Quote Analysis

Victor describes his exuberant mood as he and Clerval return to the university on a Sunday afternoon, surrounded by happy peasants and a festive atmosphere.

The verb 'bounded' gives Victor's movement an almost childlike, unrestrained quality, while 'unbridled' literalizes the metaphor of release—he is like a horse freed from its harness. The doubled terms 'joy and hilarity' pile on synonyms to emphasize excess, as if Victor's happiness cannot be contained in a single word. But 'unbridled' also suggests a lack of control that, in the context of the novel, recalls Victor's inability to restrain his ambition—the same energy that destroyed him now expresses itself as reckless joy.

Use this to argue that Shelley positions Victor's moments of extreme happiness as ominous rather than reassuring—his tendency toward emotional extremes (whether despair or joy) reflects the same lack of moderation that led to his catastrophic creation.