Essay On The Role Of Henry Clerval In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Henry Clerval serves as one of Victor’s few friends throughout the novel. He is first introduced as Victor’s best friend from his childhood and someone he could explore nature and the mysteries of the world with. He reappears later in Ingolstadt where he nurses Victor, who had become ill after months of indefatigable work on his creation of the monster. Later in the novel, he accompanies Victor on his journey to England, where he is murdered by the monster. Overall, Henry’s role of being a happy and uplifting parallel to Victor in the beginning of the novel later gives us insight to Victor’s despondent and secretive nature, which is essential to the story because it emphasizes the negative impact the monster has on Victor.
At the beginning of the novel, Henry serves as an emotional counterpart to Victor. The two have spent their whole lives together and are essentially best …show more content…
After not complying with the monster’s request of creating a companion for him, Victor’s anger once again causes him to be oblivious to the inevitable danger he has created to those close to him, especially Henry. It is not until he actually sees Henry’s body that he realizes what he has done. “I saw the lifeless form of Henry Clerval stretched before me. I gasped for breath, and throwing myself on the body, I exclaimed, ‘have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry, of life? Two I have already destroyed; other victims await their destiny; but you, Clerval, my friend, my benefactor’”(Shelley 191). Until now, this is the epitome of the despair the monster has caused Victor. Henry’s friendliness, positivity, and happiness all ended up with him being slain as an innocent bystander by the monster. Although it may seem as if there is enough tragedy in Victor’s life, Shelley includes this part as a consequence to his secrecy and obsession with the monster while disregarding all other facets of
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