Frankenstein, Chapter 21 summary
Chapter 21 of 28 · Part 2 · 15 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 21, the narrator discovers that the murder victim is Henry Clerval, collapses into a prolonged fever, and receives help from Mr. Kirwin and his father. Evidence clears him of the charge, but grief and fear persist as he leaves Ireland determined to protect his family and destroy the creature.
What happens
- Witnesses describe a strangled body and a solitary boatman, leading Mr. Kirwin to test the narrator's reaction to the corpse.
- The narrator recognizes Henry Clerval, suffers convulsions, and spends two months dangerously ill in prison.
- Mr. Kirwin arranges care and contacts the narrator's father, whose arrival comforts him during his recovery.
- Evidence placing the narrator in the Orkney Islands causes the grand jury to reject the indictment, securing his release.
- Despite despair and attempts to end his life, the narrator resolves to return home and protect his loved ones.
- He sails from Ireland with his father, takes extra laudanum, and wakes from a nightmare of the creature strangling him.
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In this chapter
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What evidence clears the narrator of the murder charge?
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