Cumberland

Cumberland, a county in the northwest of England, appears in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a stage for a brief but significant interlude in Victor Frankenstein's journey. During his tour of England with Henry Clerval, Victor spends two months in Cumberland and the neighboring county of Westmorland, a period that offers a semblance of peace and a return to familiar natural beauty, yet remains haunted by the memory of his creation and the dread of the monster's vengeance. The region's lakes, mountains, and rocky streams evoke for Victor the landscapes of his native Switzerland, providing a bittersweet comfort that contrasts sharply with the desolation he carries within.

Setting and Context

Cumberland is introduced in the narrative as part of the itinerary that Victor and Clerval undertake after leaving London in late March. They travel through Windsor, Oxford, and Matlock before reaching the northern counties, with the intention of eventually arriving at Perth, Scotland, by the end of July. The journey is partly a diversion for Victor, who has agreed to create a female companion for the monster and seeks to delay the dreaded task. In Cumberland, Victor finds himself "almost fancy[ing]" he is among the Swiss mountains, as the little patches of snow lingering on the northern sides of the hills, the lakes, and the dashing of rocky streams are all "familiar and dear sights" to him. This resemblance to his homeland offers a temporary solace, yet it also underscores the distance from the peace he once knew.

The region's natural beauty is not merely a backdrop but an active presence in Victor's emotional state. The sublime scenery—mountains, lakes, and streams—echoes the Alpine landscapes that have previously stirred his soul, from the glaciers of Montanvert to the valley of Chamounix. In Cumberland, however, the beauty is on a lower scale, lacking the "crown of distant white Alps" that attends the piny mountains of Switzerland. This diminished grandeur mirrors Victor's own diminished spirit, as he struggles to find respite from the guilt and fear that pursue him.

Life and Activities in Cumberland

During their two months in Cumberland and Westmorland, Victor and Clerval make acquaintances who "almost contrive to cheat [Victor] into happiness." Clerval, in particular, thrives in this environment, his mind expanding in the company of men of talent, and he discovers in himself greater capacities and resources than he had imagined. He tells Victor, "I could pass my life here; and among these mountains I should scarcely regret Switzerland and the Rhine." This enthusiasm contrasts with Victor's more subdued experience; while he enjoys the scenery, his enjoyment is "embittered both by the memory of the past and the anticipation of the future." He describes himself as "a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul," a metaphor that captures his sense of irreparable damage.

Victor's time in Cumberland is also marked by his neglect of the promise to the monster. He has delayed the creation of the female companion, and he fears the consequences of this delay. He writes, "I had now neglected my promise for some time, and I feared the effects of the daemon's disappointment. He might remain in Switzerland and wreak his vengeance on my relatives." This anxiety torments him constantly, preventing him from fully enjoying the peace that the landscape offers. He waits for letters from Elizabeth and his father with "feverish impatience," and when they arrive, he hardly dares to read them, fearing news of disaster.

The Monster's Shadow

Even in the relative tranquility of Cumberland, the monster's presence looms over Victor. He sometimes thinks that the fiend follows him and might "expedite my remissness by murdering my companion." This fear leads him to cling to Clerval, following him "as his shadow, to protect him from the fancied rage of his destroyer." The region, despite its beauty, becomes a place of heightened anxiety, where the natural world's calm is undercut by Victor's internal turmoil. The contrast between the serene lakes and the "dense and frightful darkness" that Victor perceives around him—penetrated only by the "glimmer of two eyes"—highlights the psychological gulf between his external surroundings and his inner state.

The sublime landscapes of Cumberland, which might have offered consolation, instead serve to remind Victor of his own fallen state. He reflects on how, in his youth, the sight of natural beauty could always "interest my heart and communicate elasticity to my spirits," but now, he is "a miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity, pitiable to others and intolerable to myself." This self-awareness deepens his isolation, even as he travels through a region that should feel like home.

Departure and Aftermath

Victor and Clerval leave Cumberland when the time for their appointment with their Scottish friend approaches. Victor is "not sorry" to depart, as the fear of the monster's vengeance has made the region less a refuge than a place of waiting. They travel on to Edinburgh, where Victor's languid eyes and mind fail to appreciate the city's beauty, and then to Perth, where Victor decides to continue alone to the Orkney Islands to complete his dreadful work. The memory of Cumberland, with its fleeting moments of near-happiness, fades as Victor descends further into his tragic fate.

Cumberland thus stands as a poignant counterpoint in the novel: a place of natural beauty and potential peace that Victor cannot fully embrace, shadowed by the consequences of his ambition. It is a landscape that mirrors his Swiss home yet offers no lasting comfort, a testament to the inescapable nature of his guilt and the monster's relentless pursuit.