motif

"Over him hung a form which I cannot find words to describe - gigantic in stature, yet uncouth and distorted in its proportions."

Throughout the novel, Shelley uses the phrase "gigantic in stature" to describe the creature. At the very beginning of the novel, Walton sees the creature and describes it this way in his letter, and now at the end of the novel, he describes it in the same way. Also, it occurs to me that the creature is never given a name. This adds to the effect of the creature's description. Because it has no name, it can only be described the way it is. This adds a sense of horror and mystery to the novel because every time it appears it is described in this horrendous way. Shelley knows how to scare her readers by describing the creature in this terrifying way. The reader can clearly picture what this chilling, haunting monster would look like if it were chasing them.