Chapter 21 Practice Quiz — Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 21
Who is the magistrate that Victor is brought before in Chapter 21?
Mr. Kirwin, an old benevolent man with calm and mild manners.
What do the fishermen find on the beach?
The body of a handsome young man, about twenty-five years old, who has been strangled with black finger marks on his neck.
What key witness testimony links Victor to the crime?
Daniel Nugent swears he saw a boat with a single man, matching Victor’s boat, near the shore just before the body was discovered.
Who is the murder victim in Chapter 21?
Henry Clerval, Victor’s closest friend and traveling companion.
What does Victor cry out when he sees Clerval’s body?
"Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry, of life? Two I have already destroyed; other victims await their destiny."
How long does Victor’s fever last after seeing Clerval’s body?
Two months. He raves about being the murderer of William, Justine, and Clerval.
Why can only Mr. Kirwin understand Victor’s fevered ravings?
Because Victor speaks in his native language (French/German), and Mr. Kirwin is the only one present who understands it.
Who comes to visit Victor in prison?
His father, Alphonse Frankenstein, who traveled from Geneva after Mr. Kirwin wrote to the family.
Why is Victor acquitted of the murder charge?
The grand jury rejects the bill because evidence proves Victor was on the Orkney Islands at the time Clerval’s body was found.
How long is Victor imprisoned before the assizes?
Three months in total before he travels nearly a hundred miles to the county town for court.
Where do Victor and his father sail to after leaving Ireland?
Havre-de-Grace (Le Havre), France, on their way back to Geneva.
What drug does Victor take nightly after his recovery?
Laudanum (an opium tincture). On the ship departing Ireland, he takes a double dose.
How does the hired nurse treat Victor during his illness?
With callous indifference. She bluntly tells him it would be better if he were dead, since he is accused of murder.
How does Mr. Kirwin show kindness to Victor despite suspecting him of murder?
He provides the best room in the prison, arranges a physician and nurse, and writes to Victor’s family in Geneva.
How does Victor’s wrongful imprisonment parallel an earlier event in the novel?
It mirrors Justine Moritz’s wrongful accusation and imprisonment for William’s murder, highlighting the theme of flawed justice.
What does the prison symbolize in Chapter 21?
Victor’s psychological imprisonment by guilt. He says a dungeon or a palace are equally hateful, showing his internal torment transcends physical surroundings.
What vision haunts Victor even after his acquittal?
A "dense and frightful darkness" pierced only by two glaring eyes—sometimes Clerval’s dying eyes, sometimes the Creature’s watery eyes from Ingolstadt.
What dramatic irony occurs when Victor is taken to view the corpse?
Victor feels "perfectly tranquil" because he has an alibi, not knowing the victim is Clerval. The reader senses the impending horror.
What rhetorical question does Victor ask about his own survival?
"Of what materials was I made that I could thus resist so many shocks?"—a bitter echo of his Creature’s unnatural construction.
How does Shelley use pathetic fallacy at the chapter’s end?
The midnight sea crossing with dashing waves and cloudy skies mirrors Victor’s inner turmoil and despair as he reflects on his ruined life.