"But in Clerval I saw the image of my former self; he was inquisitive, and anxious to gain experience and instruction." (pg 115)
In this novel, there are instances of characters that can be considered parallel and those that can be considered foils. At the beginning of Victor's narrative, it seems that he and Henry were parallel characters. Both were young, happy and carefree; however, as the story continues, we see a shift in this because of the changing personality of Victor. Victor becomes sad, depressed, withdrawn, lonely, and cares little about his work, family, or friends. Henry, on the other hand, stays much like he was in his younger years. He is caring, intrigued by the world, and loves life. The reason for this difference is the creation. Since Victor became consumed by all things about the monster (creating it, its creation, and consequences of creation), he greatly altered his own self, as well as his relationship with Henry. In the quote above, we see that Victor recognizes this shift and it saddens him as he reflects upon it. This loss of his previous is yet another thing he blames on the monster.
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