"My dear Frankenstein," exclaimed he, "how glad I am to see you! How fortunate that you should be here at the very moment of my alighting!"
Chapter 5 · Henry Clerval
Context
Henry Clerval greets Victor enthusiastically after arriving in Ingolstadt by coach, expressing delight at the coincidence of finding Victor at the inn at that exact moment.
Analysis
Clerval's exclamatory tone and repetition ("how glad," "How fortunate") convey unguarded warmth and social ease, establishing him through dialogue rhythm as Victor's emotional opposite—open where Victor is secretive, cheerful where Victor is tormented. The language is entirely free of the Gothic vocabulary that saturates Victor's narration, and this tonal shift signals that Clerval represents a world of normal human connection that Victor has abandoned.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Shelley positions Clerval as a foil to Victor—his simple, affectionate language contrasts with Victor's tortured rhetoric and reminds the reader of the ordinary human life Victor has sacrificed in pursuit of his obsessive goal.