Frankenstein's departure for Ingolstadt

Victor Frankenstein's departure from Geneva for the University of Ingolstadt is the hinge on which the entire tragedy turns. It is the moment the young scholar, raised in a home of exceptional warmth and privilege, steps out of the protective circle of his family and into the intellectual world that will consume him. The journey is not merely a change of location; it is the first severing of the domestic bonds that had defined his life, and it occurs under the shadow of a recent, profound loss that has already altered the family's emotional landscape.

Background and Immediate Circumstances

Victor's departure had been planned for some time. His father, Alphonse Frankenstein, had resolved that his son should complete his education abroad, believing it necessary for Victor to become acquainted with customs beyond those of his native country. The plan was to send him to the University of Ingolstadt, a decision that would prove catastrophic. However, before the day of departure could arrive, the first great misfortune of Victor's life occurred: his beloved cousin and future wife, Elizabeth Lavenza, fell dangerously ill with scarlet fever. Caroline Beaufort, Victor's mother, insisted on nursing Elizabeth despite all entreaties to refrain. Elizabeth recovered, but Caroline contracted the fever and died. Her death, and the period of mourning that followed, delayed Victor's journey. He obtained a respite of some weeks from his father, feeling it sacrilege to leave the house of mourning so soon. He was unwilling to quit the sight of those who remained, and above all, he desired to see Elizabeth in some degree consoled. Elizabeth, for her part, veiled her grief and strove to act as comforter to the family, devoting herself to those she called her uncle and cousins. The day of departure at length arrived.

The Farewell

The final evening before Victor's journey was spent in the company of his closest friend, Henry Clerval. Clerval had desperately tried to persuade his own father to allow him to accompany Victor to Ingolstadt as a fellow student, but his father, a narrow-minded trader, saw only idleness and ruin in his son's aspirations. Henry deeply felt the misfortune of being debarred from a liberal education. The two friends sat late, unable to tear themselves away from each other, unable to say the word "Farewell!" When they finally parted under the pretence of seeking repose, each fancied that the other was deceived. But at dawn, when Victor descended to the carriage that was to convey him away, they were all there: his father again to bless him, Clerval to press his hand once more, and Elizabeth to renew her entreaties that he would write often and to bestow the last feminine attentions on her playmate and friend.

The Journey and State of Mind

Victor threw himself into the chaise and indulged in the most melancholy reflections. He, who had always been surrounded by amiable companions, was now alone. In the university, he would have to form his own friends and be his own protector. His life had been remarkably secluded and domestic, and this had given him an invincible repugnance to new countenances. He loved his brothers, Elizabeth, and Clerval—these were his "old familiar faces"—but he believed himself totally unfitted for the company of strangers. Yet as he proceeded, his spirits and hopes rose. He ardently desired the acquisition of knowledge. He had often thought it hard to remain cooped up in one place during his youth and had longed to enter the world and take his station among other human beings. Now his desires were being complied with. The journey itself was long and fatiguing, but at length the high white steeple of Ingolstadt met his eyes. He alighted and was conducted to his solitary apartment to spend the evening as he pleased.

Consequences and Significance

The departure from Geneva is the first step in Victor's physical and intellectual separation from the domestic sphere that had nurtured him. It is also the moment when the latent ambition that had been stirred by his childhood reading of Cornelius Agrippa and the thunderstorm at Belrive is given institutional direction. The very next morning, he would deliver his letters of introduction and, guided by what he later calls the "Angel of Destruction," would first encounter M. Krempe, the professor of natural philosophy, and then the inspiring M. Waldman, whose lecture on modern chemistry would ignite the fatal purpose that would lead to the creation of the monster. The departure is thus the threshold between the innocent, beloved youth and the obsessive, isolated creator. It is the point of no return, after which the domestic happiness of the Frankenstein family begins its irreversible unraveling, a process that will culminate in the deaths of William, Justine, Clerval, Elizabeth, and Alphonse himself. The journey to Ingolstadt is the beginning of the end.