salutant is a Latin term for "those who are about to die salute you". Ave means hail in Latin. It was a gladiator's salute. Marlow is hailing the knitting women because she symbolizes the emperor that he may die for. Marlow is venturing up the Congo for the Belgian Colonial Company and will either come out effected greatly or not come out at all.









~New York Times Company. "Morituri te salutant = Those who are about to die salute you" About.com. 2008. August 26 2008<http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/games/qt/morituritesalut.htm>

Buddah

"Marlow ceased, and sat apart, indistinct and silent, in the pose of a meditating Buddha." (72)

Buddha Shakyamuni was born in 624 BC as a royal prince in India. He left his palace and meditated for years until he reached enlightenment. He is the founder of the Buddhist religion. Buddha can mean the historical Buddha Shakyamuni or refer to anyone who has attained full enlightenment. Marlow is being related to a meditating Buddha because his trip down the Congo enlightened him. He is no longer ignorant and sees things as they truly are.

~Gyatso, Geshe. "Who is Buddha" About Buddha. 2007. August 26, 2008. <http://www.aboutbuddha.org/english/index.htm/>

Gravesend

"The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth. " (1)

Gravesend is an important town on the south side of the Thames in Kent, England. It is so important because it is at the mouth of the river and a main port that trades with London. As the men leave Gravesend, it is described as dark and gloomy. The darkness of the cities behind the men are a symbol for civilization. Darkness also symbolizes Africa and its dark unsettled areas. Before the Romans conquered England, the people there were dark and uncivilized.

~"History of Gravesend, Kent"Kent Business Directory. August 26, 2008<http://www.kentfind.co.uk/about/gravesend/history.php>

Martini-Henry

"It contained a couch, two camp stools, a loaded Martini-Henry leaning in one corner, a tiny table and the steering wheel." (40)

A Martini-Henry was the first rifle that was designed as a breech loading metallic cartridge rifle. The weapon had a falling block, self-cocking, lever operated, single-shot action that was designed by Friedrich von Martini. Alexander Henry designed the barrel.

~ Jason, Atkin. "Overview" Martini-Henry Rifles and Carbons. August 20, 2007. August 26, 2008. <http://www.martinihenry.com/>

By Jove!

"by Jove" (40)

Jove was an older Roman name for Jupiter. He was the Roman god of the sky and had power over men and gods. If he was angry at a person he would throw bolt of lightening at them. The expression emphasizes a phrase and is a nicer way of saying by God.

~ Quinion, Michael Quinion. "By Jove" Worls Wide Words. 2008. August 26, 2008<http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-byj1.htm>

~ http://www.myastrologybook.com/Zeus-Jupiter-Jove-Wotan-Thor.jpg

White Lead

"I had no time! I had to mess about with white lead and strips of woolen blanket helping to put bandages on those leaky steam pipes" (33)

White lead is a white powder that is used as a a putty when oil is added to it. It is heavy and a basic lead carbonate, 2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2.

~The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Winchester Rifle

"darting scared glances, with Winchesters at 'ready' in their hands." (36)

Winchester rifles are one of the earliest repeating rifles, which means the single barrel rifle can have multiple rounds of ammunition. The pilgrims on Marlow's steam boat used these rifles against the natives Stone Age arrows. The natives were baffled by guns and this was one of the reasons the Europeans were able to manipulate and control the natives.

~"Volacanic Rifle" Nation Master. 2005. August 26 2008. <http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Volcanic-Rifle>

Cipher

"They were in cipher! Yes, it looked like cipher. Fancy a man lugging with him a book of that description into this nowhere and studying it-and making notes-in cipher at that!" (34)

Cipher is the same thing as a code, but the concepts are distinct in cryptography. Marlow is surprised to find a code written in the book he finds. This find makes him eager to find out about the intelligence that lays ahead.

~"cipher." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 27 Aug. 2008. <Dictionary.comhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cipher>.

Prehistoric

"We were wanderers on prehistoric earth, on an earth that wore the aspect of an unknown planet. We could have fancied ourselves the first of men" (32)

As Marlow's steamboat travels farther up the Congo they seem to be going back in time. It is so quiet at times that the men feel as if they are the only men on the planet, but then they will hear drums or see Africans dance like prehistoric mad men. Time is surreal because their surroundings are prehistoric, but they are advanced and civilized.

Huntley and Palmer Biscuit Tin

"She rang under my feet like an empty Huntler and Palmer biscuit tin kicked along a gutter, she was nothing so solid in make, and rather less pretty in shape, but I had expended enough hard work on her to make me love her." (25)

Huntley and Palmer was a British company that made biscuits and packaged them in decorative tins. It was one of the first global brands in the World. Marlow relates his stem boat to Huntler and Palmer biscuit tin, because both are not very durable. Marlow is saying that his steamboat is not perfect, but he was proud of what he had.

~ http://pics.rubylane.com/graphics/shops/tomjudy/155-3.1N.jpg

~ http://www.sportingcollectibles.com/AntTinToyTob/at27338hptin.jpg

Savage Dog

"He was there below me, and, upon my word to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat, walking on his hind legs." (33)

In this similie Marlow shows how inhuman the savages are thought to be. A savage is taught to be the fireman for Marlow's steamboat and is now obediant like a dog. Marlow is disturbed by a grove where the labors went to die, but then thinks of his fireman as inhuman. Marlow seems like he realizes that the natives are treated like animals, but does not nessisarily disagree with it.

Edinburg

"but the beauty and regularity of the new town of Edinburg, its romantic castle and its environs, the most delightful in the world, Aurthur's Seat, St Bernard's Well, and the Pentland Hills" (118)

Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills in the center of Edinburg. It is a remarkable highland landscape. St Bernard's Well was supposedly discovered by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the Cistercian Order, in the 12th Century. He became ill and followed the birds to the spring which drank from it. He was soon healthy due to the well's healing powers. The Pentland Hills are a range of hills to the south-west of Edinburg that are about twenty miles in length. These beautiful landscapes brightened Frankenstein's mood as natural wonders often do in this novel.

~"Arthur's Seat" Gazetteer for Scotland. 2008. August 26, 2008 <http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst249.html>

~"St. Bernard's Well" Edinbvrgh. 14/03/2008 August 26, 2008<http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/leisure/local_history_and_heritage/monuments/

other_monuments/cec_st._bernards_well>

~"Welcome to the Pentland Hills" Edinbvrgh. 14/03/2008. August 26, 2008. <http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/leisure/local_history_and_heritage/monuments/other

_monuments/cec_st._bernards_well>

Cup of Life

"The cup of life was poisoned forever" (134)

The cup of life is a metaphor for Frankenstein's happiness. Frankenstein's life is fine before he created his monster, but it become more and more toxic as the monster toiled with Frankenstein. All the damage that the monster does cannot be reversed so he is never happy again.

Pilgrims with Staves

"The pilgrims could be seen in knots gesticulating, discussing. Several had their staves in their hands. I truly believed they took these sticks to bed with them." (22)

Staves is plural for staff, which is a pole. In this case the staves were used to beat the native laborers. A pilgrim is one who embarks on a quest for something thought to be sacred. Marlow calls them pilgrims because they are blinded by the wealth of the ivory as if it were their religion.

Papier-mâché Mephistopheles

"I let him run on. This papier-mâché Mephistopheles, and it seems to me that if I tried I could poke my forefinger through him, and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe." (23)

Mephistopheles is a name given to a representation of the devil. Papier-mâché is pieces of paper stuck together by a paste to make a hollow structure. Marlow is using papier-mache as a metaphor for the brick maker and the other men he meets at the Central Station. These people have no interior, but evil thoughts of imperialism.

~"Mephistopheles" Faust. 2008. August 26, 2008. <http://www.faust.com/index.php/legend/mephistopheles/>

Ivory

"The only real feeling was a desire to get appointed to a trading post where ivory was to be had, so that they could earn percentages. They intrigued and slandered and hated each other only on that account." (21)

Ivory is formed from the dentine in elephant tusks and teeth in this case. The tusks could be taken from a dead elephant, but the elephants were also killed for the sole purpose of their tusks. Ivory was used for piano keys, musical instruments, ornamental items and other purposes. Reality for the men at the station is blurred, and the only thing that is clear to them is the desire for ivory. The ivory caused the men to go crazy and hate each other, while the elephants corpses decay.

Weak Eyed Devil

"I foresaw that in the blinding sunshine of that land I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly." (13)

Marlow realizes that imperialism is not working after seeing the ruined station. He expected the sins of violence, greed and desire to be present in the colonization, but he did not expect this sin to be inefficient. The Company is folly and pretends that it is in control, when really its eyes are too weak to see how terribly their plans are going.

White Worsted

"He had tied a bit of white worsted round his neck" (14)

Worsted is a piece of yard or thread made of wool. Earlier in the novel two European women are knitting black wool, which symbolize the Belgian Colonial Company forming the Africans into what they wish them to be. This piece of white wool symbolizes again that the Europeans have them trapped and controlled, because the white wool is like a collar. The Europeans are also suffocating them, which the wool around the man's neck symbolizes.

Black Wool

"Two women, one fat and the other slim, sat on straw-bottomed chairs, knitting black wool." (7)

These European women symbolize the Belgian Colonial Company manipulating the Africans in the Congo. They are shaping the black wool into their own pattern, just like the Company is enslaving the Africans to do their biddings.

Calipers

"asked me whether I would let him measure my head. Rather surprised, I said 'yes', when he produced a thing like calipers and got the dimensions" (9)

A caliper is an instrument that is used to measure the thicknesses and internal or external diameters. The doctor uses a caliper to measure the crania of the men going up the Congo to research what is going on internally. This is pointless because he does not ever get the measurements of the men when they get back. The doctor is performing a useless job that is just showing the beginning of how ridiculous the rest of the jobs of the Company are being performed.

"Axeminster Spring Calipers." Axeminster. 2008. August 26, 2008<http://www.axminster.co.uk/images/products/201103_l.jpg>

Women

"It's queer how out of touch with truth women are. They live in a world of their own, and there has never been anything like it, and never can be." (10)

Women represent the home in this novel, because they usually stayed at home. The men traveled and understood the world by experience. Women got their ideas from books rather than actually experiencing them.

Maladie du pays

"or longed, with a deavouring maladie du pays, to see once more the blue lake and rapid Rhone"

Maladie du pays means homesickness in French, Frankenstein's native language. Frankenstein slips into his native language while telling Walton his story to emphasise the nostalgia he is feeling. Frankenstein misses his home because that is where he was innocent and happy as a child.

~"Maladie du Pays" Master Index. 2008. August 26, 2008. <http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/V3notes/maladie.html>

Chamois

"He may be hunted like chamois" (148)

Chamois is a goat-like animal native to the Alps that is a commonly hunted for its meat. Frankenstein tells the magistrate to hunt the monster like chamois because he thinks of him as inhuman. Although the monster does not appear human, he has the heart of a human and thinks like one.

~Huffman, Brent. "Chamois". Rupicapra Rupicapra. March 22, 2008. <http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/RupicapraRupicapra.html>

Ground Sea

"About two hours after this occurrence we heard the ground sea; and before night the ice broke, and freed our ship." (8)

Ground sea is a swell of the ocean occurring during calm weather and without obvious cause, breaking on the shore in heavy roaring billows. This ground sea comes by chance and brakes the ice that surrounded Robert Walton's ship. His whole expedition is a risk and filled with events that happen by chance.

~"Ground Sea" Websters Online Dictionary. August 26, 2008. <http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/Gr/Ground_sea.html>

Palaces of Nature

" 'the palaces of nature,' " (49)

This is a quote form Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto III, a poem by Byron. It is about a man who travels and draws pleasure from the land. Marry Shelley includes a lot about the sublime in Frankenstein and this is one example of this.


". . . Above me are the Alps,

The palaces of Nature, whose vast walls,

Have pinnacled in clouds their snowy scalps,

And throned Eternity in icy halls

Of cold sublimity, where forms and falls

The avalanche -- the thunderbolt of snow!

All that expands the spirit, yet appals,

Gather around these summits, as to show

How Earth may pierce to Heaven, yet leave vain man below."

"Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" Master Index. August 26, 2008. <http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/Byron/charold3.html>

Sorrow

"The first of these sorrows that are meant to ween us from the earth, had visited her, and its dimming influence quenched her dearest smiles." (63)

One could not live forever, because there are too many sorrows that fill the heart. Elizabeth's sorrows grows as the ones dear to her die. She changes as tragedies are presented to her and she eventually dies. Victor Frankenstein is constantly being filled with sorrow until he dies from the wearing that the pain had caused.

Mutability

"Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow;
"Nought may endure but mutability!" (67)

This is the ending of a poem called Mutability by Percy Bysshe Shelley. It is significant because is shows that everyone is human after all, so their lives are constantly changing. At the point when this piece of poem is written in the novel, Frankenstein is finding happiness and relief by climbing the summit of Montenvert. Moments after this poem, the monster comes and changes Frankenstein's mood to regretful and terrified..

~Weaver, Lydia. "Biographical Sketch of PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY and An Interpretation Of 'Mutability' " August 26, 2008. <http://courses.wcupa.edu/fletcher/britlitweb/lweaverb.htm>

Harem

"sickened at the prospect of again returning to Asia and being immured within the walls of a harem" (88)

A harem is a place where Turkish women were kept in usually a polygynous household. Men were forbidden to be in the harem. Women in this novel are docile and inactive and the harem is a place where women are docile and inactive. Elizabeth waits for Frankenstein her whole life, but ends up being murdered. Justine dies, eventhough she is innocent and Frankenstein kills the female monster. Mary Shelley portrays women as patient and unjustly treated.


~"harem." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 27 Aug. 2008. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/harem>

Moon

"for the winds were hushed, and all nature reposed under the eye of the quiet moon." (121)

The monster usually comes out at night because it is dark and people are not around. The comfort and warmth people get from the sun he gets from the moon. This quote foreshadows that the monster is quietly hiding somewhere, ready to disturb Frankenstein's wedding night. Mary Shelley gives the moon in this quote personification because it is the quiet monster.

Laudanum

"ever since my recovery from the fever, I had been in the custom of taking every night a small quantity of laudanum; for it was by means of this drug only that I was enabled to gain the rest necessary for the preservation of life." (135)

Laudanum is an opium based pain killer that was popular during the Victorian Age. Frankenstein falls ill after traumatic events throughout the novel. This is his way of escaping the pain he is going through. Sleep and sickness does not rid him of his sins, but delays him from thinking about them.

~Harding, Stephen"Victorians and Laudanum" Victorian's Secrets. 2000. August 27, 2008. <http://drugs.uta.edu/laudanum.html>

The Apple

"but the apple was already eaten" (139)

This is a reference to the Genesis, when Eve eats the forbidden fruit which creates original sin. Elizabeth wants to marry Frankenstein so they can be happy together, but happiness has already been taken away from them, when Frankenstein created the monster.

Light

"the phenomena of the heavenly bodies undoubtedly are in those undiscovered solitudes. What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?" (1)

Light, like fire, is a symbol of knowledge in this novel. Robert Walton is pursuing a knowledge that no other man has discovered. He does not know what to expect to find there or how it will effect him. This situation is parallel to Frankenstein's, when he creates life.

Tintern Abby

"The sounding cataract

Haunted him like a passion: the tall rock,

The mountain, and the deep and gloomy woods,

Their colours and their forms, were then to him

An appetite; afeeling, and a love,

That had no need of a remoter charm,

By thought supplied, or any interest

Unborrow'd from the eye." (113)

This poem was written by Wordsworth and is called Tintern Abbey or Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. It was written in July 13, 1798. This poem is in the novel to show how important nature is to the restoration of characters. Clerval restored Frankenstein back to health multiple times and he brings him to natural phenomenons.

Landry, Peter. "Tintery Abbey". A Blue Pete Poetry Pick. August 27, 2008. <http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Poetry/WordsworthTinternAbbey.htm>

Foreshadowing

"But as if possessed of magic powers, the monster had blinded me of his real intentions; and when I thought that I had prepared only my own death, I hastened that of a far dearer victim." (144)

When the monster informs Frankenstein that he will be with him during his wedding night, Frankenstein thinks that he will be killed and Elizabeth will be spared. When he tells Robert Walton this part of the story he reveals that Elizabeth will be the victim. Mary Shelley foreshadows this event so blatantly to create irony. There is a lot of foreshadowing that creates the reader to feel dread for the character while the character is oblivious. This emphasises the dreary tone of the Gothic novel.

Pandaemonium

"as exquisite and divine a retreat as Pandaemonium appeared to the daemons of hell after their sufferings in the lake of fire." (73)

Pandaemonium is the capital of Hell in the poem Paradise Lost, by John Milton. It was published in 1667 in a series of ten books. In the poem the daemons are trapped in the lake of fire that produces darkness instead of light. God condemned them to the lake, but then sets them free and Satan and the daemons construct Pandaemonium. This place is their Heaven in Hell, after being trapped by God. The monster compares the woods he had lived in to the lake of fire because he was so miserable there. When he finds the little hut it is his Heaven in the Hell he is still living in.

~"Summary" Yahoo Education. August 26, 2008. <http://education.yahoo.com/homework_help/cliffsnotes/paradise_lost/11.html>

Fire

"I found a fire... In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such an opposite effect!" (72)

Fire symbolizes knowledge in this quote. When the monster discovers fire it brings him warmth but also burns. When Frankenstein gains the knowledge of the creation of life it makes him excited, but it burns him later.

Never Dying Worm

"But I, the true murderer, felt the never-dying worm alive in my bosom" (58)

Worms eating away at Frankenstein and other decaying bodies is a thread in this novel. Worms are mentioned previously, when Frankenstein has the idea of creating life.

"I saw how the worm had inherited the wonders of the eye and brain. I paused, examining and analysing all the minutiae of causation, as exemplified in the change from life to death" (30)

The worm symbolizes the monster who is eating away at Frankenstein, ridding him of life. Frankenstein gave the worm life and the monster took it away from Frankenstein.

Dante

"It came a thing not even Dante could have conceived." (36)

Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet who wrote The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy is about Dante's journey through Hell, purgatory and paradise. Dante is known for the source of the modern Italian language and known as a supreme poet. Victor Frankenstein is comparing himself to Dante, which renders him of greater brilliance.

~Parker, Deborah. "Over View" The World of Dante. May 2006. August 27, 2008. <http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/dante/overview.html>

Nature

"It was a divine spring, and the season contributed greatly to my convalescence." (39)

Nature plays a huge role in the emotions of the characters in this novel. The monster is rejuvenated by the coming of spring after a harsh winter in the woods later in the novel. The monster is given life in the winter on a rainy night, which adds to the terror that both Frankenstein and his creation feel. There are times when Frankenstein and his monster need to escape from society and their woes, so they journey into the sublime to ease their minds.

Influence

"I come back ignorant and disappointed. It requires more philosophy than I possess, to bear this injustice with patience. " (160)

After listening to Victor Frankenstein's story, Robert Walton decides to abandon his ventures and go home. Although he is overwhelmed with excitement to reach the North Pole he realizes that without complete knowledge of what one is doing, disaster can occur. Frankenstein does not think of the negative consequences of creating life and it turnes out disastrous. This occurrence enlightens Walton and he then knows that having complete knowledge of something can bring harm.

Beautiful

"I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!- Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath;" (35)

Frankenstein wants to make his creation beautiful, but made him ghastly. This is a huge mistake in Frankenstein's planning. Frankenstein was so blinded by knowledge that he completely failed to create something beautiful.

Grave-worms

"I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms; a shroud enveloped her form, and I saw the grave-worms crawling in the folds of flannel. " (35)

A shroud is a cloth that a corpse is wrapped in for burial.

Frankenstein has this dream after giving life to the wretch. This dream symbolizes what he thought his creation would be in his head. Before the monster is given life Frankenstein imagines him to be beautiful and great like Elizabeth, but this dream dies away like his mother did. He originally got the idea of creating life from the grave-worms and this idea comes back to haunt him. The grave-worms are eating his mother in his dream just as the monster destroys the rest of his family and friends.

~"shroud." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 27 Aug. 2008. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shroud>.

Giving Life

"I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself from of rest and health. " (35)

Frankenstein takes away life from himself in order to give life to another being. He drains his health away during the building of the monster. He also does not live well afterwards, while the monster is alive and ruining his life.

Philosopher's Stone and The Elixir of Life

"I entered with the greatest with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixer of life; but the latter soon obtained my undivided attention." (21)

The philosopher's stone is a legendary object known to turn metals into gold. The elixir of life is a legendaary potion that brings eternal youth and life to whomever drinks it. Nicolas Flamel, a French alchemist, has been said to have discovered the philosopher's stone. Nicolas Flamel was born inbetween 1330 to 1340 and died in 1418.

~Hefner, Allen. "Philosoppher's Stone" the MYSTICA. August 27, 2008<http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/p/philosophers_stone.html>
~Mertinal, Reginald. "Nicolas Flamel" Alchemy Lab. August 27, 2008. <http://www.alchemylab.com/flamel.htm>

Silent as a Turk

"he is silent as a Turk and a kind of ignorant carelessness attends him." (6)

Turkey was in the center of the Ottoman Empire in the early nineteenth century, which is known by the British for it's autocracy and corruption. England was prejudice against the Turkish and Mary Shelley is showing this in this quote. This feeling shows up later in the novel where Safie's Turkish father is selfish and ungrateful.

~`Barak, Sansal. "The Ottomans and Their Dynasty" All About Turkey. August 27, 2008. <http://www.allaboutturkey.com/>