What happens in Chapter 19 of Frankenstein?
Victor and Henry Clerval arrive in London, where Victor uses letters of introduction to consult natural philosophers for the information he needs to keep his promise to the creature. After several months, they get an invitation from a Scottish acquaintance in Perth and decide to take a scenic northern route through Windsor, Oxford, Matlock, and the Cumberland lakes before heading to Scotland. They leave London on March 27, spending time in Windsor's forest, then in Oxford, where they admire the colleges, the river Isis, and sites related to Charles I and the patriot Hampden. At Matlock, the scenery reminds Victor of Switzerland, but the mention of Chamounix disturbs him. Two months spent in Cumberland and Westmorland provide some relief. In Edinburgh, Clerval is enchanted, but Victor feels restless. In Perth, Victor tells Clerval that he wants to explore Scotland alone for a month or two, asking him not to interfere. Clerval reluctantly agrees and encourages Victor to write to him often. Victor then travels to the remote Orkney Islands, choosing a nearly barren rock with three dreary huts, renting the vacant one. There, he works each morning on creating the female creature and walks the stony beach in the evenings. As his work progresses, it becomes increasingly horrifying to him; unlike his first experiment, he now works "in cold blood," his heart sinking at his own hands. He lives in fear of encountering the creature and ends the chapter with anxious, foreboding hope.
Analysis
Chapter 19 unfolds like a journey that moves both northward through the landscape and inward into Victor's psyche. Told from Victor's first-person perspective, the chapter contrasts Clerval's boundless joy with Victor's increasing sorrow. Clerval serves as a reflection of Victor's former self — "inquisitive and anxious to gain experience and instruction" — making Victor's current decline starkly apparent. The imagery throughout the chapter consistently depicts decay: Victor likens himself to "a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul," a powerful image of destruction set against the beautiful scenery the travelers encounter. Each stunning location — from the spires of Oxford mirrored in the Isis to the Cumberland lakes and the Swiss-like highlands — briefly lifts Victor's spirits before dragging him back into despair, creating a rhythm of highs and lows that culminates in the Orkney hut, where beauty is completely absent. The Orkney landscape — a desolate rock, shabby huts, and gaunt residents — mirrors Victor's inner turmoil. Additionally, the chapter explores themes of surveillance and guilt: Victor follows Clerval "as his shadow" to protect him, anxiously awaits letters, and fears to look up on the island, worried he might see the creature. The shift from Victor's initial experiment, described as "a kind of enthusiastic frenzy," to his current work done "in cold blood" signals a pivotal change in how he perceives himself, deepening the chapter's tone from sadness to dread.
Key quotes from Chapter 19
“But I am a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul; and I felt then that I should survive to exhibit what I shall soon cease to be—a miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity”
Victor reflects on his ruined inner life while admiring the beauty of Oxford, contrasting his youthful happiness with his present condition.
“During my first experiment, a kind of enthusiastic frenzy had blinded me to the horror of my employment … But now I went to it in cold blood, and my heart often sickened at the work of my hands.”
Victor compares his original creation of the creature to his current labour on the female creature in his Orkney hut.
“I had rather be with you,” he said, “in your solitary rambles, than with these Scotch people, whom I do not know; hasten, then, my dear friend, to return”
Clerval speaks to Victor at Perth, expressing reluctance to be separated from him.
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- superscription
- The name and address written on the outside of a letter or package, identifying who it is from or to whom it is sent.