Such were the professor's words—rather let me say such the words of the fate—enounced to destroy me.
Chapter 3 · Narrator
Context
Victor reflects on Professor Waldman's lecture immediately after hearing it, interpreting the professor's words as a turning point in his life.
Analysis
The dash interrupts Victor's sentence to "correct" himself—he first calls them "the professor's words," then overrides this with "the words of the fate." By substituting fate for Waldman, Victor erases the professor's agency and his own, personifying "fate" as the true speaker. The passive verb "enounced to destroy me" makes Victor the predetermined victim of words that were pronounced at him, as if language itself were a weapon he couldn't resist.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Victor's narration is self-exculpatory throughout—by recasting Waldman's lecture as "fate" speaking, he denies that he chose to be inspired and implies his destruction was scripted before he acted.