The Foil that is Walton and the Sidekick That is Clerval

The characters, Walton and Clerval, are often equated as sidekick by their companionship to Victor Frankenstein. Both Clerval and Walton nursed Frankenstein back from health when Frankenstein is at his breaking point after Frankenstein encountered with the monster. Their trait to pursue knowledge and circumstance of being denied their pursuit by their background placed them below the superiority of Victor’s knowledge. Clerval being denied by his father to attend the prestigious University of Ingolstadt with Victor and Walton is denied his pursuit of knowledge by not having the resources at a young age. Walton once stated that “Now I am twenty-eight, and am in reality more illiterate than many schoolboys of fifteen” (16). Indeed, there are overlapping characteristics between Clerval and Walton, but the main difference between Clerval and Walton is how they reflect Frankenstein as a character. Clerval is the true sidekick to Victor Frankenstein. While Victor is caught up with the terror of his creation and not taking pleasure of the sceneries, Clerval enjoyed the sceneries. “[Clerval] felt as if he had been transported to Fairyland, and enjoyed a happiness seldom taste of man” (139). The true sidekick-hero relationship between Victor and Clerval comes after Clerval’s death. The monster murdered the sidekick as a warning to the hero, and the reaction of Victor to Clerval’s death further illustrates their dynamic. “The human frame could no longer support the agonies that I endured,” explaining that without his sidekick, Clerval, Victor will spiral down to his own destruction (158). Unlike Clerval, Walton demonstrates greater similarities when compared to Victor. Walton has the same passion to strive to find the “paradise of the Arctic” and “the Northern trade Route” that seems impossible, alike Victor’s quest to evade death. As a foil, Walton has one extreme difference that sets him and Victor: continuously keep in contact with his family. Walton, who continuously informed his sister of his journey allows Walton to have a balance in his passion for voyage but still have a humane aspect. This key attribute further differentiate the outcome of Victor and Walton, with Walton hopefully be successful in his journey and returns safely to his sister and Frankenstein dying in the middle of the Arctic. Being a foil, Walton highlights that with the pursuit knowledge, there is a need to have a connection with those you care for.