4.3.2

Symbolism

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Symbolism: Victor's Dream

In the novel, Shelley utilises symbols to signify more complex and abstract ideas.

Shelley's use of dreams

Shelley's use of dreams

  • One example of symbolism is the dream Victor has when he finally falls asleep after bringing the Monster to life:
    • "I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams."
  • He thinks he sees Elizabeth, "in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt."
Victor's description of his dream

Victor's description of his dream

  • "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 the flannel." (Chapter 5)
The Kiss

The Kiss

  • There are many aspects of this dream which can be read symbolically.
  • Firstly it is necessary to notice that in this dream scenario, it is Victor's kiss which leads to the death of Elizabeth.
    • This could foreshadow the fact that it is Victor's romantic relationship with Elizabeth which is the cause of her murder.
      • The Monster targets her specifically in order to enact revenge for Victor's destruction of the second creature.
His mother

His mother

  • Secondly, in the dream, Elizabeth's corpse suddenly mutates into that of Victor's mother, Caroline.
  • This could suggest the similarity of these women for Victor – each of them has played a similar role in his life, and so they are more or less interchangeable.
The corpse

The corpse

  • Finally, the fact that Victor physically holds the corpse could anticipate his own involvement in deaths later in the novel.
  • He holds the corpse in his hands, just as he holds the fate of his friends and family in his hands when he makes his decisions about how to respond to his creation.
Jump to other topics
1

Plot Summaries

1.1

Volume I

1.1.1Letters I-IV1.1.2Chapters 1-31.1.3Chapters 4-61.1.4Chapters 7-81.1.5End of Topic Test - Volume I
1.2

Volume II

1.2.1Chapters 1-31.2.2Chapters 4-61.2.3Chapters 7-91.2.4End of Topic Test - Volume II
1.3

Volume III

1.3.1Chapters 1-31.3.2Chapters 4-61.3.3Chapter 7 & Walton in Continuation1.3.4End of Topic Test - Volume III
2

Characters

2.1

Victor Frankenstein

2.1.1Role2.1.2Quotations2.1.3End of Topic Test - Victor Frankenstein
2.2

The Monster

2.2.1Role2.2.2Quotations2.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster2.2.4Grade 9 - The Monster Question & Extract
2.3

Other Characters

2.3.1Robert Walton2.3.2Elizabeth Lavenza2.3.3Alphonse Frankenstein2.3.4Henry Clerval2.3.5Justine Moritz2.3.6The De Laceys2.3.7End of Topic Test - Walton, Elizabeth & Alphonse2.3.8End of Topic Test - Henry, Justine & the De Laceys
3

Key Themes

3.1

Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge

3.1.1Presentation3.1.2Key Quotations
3.2

Prejudice

3.2.1Presentation & Key Quotations
3.3

Justice

3.3.1Presentation & Key Quotations3.3.2End of Topic Test - Ambition, Prejudice & Justice
3.4

Companionship & Family

3.4.1Presentation & Key Quotations
3.5

Revenge

3.5.1Presentation & Key Quotations
3.6

Monstrosity

3.6.1Presentation3.6.2Key Quotations
3.7

Gender

3.7.1Presentation3.7.2Key Quotations3.7.3Key Themes - Companionship, Revenge & More
4

Authorial Method

4.1

Genre & Intertextuality

4.1.1Genre4.1.2Intertextuality4.1.3End of Topic Test - Genre & Intertextuality
4.2

Form & Structure

4.2.1Form4.2.2Structure
4.3

Settings & Symbolism

4.3.1Settings4.3.2Symbolism
4.4

Imagery & Doubling

4.4.1Imagery4.4.2Doubling4.4.3End of Topic Test - Structure, Settings & More
5

Context

5.1

Context

5.1.1Mary Shelley5.1.2Time of Writing5.1.3End of Topic Test - Context
6

Recap: Main Quotes

6.1

Characters Quotes

6.1.1Victor Frankenstein6.1.2Quotations6.1.3Robert Walton6.1.4Elizabeth Lavenza6.1.5Alphonse Frankenstein6.1.6Henry Clerval6.1.7Justine Moritz6.1.8The De Laceys
6.2

Text Structure - Quotes

6.2.1Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge6.2.2Prejudice6.2.3Justice6.2.4Companionship & Family6.2.5Revenge6.2.6Monstrosity6.2.7Gender

Practice questions on Symbolism

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What happened in Victor's dream in Chapter 5?Put in order
  2. 2
    What does Victor dream that he sees _'crawling in the folds of the flannel'_?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Where does Victor encounter Elizabeth in his dream?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    In Victor's dream, what leads to Elizabeth's death?Multiple choice
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