Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry, of life? Two I have already destroyed; other victims await their destiny; but you, Clerval, my friend, my benefactor—
Chapter 21 · Victor Frankenstein
Context
Upon seeing Clerval's corpse, Victor collapses onto the body and cries out, acknowledging his responsibility for the deaths caused by the creature he created.
Analysis
The phrase 'murderous machinations' is a moment of self-accusation wrapped in formal, almost legalistic language—Victor admits guilt but distances himself from it through diction that sounds more like a prosecutor than a grieving friend. The dash after 'benefactor' leaves the sentence unfinished, a syntactic collapse that enacts Victor's emotional breakdown in real time. He can list the dead but cannot complete a thought about Clerval.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Victor's guilt is filtered through abstract, detached language—even in his most emotional moment, he uses words like 'machinations' that keep raw feeling at arm's length.