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. He offers the highly sane advice that Victor should write to his family if he feels up to it. Does Frankenstein learn from his mistake in creating the Monster? on 50-99 accounts. 1. March 20, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/lit/study-guide-on-frankenstein/characters/. Frankenstein describes Clerval as a boy. Henry is compassionate, optimistic, and had a love for reading and literature. Her death is the first tragedy in Frankensteins family. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Agatha De Lacey; Alphonse Frankenstein; Caroline Frankenstein; Daniel Nugent; Elizabeth Lavenza Frankenstein But after much convincing, Henry sets out to Ingolstadt, where Victor studied, to pursue his dream of furthering his education. Elizabeth is perhaps the primary example of the abandoned child in the novel, which is populated by many orphans and makeshift families. He did not know good from evil, could not talk, and had no understanding of his own self. Henry Clerval Victor's best friend who helps Victor in his time of need. Elizabeth is a stunningly beautiful and remarkably pure girl whom Victor's mother adopts. The hero is not interested in science, trying to do the right things. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. After spending his adolescence reading outdated theories on alchemy and the philosophers stone, Frankenstein goes to university, where he succeeds in germinating life. Victor finds the disappearance of his monster a source of joy and falls down in a fit of exhaustion from the release of anxiety over his creation. The reader encounters his description in Elizabeths letter to Victor. 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. Victor states, It was my temper to avoid a crowd, and to attach myself fervently to a few. In framing the story, he serves as a proxy for the reader. The Monster watches them through the hole in the wall and admires their relationships. Henry Clerval; Minor characters. How does Frankenstein figure out that the Monster killed William? Clerval is first described as a boy who loved "enterprise, hardship and even danger, for its own sake." This presents the conflict between Romanticism and the Enlightenment, but also Shelley suggests that Romanticism may be superior. 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. There are four children in his family, including Elizabeth Lavenza, who is Alphonse Frankensteins adopted daughter. Henry embodies the passive beauty, selflessly believing in genius. However, his personality traits would not be so significant if they did not serve as a foil to demonstrate Frankensteins shortcomings. He awakes from the nightmare and goes directly to the laboratory to see his creation. Henry Clerval He loved enterprise, hardship and even danger, for its own sake. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# You Are One Click Away From Getting Your Work Done, Victor Frankenstein Is To Blame Mary Shelly Frankenstein. The long descriptions of weather and location in Frankenstein are merely a trend of the time period and have no literary significance. This you alone can do, and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede., It is well. Excited and disgusted at "the monster" he had created, he runs from the apartment. Robert finds Victor Frankenstein near death, listens to his tale, and records it in letters to his sister Margaret Saville. 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. Victor describes him as having a "noble spirit," of being "perfectly humane, so thoughtful in his generosity, so full of kindness and tenderness amidst his passion" (2.5)in other words, almost the exact opposite of Victor himself. It is noteworthy that the creature Frankenstein managed to animate through a mysterious chemical experiment does not have a name. Students can find summaries, famous quotes, essay topics, prompts, samples, and all sorts of analyses (characters, themes , symbolism, etc.). He nurses him when Victor is ill, supports him when he is lost, and accompanies him to England. 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. Characters: Clerval. Why? 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. The Enlightenment bears overreaching, whereas Romanticism leads to "sensibility" and control of even a "wild imagination". Also, William's death signals for the reader the end of Victor's belief that his actions can have no consequences. Frankenstein is well composed as they conduct him toward the room in which the body has been laid; he has an unassailable alibi for the time that the body was found. His cheerfulness counters Victors moroseness. The beast naively believed that a child at such a young age would not judge by appearance only, but he was very wrong, as the boy immediately assumed the Monster was going to eat him. February 28, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 "Characters." March 20, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/lit/study-guide-on-frankenstein/characters/. Her mother died and her father abandoned her, so the Frankenstein family adopted her when she was just a child. He grew up in a prosperous Swiss family, surrounded by love and care. He demonstrates the importance of empathy and society, and as his character deteriorates into cruelty, he stands as an example of what can happen when the basic human need for connection is not fulfilled. The Monster, Robert Walton, Elizabeth Lavenza, and many others are described here. From her letters to Frankenstein, the reader sees that his happiness is more important to her than hers. Renews March 7, 2023 If only Victor shared his secret with Clerval, many of the following tragedies could have been avoided. Clerval's words, though innocent and earnest, now sound dangerously ambitious and nave. Although tall and enormously strong, the Monster came to life helpless and confused. What does the creature learn from this interaction? 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. IvyPanda, 20 Mar. Want 100 or more? 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. Please wait while we process your payment. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% (2022, March 20). Frankensteins character analysis suggests that his ambitions and passion for knowledge caused his downfall. Need Custom Character Analysis Sample With Quotes or Maybe Help With Editing? He explains the cause as "I imagined that the monster seized me; I struggled furiously and fell down in a fit.". -Graham S. A young woman who the Frankensteins adopt at the age of 12. Read an in-depth analysis of Henry Clerval. Clerval - "How sincerely you did love me, and endeavour to elevate my mind until it was on a level with your own!". Big mistake. (2022, March 20). Clerval shares Frankenstein's central personality trait: ambition. He wanders the streets of Ingolstadt until Henry Clerval finds him in poor condition. Why is Walton trying to reach the North Pole? Elizabeth Lavenza Character Analysis. He is incredibly sympathetic and in touch with he emotions, and was able to "elevate" Victors mind. He is obsessed with scientific achievement and glory, which drives him to discover the secret of manifesting life. Henry Clerval is Frankensteins best friend and a positive character. Clerval is perceptivehe's "always quick in discerning the sensations of others" (6.15)but he respects his friend's privacy and "never attempt[s] to draw [his] secret" (6.15). Out in the mountains, the monster finds Frankenstein and asks him for a female companion. Ace your assignments with our guide to Frankenstein! . Frankenstein Summary and Analysis of Chapters 5-8. Henry Clerval Victor's boyhood friend, who nurses Victor back to health in Ingolstadt. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Through the story of an alienated monster and his ambitious creator, Shelley raises themes such as familial loss, the search for belonging, and the cost of ambition. Walton picks the bedraggled Victor Frankenstein up off the ice, helps nurse him back to health, and hears Victors story. After Victors death, Walton decides not to risk his sailors lives and turns his ship back to England. 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. Henry and Victor return to Victor's apartment to find the monster gone. As adults, Frankenstein and Elizabeth reveal their romantic love for each other, and get engaged to be married. Unlike Victor, from early childhood, he was not interested in science. Alphonse Frankenstein Victor's father. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. 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. IvyPanda. 4 appearance(s) of Henry Clerval (Earth . Your privacy is extremely important to us. 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. (one code per order). People despised and feared him for his appearance. The pair returns to Victor's apartment to find the monster gone. "Characters." Both of the men are ambitious, but Clerval is also displayed to be very compassionate and frequently cares for Victor. 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. 2022, ivypanda.com/lit/study-guide-on-frankenstein/characters/. If the monster is the epitome of ugliness, that Henry is his polar opposite, at least in the looks department which, if you've spent any time with Victor Frankenstein, you know is the most important aspect of any person. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. March 20, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/lit/study-guide-on-frankenstein/characters/. He devotes all his time his studies, sacrificing his health and his relationships for his ambition. He always admired the professors genius and inexhaustible imagination, detracting from own talents. Victor's sister by adoption, and later his wife. whose work does victor pursue in his reading . Believe me, Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? Below is a Frankenstein character map that describes the novels main characters and their relationships. Teachers and parents! Henry Clerval becomes his foil: a joyous, curious, yet ambitious individual poised to venture on an scholarly adventure analogous to Frankenstein's. These differing personalities reveal a subtle disconnect in their friendship . Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Unable to cope with such a tragic loss, Alphonse died of grief in Victors hands. The monster learns how to speak and interact by observing them. Clerval - loving "enterprise, hardship and even danger". The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. . At the beginning of the book, Frankenstein appears to be an enthusiastic young man, fascinated with science and secrets of nature. However, William is terrified of the ugly creature. At the age of 6, he becomes the first victim of the Monster. Still, he had yet to encounter the horrors of what the pursuit of knowledge could bring. In chapter two readers learn that Victor liked to be alone with the exception of his family and one friend, Henry. Ace your assignments with our guide to Frankenstein! If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. bookmarked pages associated with this title. (one code per order). for a group? Character Description; Victor Frankenstein: Frankenstein is the scientist who created the Monster. Ingolstadt. Walton and Frankenstein have a lot in common. Pearson, Julia. Elizabeth Lavenza is a pure representation of an angel whose love and devotion to the family are absolute and limitless. 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. 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