Frankenstein- Ch. 6-8/ Who Dunnit?/Characterization

"She nursed Madame Frankenstein, my aunt, in her last illness, with the greatest affection and care....She was warmly attached to the child who is now dead, and acted towards him like a most affectionate mother." -Elizabeth Frankenstein (pg. 56)

This quote depicts Elizabeth speaking to Justine Moritz's innocence. It also shows a great deal of characterization. Specifically, this is indirect characterization because Elizabeth doesn't come right out and say Justine is innocent, but she gives evidence through Justine's actions that she wasn't a harmful person, let alone William's killer. Another defence that Justine was unjustly convicted and killed was that "surprise, horror, and misery were strongly expressed" when she was at her trial. I haven't read ahead, so I'm not sure if she was actually the murderer, but according to these accounts, I think Justine was innocent.

The only other suspect mentioned was the creature, because he was spotted (granted, only by Victor) at the scene of William's murder. This is suspicious, and not likely a coincidence. As far as motive, I see none, and even if there were a motive, how would the monster be able to frame Justine and go after a certain target that just happened to be Victor's brother. Because the monster's nature is good, I don't see him as a killer either. Either way, all will soon be revealed. I can't wait much longer!

Brave New World: 15

"'Benard's an Alpha Plus....' 'But his reputation?... They say he doesn't like Obstacle Golf... And then he spends most of his time by himself-- alone....They say soebdy made a mistake when he was still in the bottle--thought he was a Gamma and put alcohol into his blood-surrogate. That's why he's so stunted.'" -pg. 44-46

This sequence of quotes is an example of characterization. In this case, the author reveals the qualities, personality, and values of a character by using dialogue of two other characters. This quote is specifically describing Bernard Marx, a man that Lenina is interested in. Fanny, a close friend, tries to talk her out of pursuing him. By showcasing what other people say about Bernard and how others react to him, the author indirectly characterizes Bernard. In this way, the reader already knows background information on a character before they have spoken or appeared in a scene. Huxley is actively choosing to present a figure through others rather than just telling the audience outright. Doing so adds flavor to the book and creates a variety of ways to present new characters as they are being introduced.

 I find this choice of characterization refreshing, because it's sort of in the style of gossip, which is always appealing and relevant, regardless of the reader's age, status, or personal life. So I guess one could say teens gossipping is just preparation for becoming great novelists.