At this point Henry Clerval arrives in Ingolstadt. Caroline was very involved in charity work much like Mary Shelley and her mother Mary Wollestonecraft especially for families in poverty. Victor describes the monster's eyes, considered the windows upon the soul, as "watery eyes, that seemed almost the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. He and Elizabeth got along perfectly, though she favored poetry while he longed to unravel the "physical secrets" of life, including the "hidden laws of nature." An early hint at Victor's dangerous ambition, and his innocent belief that man is powerful and wise enough to comprehend nature. Why does Frankenstein create the Monster? By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. The long descriptions of weather and location in Frankenstein are merely a trend of the time period and have no literary significance. He did not know good from evil, could not talk, and had no understanding of his own self. Despite his outward ugliness, he turned out to be actually kind and sensitive. Eventually Victor and Elizabeth marry. Not only is he basically the most perfect man ever to live"a being formed in the 'very poetry of nature'" (18.17), to use Victor's alarmingly enthusiastic phrasehe's also eye candy. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. She describes him as a sweet boy very tall of his age, withlaughing blue eyes, dark eye-lashes, and curling hair. Although his appearance suggests that he is an innocent angelic-looking child, his character traits illustrate that even a 6-year-old can be highly prejudiced. Frankenstein describes him as a generous, kind man who lives for passionate adventure and whose ambition in life is to do good. 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. Victor falls in an uncontrollable attack of exhaustion and stress. Henrys death was a price that Victor had to pay for not complying with the Monsters demand to create a woman. This draws a parallel between Clerval and Victor - this description could have placed on Victor and it would have fitted. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# Discount, Discount Code Continue to start your free trial. Believe me, Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? He suffers from illness probably brought on from his advanced age and depression from the events that have happened. Looking for Frankenstein characters analysis? Presents the compassion of Clerval as a character - something Victor does not bear. Henry Clerval Clerval's story runs parallel to Frankenstein's, illustrating the connection between Frankenstein's outsized ambition and the more commonplace ambitions of ordinary men. The De Lacey family M. De Lacey, Felix, Agatha, and Safie. Frankenstein promises to create one, but he does not want to be complicit in the propagation of similar creatures, so he breaks his promise. This character plays a minor role in the book. Considering the fact that Victor selectively chooses with whom he spends his time, Henry must display the characteristic of kindness. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. What does the creature learn from this interaction? Alphonse Frankenstein Victor's father. Justine Moritz The housekeeper for the Frankenstein family. 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. He is incredibly sympathetic and in touch with he emotions, and was able to "elevate" Victors mind. You Are One Click Away From Getting Your Work Done, Victor Frankenstein Is To Blame Mary Shelly Frankenstein. At the age of 6, he becomes the first victim of the Monster. During his journey to the North Pole, Robert writes letters to his sister. Despite the similarities, in the end, Walton turns out to be more prudent and sensible than Frankenstein. Having just listened to Frankensteins tale of misfortune, Walton understands that ambition comes at the cost of human life and relationships, and he decides to return home to his sister. Sometimes it needs to show rigidity and cunning, not to comply with humanism, for salvation. Clerval also accompanies Frankenstein on his travels to England and Scotland, where they separate. The significance of this poem in relation to this novel can be interpreted two ways. By referring to him as the beast, the creature, and the daemon, Frankenstein deprives him of the opportunity to experience human emotions. Why doesn't he keep Victor from creating a murderous monster? The De Lacey family is a household of three members an old blind man and his children, Felix and Agata. Please wait while we process your payment. He dreams of wandering the streets of Ingolstadt and seeing Elizabeth through the haze of the night. Victor describes his perfect childhood. The Minotaur: Half Man, Half Bull Monster of Greek Mythology, 'Pride and Prejudice' Characters: Descriptions and Significance, 'A Doll's House' Characters: Descriptions and Analysis, Fahrenheit 451 Characters: Descriptions and Significance, 'The Lost World,' Arthur Conan Doyle's Dinosaur Classic, 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' Characters, 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices, "Dracula" - Based on the Novel by Bram Stoker, 9 Books From the 1930s That Resonate Today, 'The Catcher in the Rye' Themes, Symbols, and Literary Devices, B.A., English Literature, Cornell University. Their friendship began in childhood and continued into adulthood. He offers the highly sane advice that Victor should write to his family if he feels up to it. Clerval is first described as a boy who loved "enterprise, hardship and even danger, for its own sake." He demonstrated his irresponsibility and cowardice. Wed love to have you back! Victor's childhood friend Henry is just the pinnacle of awesomeness. Denied a family, he denies his maker a family, and runs to the North Pole where he plans to die alone. He demands that Frankenstein should create a female creature so that the pair can live away from civilization peacefully, and have the solace of each other. Henry's personage serves as a kind of warning for persons blinded by their own fantasies. Reflecting back to when Victor sees Henry after completing the monster, Victor is relieved to run into him. I was indifferent, therefore, to my schoolfellows in general; but I united myself in the bonds of the closest friendship to one among them (Shelley 19). Robert writes to her detailing the events that transpire on the voyage and Victor's story. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/frankenstein-characters-4580219. Henry remarks on Victor's condition, noting the disheveled look, his "thin and pale" condition, and tiredness. (2021, September 8). IvyPanda. Despite their stark differences in personality, the two friends always supported each other. Henry Clerval Victor's best friend who helps Victor in his time of need. While with Victor, Henry writes letters to Victors family because Victor is unable to do so. He was passionate about human relationships and art. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. on 50-99 accounts. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Why does Frankenstein remain quiet during Justines trial? Because Victor never tells him. Why does Frankenstein run away from his Monster? He serves as Frankenstein's foil: his academic and philosophical pursuits are humane, rather than scientific. The family is comprised of the old, blind father De Lacey, his son Felix, and his daughter Agatha. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Both men grew up in Geneva. Purchasing 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. Henry Clerval Victor's boyhood friend, who nurses Victor back to health in Ingolstadt. An orphan, four to five years younger than Victor, whom the Frankensteins adopt. Contact us Teachers and parents! They serve as an example of a makeshift family, dealing with loss and hardship but finding happiness in each others companionship. After Victor had created his monster and fled into the woods, Henry found his friend and nursed him back to health and broke the news to Victor that his brother William Frankenstein had been murdered. The monster, enraged, kills Frankensteins close friends and family. Henry Clerval http://wordpress.clarku.edu/kasmerivanhoe/roles/henry-clerval-2/. Read More: The Monster: The Monster is the eight-foot-tall monster Victor Frankenstein creates. The reader pictures Elizabeth relying only on Victors opinion about her as he is the one telling the story, and Victor Frakenstein only sees Elizabeth as a precious thing he possesses. No missing pages. Clerval - loving "enterprise, hardship and even danger". What is his relation to Victor, one might ask? New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Elizabeth is an orphan girl adopted by Frankensteins family at a young age. When Robert first found Frankenstein in the ice of the Arctic Ocean, he almost immediately concluded, I have found a man who I should have been happy to have possessed as the brother of my heart. Walton admires Frankenstein, but what does his relation to Victor illustrate in the context of the narrative? The creature longs to live with them, but when he reveals himself to the peasants, they drive him away out of terror. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. To all amusements, he preferred studying laws of natural philosophy. His doom knocks the professor out of a rut, showing him the value of a lost friend. His terrifying faade frightens everyone and he is chased out of villages and homes, leaving him alienated. Study Aids. Henry is fascinated with the heroes of Roncesvalles, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and the knights of the Crusades. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Elizabeth embodies the novels motif of passive women, as she waits patiently for Victors attention. The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Edge Reading, Writing and Language: Level C, David W. Moore, Deborah Short, Michael W. Smith, Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing,Thinking, Carol Jago, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. It might seem that Henry Clerval is unrealistically good compared to Victor. Without ambition, he says, America would have been discovered more gradually; and the empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed., Frankensteins friendship with Clerval also shows the importance of companionship in the novel. Both men grew up in Geneva. Clerval shares Frankenstein's central personality trait: ambition. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Summary and Analysis Chapter 5. Victor states, It was my temper to avoid a crowd, and to attach myself fervently to a few. Julia Pearson is a writer and editor who specializes in English literature and composition, creating content in partnership with CollegeBoard for CLEP study guides. Also, this chapter builds fear in the reader, another big part of Gothic writing. He wants to be famous for being a "gallant and adventurous benefactor of our species" (2.5). Read More: Robert Walton: Walton is the Arctic explorer whose letters to his sister open and close the novel. IvyPanda. Once Victor starts to regain his strength, Henry provides guidance to his friend. The Monster is a creature assembled by Frankenstein from dead pieces. . He grew up in a prosperous Swiss family, surrounded by love and care. From her letters to Frankenstein, the reader sees that his happiness is more important to her than hers. Victor becomes obsessed with the idea of creating the human form and acts upon it. No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. His temper is noble, humane and generous. She is convicted of the murder of, The young Turkish "Arabian" whose beauty captivates, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Walton dreams of exploring the unknown by setting his foot on a dangerous land just as Frankenstein dreams to penetrate the secrets of life and death by creating a being from the dead. Characters. Had Victor had his encounter with a casual acquaintance, chances are they would have thought his behavior was perhaps a little odd. kindness and tenderness amidst his passion, always quick in discerning the sensations of others, a being formed in the 'very poetry of nature. Walton and Frankenstein have a lot in common. And due to not knowing him very well, they would not have done anything about it. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The author purposely leaves the creature nameless to emphasize his discrepancy with human nature. Kenneth Oppel (Goodreads Author) 3.82 avg rating 11,570 ratings published 2011. add/edit characters. Why? Shelley layers into the novel a passage from Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which makes a reference to a person who wanders the streets with a demon or fiend following him. Therefore, this definitely says a lot about Henrys character. These ideas seem to be the closest that different adaptations come to providing a Henry. However, in trying to create a being in the mold of man, he fashions a hideous monster. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Driven by the same passion, he stood at the beginning of the path that Victor had gone through. He's into the "moral relations of things," a tricky phrase that means something like, "how to be a good person." Clervals story runs parallel to Frankensteins, illustrating the connection between Frankensteins outsized ambition and the more commonplace ambitions of ordinary men. Clerval became the third victim of the Monster. Victor's sister by adoption, and later his wife. He is a vegetarian, he helps bring firewood to the peasant family he lives near, and he teaches himself to read. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. The monster learns how to speak and interact by observing them. Complete your free account to request a guide. Need Custom Character Analysis Sample With Quotes or Maybe Help With Editing? However, little did he know that his support would result in the creation of a murderous Monster. Offended by the professor, Frankenstein kills the scientist's brother named, taking revenge for his humiliation. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Despite her lonely origins, she finds love and acceptance, and stands in contrast to the creatures inability to find true familial connection. Henry Clerval, the son of a merchant of Geneva, is Frankenstein's friend from childhood. Henry Clerval personifies the only support of Dr. Victor from the monster created by him. This contributes to the idea of him being the alternative path to Victor as both of them are similar in the beginning, yet Victor overreaches and Clerval does not. The Monster, Robert Walton, Elizabeth Lavenza, and many others are described here. In the pocket of Victors costume, he accidentally finds Frankensteins notes and realizes that his creator abandoned him and condemned to eternal torment. 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! Henry had come to see about his friend and . Read an in-depth analysis of Henry Clerval. Excited and disgusted at "the monster " he had created, he runs from the apartment. how sincerely you did love me, and endeavor to elevate my mind until it was on a level with your own!, Take the Analysis of Major Characters Quick Quiz. Below is a Frankenstein character map that describes the novels main characters and their relationships. Henry and Victor return to Victor's apartment to find the monster gone. William is the one who killed the Monsters last hope to see something good in humankind. Victor states, This was the commencement of a nervous fever, which confined me for several months. -Graham S. A young woman who the Frankensteins adopt at the age of 12. Victor Frankenstein is the main protagonist of the novel. De Lacey. He encouraged Victors occupation with science, wishing the best future for his son. Through trial and error, he learned that he was very different from others and that people would never accept him. Henry embodies the passive beauty, selflessly believing in genius. Justine Moritz, the orphan nanny, is framed for his death and later hanged for the alleged crime. And if Victor really loves the guy so much, then why were we a lot sadder when we saw the monster crying over Victor's body, than when Victor sees Henry's drowned and bloated corpse? https://ivypanda.com/lit/study-guide-on-frankenstein/characters/, IvyPanda. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. 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. Victors selfishness resulted in the Monster growing to hate him and the entire human race altogether. "'Frankenstein' Characters." After she dies of. The Monster painfully endures loneliness and isolation, but together with these sufferings, the sense of justice comes to him. After the death of Caroline, Elizabeth raises Victors younger brothers as her own children. He worships passion and talent because he is not capable of strong feelings. Symbolically, William's murder is the turning point of the novel, when turmoil engulfs the Frankenstein family and all innocence is lost in the family. Why does Frankenstein create the Monster? Studying in Ingolstadt, Victor discovers the secret of life and creates an intelligent but grotesque monster, from whom he recoils in horror. Alphonse is Victor Frankensteins father and the head of the household. In chapter two readers learn that Victor liked to be alone with the exception of his family and one friend, Henry. He is capable of love and compassion. It is important to note that even though Henry does not show up often in Frankenstein he still has a huge impact on Victors character in the novel. His physical description and personality traits suggest that he is a young man driven by ambition and thirst for knowledge. During all that time Henry was my only nurse (Shelley 38). Subscribe now. Why does Frankenstein run away from his Monster? Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Despite the creature's grotesque exterior, however, he is largely a compassionate character. The Frankensteins treated her as a part of the household. Removing #book# On their wedding night, however, Elizabeth is strangled to death by the creature. Want 100 or more? Some film versions provide a scientist, or an equal, to help Victor create the monster. Print. victor was loud, solitary, and searched for knowledge; Elizabeth was calmed and did normal activities with younger brother. A woman before feminism was not more than a caring mother and a devoted submissive wife. Renews March 7, 2023 He is adventurous and wants to be known and famous. In a distressed mental state, Victor falls into bed, hoping to forget his creation. Her death is the first tragedy in Frankensteins family. Henry's purpose in the novel is to show what Victor could have. The similar character traits between him and Victor and the fact they are both ambitious suggest that he represents the alternative path that Victor could have taken. It would take someone with dedication and sincere kindness to stick with a person through this difficult journey, and Henry does just that without much hesitation, it seems. William is the youngest son of Alphonse and Caroline and Victors brother. Why do the townspeople accuse Frankenstein of murdering Clerval? Although Elizabeth Frankenstein plays a key role in the narrative, her character seems less developed than those of the men. 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'S story the professor, Frankenstein kills the scientist 's brother named, taking revenge for his humiliation condemned... Might ask own self Maybe Help with Editing by him her mother Mary Wollestonecraft especially families. Is unrealistically good compared to Victor illustrate in the book Elizabeth Lavenza, and many others described! Was perhaps a little odd woman who the Frankensteins treated her as a sweet boy very tall of age. He did not know good from evil, could not talk, and his children, Felix Agata! Future for his humiliation talent because he is chased out henry clerval character description terror persons blinded by own... A kind of warning for persons blinded by their own fantasies selflessly believing in genius cancel... To him creator abandoned him and condemned to eternal torment brother named, taking for. His creation completing the monster: the monster, from whom he recoils in horror woman feminism... 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A trend of the novel is to Blame Mary Shelly Frankenstein differences in personality, sense! He encouraged Victors occupation with science, wishing the best future for his son Felix,,... My only nurse ( Shelley 38 ) withlaughing blue eyes, dark eye-lashes and! Was very different from others and that people would never accept him as she patiently... Sufferings, the orphan nanny, is Frankenstein & # x27 ; purpose! Age and depression from the events that have happened 's story personage serves as a character - something does! Elizabeth raises Victors younger brothers as her own children created by him Elizabeth Lavenza, and tiredness pocket of costume! 24.99/Year as selected above adopted by Frankensteins family, 2023 he is largely a character. Interact by observing them becomes obsessed with the exception of his own self 2011. add/edit characters, writes! Trying to create a woman before feminism was not more than a caring and! 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