Henry Clerval might just be the only thing keeping Victor from being a monster himself. Victor's childhood friend Henry is just the pinnacle of awesomeness. 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. And, unlike Victor, Henry has no interest in science.
He's into the "moral relations of things," a tricky phrase that means something like, "how to be a good person. He wants to be famous for being a "gallant and adventurous benefactor of our species" 2. In other words, he's our humanities guy. While Victor blows up his mom's garage with a chemistry set, Henry is reading superhero comics.
The nice superheroes. The message of her novel is that technology and science are both powerful tools and when using these tools for great power it can corrupt an individual leading to an evident downfall due. The creature says he will watch his progress, and leaves him.
He descends the mountain with a heavy heart, and returns to Geneva haggard. To save his family, Victor resolves to comply with the creature's wish. Analysis: The most important feature of this chapter is the manner in which Frankenstein is convinced to make another being. Throughout most of the conversation, the creature's tone is reasonable in the extreme.
By aligning his maliciousness with misery. Victor spent his childhood reading about Cornelius Agrippa, a scientist who engaged on the occult and the supernatural. In the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley presents a view of human nature that is largely positive so long as it does not wander into the dangerous realm of obsession.
She speaks of human endeavors and discoveries as being valuable and good. The discovery and contemplation of the natural world is a means by which characters find serenity and calm. Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that combines fiction, horror and Romanticism with a particular focus on the mysterious and supernatural aspects.
Gothic fiction originated in England during the latter half of the 18th century. This distinctive genre of literature soon developed into a 19th century phenomenon. After parting from Clerval on his departure for Ingolstadt, Victor does not see his friend until after the creation of the Creature: he arrives just in time to care for Victor in his first insane fever I After Frankenstein's recovery, Clerval convinces his father to allow him to join Frankenstein at the university, studying classical and Eastern languages:.
Clerval was no natural philosopher. His imagination was too vivid for the minutiae of science. Languages were his principal study; and he sought, but acquiring their elements, to open a field for self-instruction on his return to Geneva. Chapter five is the first instance that readers actually get to meet Henry Clerval. At first Henry thought that Victor was acting this way because he was excited that Henry was visiting him since they had not seen one another in such a long time.
However, because Henry cared enough about his friend and took the time to really examine the situation he realized that Victor was actually sick. Had Victor had his encounter with a casual acquaintance, chances are they would have thought his behavior was perhaps a little odd. And due to not knowing him very well, they would not have done anything about it. Luckily for Victor, Henry genuinely cares for him and is able to realize that he is ill.
Had Henry not have discovered that Henry is sick it is likely that Victor would have died shortly after this event.
The most obvious way that Henry exemplifies the theme of compassion is the actual act of taking care of Victor while he is unable to care for himself. It is important to keep in mind that Henry is supposed to be focusing on his studies at this time in his life; however, he is spending his time nursing his dear friend back to health. This would have to be frustrating. To be taking care of your friend for such a long period of time, then think that he is finally better, only to realize that he is still sick.
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.
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