Driven by the same passion, he stood at the beginning of the path that Victor had gone through. Why do the townspeople accuse Frankenstein of murdering Clerval? Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Instant PDF downloads. Once the two friends are in Victors apartment, Victor becomes extremely ill. Henry, proving to be the great friend that Victor has described, ignores his studies and nurses the scientist back to health. Ernest Frankenstein is Victors younger brother. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. The significance of this poem in relation to this novel can be interpreted two ways. They both grew up among books, dreaming of glory and discoveries. Clerval dies an innocent man whose devotion to his . He's "gentle and lovely"; he has a "form [] divinely wrought, and beaming with beauty" (18.19). For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! He is incredibly sympathetic and in touch with he emotions, and was able to "elevate" Victors mind. At this point Henry Clerval arrives in Ingolstadt. Also like Frankenstein, Clerval makes a discovery at university. And due to not knowing him very well, they would not have done anything about it. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. He is desirous to be a true Swiss and to enter into foreign service.. Julia Pearson is a writer and editor who specializes in English literature and composition, creating content in partnership with CollegeBoard for CLEP study guides. Considering the fact that Victor selectively chooses with whom he spends his time, Henry must display the characteristic of kindness. ThoughtCo. Describing her appearance and personality, Mary Shelley often uses elements of divine nature sanity soul, living spirit of love, celestial eyes. Such representations go along with how the role of a woman was understood back then. It is apparent that Victor is mentally unstable through much of the novel. Thus, the creature is a complicated antagonisthe is a murderer and a monster, but he began his life as a compassionate, misunderstood soul searching for love. You Are One Click Away From Getting Your Work Done, Victor Frankenstein Is To Blame Mary Shelly Frankenstein. who is henry Clerval, and what are his interests and goals ? Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Henry Clerval personifies the only support of Dr. Victor from the monster created by him. He studies language at the University of Ingolstadt and is totally unaware of Victor's creation. Both men are drawn to danger and hardship, in a spirit of adventure. The monster now begins to take shape, and Victor describes his creation in full detail as "beautiful" yet repulsive with his "yellow skin,""lustrous black, and flowing" hair, and teeth of "pearly whiteness." https://www.rc.umd.edu/editions/frankenstein/Chars/clerval. It might seem that Henry Clerval is unrealistically good compared to Victor. His cheerfulness counters Victors moroseness. Why does Frankenstein run away from his Monster? Want 100 or more? You can view our. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. A merchant and friend of Victors father; the father of Caroline Beaufort. on 50-99 accounts. At the age of 6, he becomes the first victim of the Monster. However, Henry seems to step in and serve as Victors sanity. (2021, September 8). Intelligent, eloquent,and sensitive, the Monster attempts to integrate himself into human social patterns, but all who see him shun him. Clear rating. Why does Frankenstein leave Elizabeth alone on their wedding night? Wed love to have you back! $24.99 Does Frankenstein learn from his mistake in creating the Monster? While holding his mother, he then sees worms start to crawl out of the folds of her burial shroud to touch him. Victor states, It was my temper to avoid a crowd, and to attach myself fervently to a few. Also, William's death signals for the reader the end of Victor's belief that his actions can have no consequences. Reflecting back to when Victor sees Henry after completing the monster, Victor is relieved to run into him. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. During all that time Henry was my only nurse (Shelley 38). They hardly know how ill you have been, and are uneasy at your long silence = (Shelley 39). If you're thinking that Clerval sounds a little too good to be true, we think you're right. Why does Frankenstein remain quiet during Justines trial? What are the most important Actions of Clerval? Although Frankenstein is presented in the book as a positive character, many of his actions demonstrate that he turned out to be more of a villain than the Monster he created. 2023 Course Hero, Inc. All rights reserved. First, he was concerned with the fate of his friends, Beaufort, who lost his fortune due to sorrowful circumstances. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% $24.99 He's into the "moral relations of things," a tricky phrase that means something like, "how to be a good person." Free trial is available to new customers only. Once Victor starts to regain his strength, Henry provides guidance to his friend. Frankenstein says that Clerval is his dearest friend, which shows that as well as being ambitious himself, Frankenstein admires ambition in other people. Central Idea Essay: Is the Monster in Frankenstein Good? By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. His short-sightedness leads to sad consequences. Other characters serve to reinforce the importance of community. You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures, who owe me nothing?, You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. Book Title: Essential Monster Of Frankenstein Volume 1 TPB. Caroline dies of scarlet fever when Victor is 17. While Clerval is in his element, spending time talking with men of talent, Victor is morose. Active Themes Literary Devices Mood Victor checks to see if the monster is still in his apartment, and is overjoyed to find that it isn't. He invites Clerval up, but once there falls ill with a "nervous fever," which lasts for months. Seeking revenge on the creature he gave life to, Victor turns into a monster himself. Both men grew up in Geneva. "Characters." By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Chapter twenty-one is the last readers hear of Henry where Frankenstein's monster murders him. The reader knows how she looks and what she does, but the author pays very little attention to the description of her thoughts and feelings, which is not a coincidence. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. His temper is noble, humane and generous. From what you have read, explain how Henry Clerval is a foil to Victor's character. There are other characters that portray the theme of sanity; however, during Henrys scenes he seems to be the prominent character that actually brings Victor back to reality and gives his a sense of relief, even if it is only for a short amount of time. Pearson, Julia. Clerval believes he has found the means of materially assisting the progress of European colonization and trade in India. Clervals story runs parallel to Frankensteins, illustrating the connection between Frankensteins outsized ambition and the more commonplace ambitions of ordinary men. Through scientific experiments, he created a Monster, whom he later accused of killing his entire family. While Victor was able to go off and study science in college, Henrys father attempted to discourage Henry from furthering his education because he wanted Henry to remain a businessman for him. She dies of scarlet fever, trying to save her adopted daughter, Elizabeth. He serves as Frankenstein's foil: his academic and philosophical pursuits are humane, rather than scientific. Henry is compassionate, optimistic, and had a love for reading and literature. My dear Frankenstein, how glad I am to see you! whose work does victor pursue in his reading . In Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, Victor receives compassion from his family and long-time friend, Henry Clerval. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, characters must reckon with the conflict between personal glory and human connection. Mary Shelley Wiki is a FANDOM Books Community. Rate this book. He is the sole reason the monster is alive and killing members of his family and his close friends, yet he does not really take action to prevent these deaths or even tell anyone about his creation until he meets Walton. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% He was passionate about human relationships and art. Henry also opted not to tell Victors family of his illness because he knew that they would not be able to make the trip to care for him, that they would worry, and because Henry knew that he was capable of taking care of Victor. If Clerval had stopped his comrade on time, the family history could have been happier. Character List Victor Frankenstein Creator of the monster. Victor Frankenstein Creator of the monster. Readers are first introduced to Henry in Chapter two when Victor is describing how admirable of a guy he is. After Victors death, Walton decides not to risk his sailors lives and turns his ship back to England. He dismisses Victors study of the alchemists as wasted time and encourages him to begin his studies anew. Henry spends the rest of the winter and spring nursing Victor back to health after the tumultuous fall. SparkNotes PLUS Also, this chapter builds fear in the reader, another big part of Gothic writing. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Clerval is first described as a boy who loved enterprise, hardship and even danger, for its own sake. Like Walton, Clerval shares Frankensteins desire to achieve great things at any cost. While Victor blows up his mom's garage with a chemistry set, Henry is reading superhero comics. Monster created by him spending time talking with men of talent, Victor is morose to England time. Glory and human connection 24.99 does Frankenstein leave Elizabeth alone on their wedding?! He later accused of killing his entire family it was my temper to avoid a crowd, was! Quotes, symbols, characters, and what are his interests and goals downloads! A spirit of love, celestial eyes and hardship, in a spirit of love, eyes... Characters must reckon with the fate of his friends, henry clerval character description, who lost his fortune due to not him. 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