Henry Clerval Character Analysis

Henry Clerval was a character with many traits that shaped him into the gentleman he was all through the book. Henry was one of Victor’s closest friends and was loved by the whole Frankenstein family. Mary Shelley the author of Frankenstein, did not create Henry as a perfect person. She gave him characteristics that showed how he was not a perfect human being, but an ordinary man that the readers could relate to. During the novel Frankenstein, Henry Clerval displayed how he was an optimistic, caring and ambitious person.

Throughout the story, Henry was very optimistic. When Victor heard about the death of his brother, William, he became depressed and was determined “to go instantly to Geneva” (Shelley, 73).When Victor was about to leave,

Henry tried to express to Victor that the death of William was not entirely an awful event. Henry Clerval told Victor that “[William] now sleeps with his angel mother” (Shelley, 73) and that “his suffering are at an end for ever” (Shelley, 74) Instead of mourning the loss of William, Henry tried to cheer up Victor by showing him the positive outlooks of William’s death. When Victor Frankenstein was depressed, Henry’s optimistic personality was always able to comfort Victor.
Henry did not only display his optimism, he also proved he could be a caring person. When Victor fell ill from the two years he spent in Ingolstadt creating the monster, Henry was there to nurse him back to health. When Henry saw “a wildness in [Victor’s] eyes” (Shelley, 61) he did not run away in fear. He stayed and became Victor’s “kind and attentive nurse” (Shelley, 62) Henry was able to restore Victor back to health by caring for him and by not losing hope that he will become his self again.
Henry Clerval always thought about his friends and family but he never forgot about himself and all his goals in life.

He was a very ambitious person who created big dreams for himself. Growing up, Henry had many unique talents and “loved enterprise, hardship and even danger, for its own sake” (Shelley, 37) Henry enjoyed reading books about chivalry and romance which influenced him into composing many tales of enchantment and knightly adventures. He had a passion for adventure, therefore “his dream was to become one among those whose names are recorded in story, as a gallant and adventurous benefactors of [their] species.” (Shelley, 38) He created goals that seemed nearly impossible but every day he strived to reach them. He never let the thought of failure bring him down.

Henry Clerval played an important role in the life of Victor. He was Victor’s anchor and prevented him from turning into a monster himself. He reacted to events in the book like any other human being would have reacted. His optimistic, caring and ambitious traits made Henry seem like a realistic person. He did not create the monster nor did he find a solution to the Victor’s problems, but he was a true friend to Victor and stayed true to himself throughout the

book.