After the monster’s demand was declined by Victor, the tone of the monster changed. He calls Victor a “slave,” due to his enraged state of mind. The monster’s choice to use the word slave is also important to this passage. It is at this point where the monster realizes that victor is indeed the slave of his own creation, something he will be haunted by for the rest of his life. This change of tone is also important, because readers can identify anger in the monsters words, fueled by Victor’s stubbornness and hatred.
The monster’s anger can also be observed in the following statement, “Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you.” The monster hates victor so much that he wishes harm to Victor in any shape or form.
The tone of the monster once again changes as he realizes how depressing and lonely his life really is. He transitions from an angry tone to a tone full of sorrow and grief in the following line, “Shall each man…. Find a wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone?” This rhetorical question emphasizes the mistreatment of the monster by Victor. Victor had neglected and isolated the monster to the point where even a beast has a higher social class than the monster. This treatment from Victor inevitably caused the monster to hate Victor.
Readers understand the extent of isolation the monster feels when he uses the word “man” to describe victor. It is clear at this point in the passage that the monster does not classify himself as man, proving his sense of isolation from society.
Shelly then foreshadows future events in the novel through the words of the monster. “You may hate; but beware! Your hours will pass in dread and misery, and soon the bolt will fall which must ravish from you your happiness forever.” This quote foreshadows misery and despair for Victor, as the monster promises to seek revenge and terrorize Victor. Readers get an idea of how badly the monster is willing to pursue revenge when he states that revenge is dearer than light and food, the essential elements of life. When the monster compares revenge to light and food, it is evident that revenge is the top priority for the monster after years of mistreatment. He also calls himself fearless, which means that he will stop at no boundaries to see Victor suffer the same way he had since his creation.
This desire to get revenge on Victor also shows the extent of the hatred between Victor and the monster. Only someone with immense hate would act the way the monster did in this passage.
After withstanding a barrage of threats from the monster, Victor still holds his ground against creating a new monster. The word inexorable is used to describe Victor’s stubbornness on the subject. By using this word, Shelley can convey to readers the hatred Victor feels towards his creation and his unwillingness to keep his promise to create a new monster.
Upon realizing that Victor’s mind could not be changed, the monster delivers one last line before he exits. This line is the climax of this passage, and the archetypal gothic genre theme of eeriness can be sensed by the reader. The monster states, “It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding night.” Shelley used this dark eerie tone to add dramatic effect to the dialogue. The lack of an exclamation mark at the end of the statement creates the effect of determination and promise the monster has to seek revenge on Victor, as no expression is needed to express his opinions. The monster is simply stating a fact, which foreshadows dark events to come; he is not trying to persuade Victor in any way.
Although the literal meaning of this statement is clear, there are many interpretations to the monster’s promise to be at Victor’s wedding. After this statement is delivered to Victor, his mind becomes severely unstable. Victor is terrorized by the thought that the monster would kill him on his wedding day, which is of course the goal of the monster, who wants revenge due to his hatred for Victor.
In summary, the immense hatred that Victor and the monster have for each other was highlighted in this passage. Through the use of diction, tone and foreshadowing, Shelley successfully illustrates to readers the extent of which the monster and Victor hate each other. This passage is significant in chapter 20, as it allows readers to better understand the complex relationship between creator and creation, which in turn helps with the understanding of the book as a whole.