"Dear mountains! My own beautiful lake! How do you welcome your wanderer? Your summits are clear; the sky and lake are blue and placid. Is this to prognosticate peace, or to mock my unhappiness?" (pg. 49)
When Victor goes back to his hometown, he is wandering around and taking visits to where he is used to go. He begins to ask the lake and mountains questions knowing they will not respond. This is the use of rhetorical questions. The author uses this to show how dear they are to Victor and to show his sorrow in his heart. Victor is upset because his brother has died. He is trying to feel comfort by speaking to the inanimate objects and we sympathize with him. The lake is so calm and even, and the mountains are beautiful and strong. This descriptions contradict with Victor who is basically a mess. He feels uneasy and all of this comes through the rhetorical questions he is asking. Victor has missed his home and everything has changed in his life, him, his family and his career. He wanted to find a place of peace at the lake and take him back to what used to be.
you should continue to take note of how environment and setting affect the characters and their emotions/moods
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