Where Does Clerval Fit In?

The men in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein undoubtedly have some issues. They're too involved with work, being one of them. Walton seems to love his sister so much, yet leaves her behind in order to seek fame and the North Pole. Victor Frankenstein says, in raising the monster, "I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation..." We see that Victor's passion to raise this creature from death made him neglect everything, and the four years prior, we know that he neglected his family in Sweden, not even sparing time in order to send them a single letter. Victor's father knows this ambition as well, putting off his marriage for as long as possible until he saw that his bride had no visible means of supporting herself. Also, his father demands that Victor write home, else "I regard any interruption in your correspondence as a proof that your other duties are equally neglected." Amongst their other qualities, blind ambition and scientific curiosity are those we see Mary Shelley give the men time and time again.

The women, however, seem to carry no fault. They are loyal, loving, and nurture beyond what they really should. Self-sacrificing comes to mind. Beyond that, the women - especially Elizabeth - are described as beautiful, or at least a picture of loveliness comes to mind. They are, so to speak, perfect women.

Then enters Clerval. He's a good friend of Victors, and when Victor falls ill for many months, it is Clerval who takes care of him. Specifically, we find that Clerval is Victor's nurturer, which Shelley has thus far reserved for the females of the story. Yet we also find that Clerval, going to Inglostadt to study, has the scientific passions of the men. Yet, Clerval has the ambition to see Victor through to health, ignoring his own need to study to see his friend get better.

This makes me wonder: where does Clerval fit in within the story of Frankenstein? He takes the characteristics of both the men and the women as the ambitious nurturer.