Title

The title "Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus" says a lot about a theme of the work. Prometheus was a character in a Greek myth about a boy making wings and flying too close to the sun, only to crash and burn. This goes along with the book astonishingly well. The idea is that Victor's quest for the understanding of life led to the problems of the novel with the fire or light symbolizing knowledge. "In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain (page 72)." Here, the monster learns through his experience of fire. The knowledge attained in this stroy is similar to the monster's experience with fire. Victor tested out a hypothesis without really contemplating the consequences. Similarly, the monster was so entranced by the fire that he touched it without knowledge of the consequences.

Foreshadowing

There is a plethora of foreshadowing in this novel. Victor is very fond of the term "fate", which alludes to forthcoming information. "Poor Justine was very ill, but other trials were reserved for her (page 41)." Here, Victor is alluding to the fact that she will be accused of William's murder. Obviously, the reader does not yet know of these events, but Victor hints at the plight of Justine in the chapter preceding the telling. This happens a lot, likely to build anticipation for what is to follow. At the end of chapters, he states that what is to come will eventually decide his destiny. This is proven completely true as his thirst for knowledge leads to the creation of the monster and the monster leads to his life's mission to destroy it. Even in the beginning, robert builds anticipation because he makes the reader want to find out what happens with his adventure. From what I hear, it is disappointing.

Narration

The narration of this book is very interesting. Technically, it starts out as being Robert Walton. He presents the letters and the first chapter, but after that, the story becomes that of Victor, even though it is still technically Robert informing Mrs. Saville of the happenings in his guest's life. "I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic (page 15)." Here, the narrator transfer takes place. It goes from Robert's letter to his sister to Victor's telling of the story to Robert. Later, the narration skips around even more, at one point, skipping to that of the monster. While it is Victor's report of the monster's story, it is still the words of the monster. This likely serves to make the reading more interesting and change up the pace of the story a bit.

Personification

Shelley's use of personification is abundant in chapters eleven and twelve. "Soon a gentle light stole over the heavens, and gave me a sensation of pleasure (page 71)." Here, the monster is describing what experiencing the sun for the first time felt like. It is disputable whether or not the monster is a human, but assuming that he is not, he feels just like a human. He even exhibits the same steps to development that a child would feel. The only difference was that he was in a huge body. He had to learn to speak, what different feelings were, and many other key concepts to life that are typically learned at a young age. For humans, the early stages include finding pleasure through many means, like simple feelings or visiting the bathroom for an extended stay. This is true for the monster as well. The feeling of the sun on his skin presented him with pleasure, which is the kind of reaction a human would have.

Life and DEATH

While Victor works tirelessly on his monster in the search for the prolongation of life, he is also mentally consumed by the idea of death. Death is a recurring theme in the novel. His fascinations with the rise and fall of the human body go hand in hand. One cannot have death without life. " 'I wait but for one event, and then I shall repose in peace.' " Here on page 13, Victor is explaining that he cannot tell Robert the secret to his creation of life, but he would rather see to what he has to do and die peacefully. Even in the beginning, it is clear that Victor sees death as some sort of relief. Still, he states that he cannot die until he does what is necessary to understand the monster. Even though death is not too present in the beginning of the novel, it seems self evident that Victor will eventually die. It is also clear that it is his thirst for knowledge that leads to his destruction. Not only does his creation promise to be the end of him, but it is also the cause of the death of his brother. Sometimes, in playing God, things don't go as planned.

Flashback

"Then I blinked and, for just a moment, the hands holding the spool were the chipped-nailed, calloused hands of a harelipped boy. I heard a crow cawing somewhere and I looked up. The park shimmered with snow so fresh, so dazzling white, it burned my eyes. It sprinkled soundlessly from the branches of white-clad trees. I smelled turnip qurma now. Dried mulberries. Sour oranges. Sawdust and walnuts. The muffled quiet, snow-quiet, was deafening. Then far away, across the stillness, a voice calling us home, the voice of a man who dragged his right leg." In this quote from chapter 25, Amir looks back at the good times he had with Hassan. Here, the author is using a flashback. One minute, Amir is flying a kite with a happy Sohrab, who is rarely ever happy, and the next he is with Hassan flying a similar kite. This is intended to call attention to the symbolism of his relationship with Sohrab. Amir tries greatly to make up for his failings with Hassan by treating Sohrab as he wished he had treated Hassan. Looking back, it was clear to Amir that he had taken his relationship with Hassan for granted, and it became his goal not to take Sohrab for granted. The comparison between flying the kites is stark because it shows the similarities in the father and son. Neither was ever quite as happy as they were flying kites. It was a way for them to forget everything else and drown the bad out. This ties a genuine connection to Hassan and Sohrab.

Characterization

"Earlier, at the gravesite in the small Muslim section of the cemetery, I had watched them lower Baba into the hole. The mullah and another man got into an argument over which was the correct ayat of the Koran to recite at the gravesite. It might have turned ugly had General Taheri not intervened." In this quote from chapter 13, characterization is being utilized. Even though General Taheri is mentioned only a few times, he is multi-dimensional. In the beginning, he is just the scary father of the girl Amir likes. This is a pretty common character in literature, or a stock character. Later, as seen here, one can see that he has strong leadership abilities that are scary at times but also come from the best of intentions and can be very helpful. When Soraya finally tells Amir exactly what happened the night the general came to take her home from her rebellious time away, another layer is peeled off the onion. She tells Amir that he threatened to not only kill Soraya if she disobeyed him but himself as well. This speaks volumes about how he views honor and pride. It is one of the most valuable things he has because, as we also learn later, he has no job and relies on the government to feed and house his family.