May the Force of Language be with You

Note: this paper does not necessarily represent my sincere beliefs on any topic. It is just an assignment for class.

May the Force of Language be with You

         The language used by Mary Shelley in her story “Transformation” forces the reader to see the characters in a certain light. The story concerns an immature man, Guido, who ends up having a very bad interaction with a dwarf. The word choice forces our view of the characters. Because the story is narrated by Guido, it is frequently the words that Guido uses that characterize the dwarf as evil.
         The language in Mary Shelley's “Transformation” leads the reader to see the dwarf as evil and to overlook the signs that he has any redeeming characteristics. At the point where Guido first meets this dwarf, the dwarf exclaims, “'By St. Beelzebub!'”. This simple phrase immediately sets the reader to see the dwarf as evil because of the fact that Beelzebub is a name for the devil, and by calling him a saint, the dwarf is given the appearance of worshiping, or at the least, following, the devil. The story goes on to describe the dwarf in a negative light. Also, by using the word “wretch”, which means “A person of despicable character”, the author again shows the dwarf as evil. The author goes on to prove that the dwarf is evil, by describing his laughter's sound as if “hell seemed [to be] yelling around me.”
         Just a little farther in the story, the author of this work calls the dwarf a “magician”, which relates the dwarf back to the days of witch hunts, which at the time of this story was not too far in the collective past. Later, when the author describes some of the dwarf's actions as “The voice of the wretch was screeching and horrid, and his contortions as he spoke were frightful to behold. Yet he did gain a kind of influence over me, which I could not master...” These actions seem indicative of a spell of some sort, as the screeching and contortions could be, and would be, in this time, viewed as a sort of ritual chant and “dance” of witchcraft. Again, on the next page, Mary Shelley implies that the dwarf is evil by referencing his supernatural powers which made him appear like an oracle in Guido's eyes. This reference, though odd now, would have been at the time of this story's writing, a definite mark against the dwarf, as witchcraft was not only looked down upon, but vehemently shunned, as a definite sign of evil. This is one of the remnants of the middle ages that western society has only recently divested itself of.
         In one specific part, the dwarf appears to admit to falling from the good when he tells Guido, “'so thou too hast fallen through thy pride...'” by using the word “too”, Mary Shelley appears, to a modern reader, to be saying that the dwarf is evil, though he once wasn't, as one cannot fall if they never stood. But, when looked at as a reader of the time would look at this part, the dwarf does not actually say that he has fallen, rather, when he says, “'Oh, thou cousin of Lucifer!'...'so thou too hast fallen through thy pride...'” the dwarf is actually saying that Guido is like the devil, who, according to biblical stories, which were wide known at the time, was one of God's archangels, who through his own pride, fell from God's grace, and was banished to hell.
         Another interesting part is when the dwarf opens the trunk to reveal “a mine of wealth—of blazing jewels, beaming gold, and pale silver”. Realistically, that could not have floated without some sort of witchcraft, either to make it float, or to make it appear as if it is filled with gold, silver, and jewels. Most logically, it was made to be light so that it floated, as when the dwarf took Guido's body, the jewels did not disappear, as would have happened, and even if the dwarf continued the spell from Guido's body, when Guido exercised the dwarf from his body later on, the jewels still remain, according to some of the people Guido has talked to since the ordeal.
         Mary Shelley doesn't just use language to make the reader see the dwarf as evil, but also to give the reader a certain feeling towards Guido. At the beginning of the story, Guido is portrayed as an egotistical narcissist when he states, “Who could control me....I was deemed handsome--I was master of every knightly accomplishment....I grew a fauvorite with all...who could control me?” By asking who could control him, Guido is seen as placing himself above the rest of society, a truly egotistical viewpoint. Later, when he states, “My dress, my jewels, my horses and their caparisons, were almost unrivalled[sic] in gorgeous Paris...”, it is made obvious that he thinks of himself as being above the rest of society, and that is quite a narcissistic point of view for him to have.
         In conclusion, the way in which Mary Shelley uses language in her story “Transformation” forces the reader to see the characters in a certain light.