Frankenstein- Synecdoche

"I may there discover the wondrous power which attracts the needle; and may regulate a thousand celestial observations, that require only this voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent for ever." PAGE 1

This quote provides an example of synechdoche. Walton is referring to his desire to explore. He wants to find something that no one has found before. In this quote, the needle refers to the needle in a compass. The needle is standing for the whole of the compass. Walton desires to make it to the North Pole where no one has gone. He seeks for knowledge of the magnets and what makes it point north. The synecdoche is effective because the reader knows what is meant by the needle. We know he is referring to the compass. The benefit to calling it a needle is that it stresses the magnetic nature of the compass. The magnet is what Walton is interested in. He wants to understand what no one else can.

Synecdoche

"I hadn't mentioned to a soul anything about the Sales Register business, but I suppose Ruth wasn't to know that." page 63

It can be implied from this example of synecdoche that Kathy did not tell anyone about the sales register stuff. She would not have been able, even if she wanted, to tell a literal soul anything. The use of synecdoche emphasizes that Kathy did not tell anyone. It is more effective than just saying she did not tell anyone because not telling a soul is more dramatic. When someone says they did not tell a soul, there is an insinuated promise that they are telling the truth involved. If they just said they didn't tell anyone, they might just be saying that to appease someone. Without the synecdoche, the reader would not know the seriousness that Kathy wanted to demonstrate that she was being honest and kind to Ruth. Kathy portrays herself as a good person, so there is a sense of pathos when the reader finds out she can't have children after knowing how she reacted to the song, "Never Let Me Go."