In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,
Victor becomes seriously ill after his creation of the monster. Henry Clerval, his old
friend, arrives in Ingolstadt at this point in the story and takes Victor's care upon
himself.
Once Victor begins to recuperate, he receives a
letter from Elizabeth, his adopted sister and sweetheart. Hearing news of home is like
an elixir, and he starts to become healthier even more
quickly.
The sight of his "apparatus" in his laboratory
haunts Victor, so Clerval has it removed. The close proximity to the location of his
experiments and work "fever" Victor's brain, so Clerval moves Victor to a new apartment.
When he is feeling better, Victor takes Clerval to the university to introduce him to
the teaching staff, but this is also difficult for him, reminding him of what he has
done. He longs to return home, but his journey is delayed because of weather,
etc.
To improve his spirits after the demoralizing effects
of creating the hideous creature—and realizing what a terrible mistake he has
made—Victor agrees to take a walking tour of the countryside with
Clerval.
...Henry proposed a pedestrian tour of the
environs of Ingolstadt, that I might bid a personal farewell to the country I had so
long inhabited. I acceded with pleasure to this proposition: I was fond of exercise, and
Clerval had always been my favourite companion in the rambles of this nature that I had
taken among the scenes of my native country...We passed a fortnight in these
perambulations: my health and spirits had long been restored, and they gained additional
strength from the salubrious air I breathed, the natural incidents of our progress, and
the conversation of my
friend.
This time with
Clerval brings back a joy that Victor had lost: joy in life, with the ability to laugh.
It is, however, a brief respite from further horror that awaits him at the hands of the
monster he has created.
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