Essay Sample on Victor & Henry: Closest Friends in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Introduction

In the book "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, Henry Clerval is the closest and most sincere friend of Victor Frankenstein. The two of them grew up in Geneva. Victor considered Henry Clerval as his brother and child. Henry was discouraged by his father in several encounters from furthering his education since he wanted him to be the businessman for the family (Shelley 254). On the other hand, Victor pursued his dream of advancing in his education. In the book, Henry Clerval comes out as a compassionate and optimistic person who loves reading literature. The essay will discuss the role of Henry as Victor`s caregiver.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The Role of Henry Clerval as Victor Frankenstein's Caregiver

Henry Clerval`s character comes up in the second chapter when Victor Frankenstein describes him as an admirable person. In chapter five, the reader gets a better perception of Clerval after Victor made the monster. Victor is nostalgic in the fifth chapter, but the feeling disappears when he realizes that Clerval had begun schooling at Ingolstadt. Henry resides in Victor`s apartment when the latter suddenly becomes ill. The readers identify Henry`s good character as a real friend to Victor (Shelley 29). He abandons his education to nurse Victor back to stable health. Henry writes a letter to Victor family because the latter was not in a position of writing to his family. However, the letter does not inform the family about Victor`s illness since the news would make worry about his relatives. Also, Victor`s father was an old man, and the news would devastate him. This scene shows the compassionate and considerable nature of Henry Clerval since he was willing to sacrifice his education to take care of Victor. Later, Victor recovers from the illness. He travels to Geneva while in the company of Henry Clerval but they eventually part ways.

The Dynamic Relationship Between Victor Frankenstein and Henry Clerval

In the book, Henry has good qualities, and he is the only person who keeps Victor from becoming a monster. Victor describes Henry Clerval as a pinnacle of awesomeness and a person who has a "noble spirit" (Shelley 78). He also terms as a person who is perfectly humane and considerate in his kindness. From the description, Henry is full of generosity, passion and tenderness. He is the opposite of Victor who was turning to a monster. Although Henry is Victor`s caregiver, the two have different characters and personalities. Victor is passionate about science, but Henry is not interested in the same. He is more interested in being morally upright and in good relations with other people. Henry also has the desire of being famous for being an adventurous person of the human species. Henry protects Victor from being a monster by being fast in discerning latter`s sensations. However, Henry respects Victor`s privacy by failing to reveal Frankenstein secrets. Henry`s character and service to Victor make him famous and as a patron of arts (Shelley137). After reading the entire book, Victor Frankenstein can be regarded as a selfish person. He does not involve Henry in his decision despite being so close to him. Also, he does not engage him in his motive of creating an artificial person. However, Henry guesses about the possibility of having a catastrophic future. He respects the private space of Victor who is the scientist in this context.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Henry believes in the concepts of being passionate and helping others since he does not hold strong feelings. His characters in the book teach the reader about the effects of being blinded by fantasies. The readers are encouraged to be rigid and cunning instead of complying with the aspects of humanism.

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. "Frankenstein." Medicine and Literature, Volume Two. CRC Press, 2018.