Strange and harrowing must be his story, frightful the storm which embraced the gallant vessel on its course and wrecked it—thus!
Letters, Letter 4 · Robert Walton
Context
Walton anticipates the story Victor is about to tell, imagining it as a shipwreck narrative where some violent storm destroyed a noble vessel.
Analysis
Walton reaches for an extended maritime metaphor—Victor's life as a "gallant vessel" destroyed by a storm—but the metaphor breaks down at "wrecked it—thus!" That dash and demonstrative suggest Walton is gesturing at Victor's physical ruin in front of him, turning the figurative wreck literal. The collapse of the metaphor into pointing enacts the inadequacy of neat narrative patterns to contain Victor's actual disaster.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Shelley uses Walton's failed metaphor to signal that conventional narrative frames (heroic voyage, tragic storm) won't fit Victor's story—the grammatical breakdown warns readers that the coming tale will exceed the explanatory power of familiar genres.