Arve

The Arve is the river whose ravine and valley Victor Frankenstein traverses on his journey to Chamounix in August, following the execution of Justine Moritz, and whose sounds and scenery provide a temporary, sublime counterweight to his overwhelming guilt and despair. Its rushing waters, rocky gorges, and the surrounding Alpine landscape become the setting for a crucial psychological transition, as Victor seeks to escape the memory of his crimes through the overwhelming power of nature.

The Journey into the Ravine of the Arve

Nearly two months after Justine's death, Victor, driven by a whirlwind of passion, suddenly leaves his home in Geneva and bends his steps toward the near Alpine valleys. He performs the first part of his journey on horseback, then hires a mule for the rugged roads. As he plunges deeper into the ravine of the Arve, the immense mountains and precipices that overhang him on every side, the sound of the river raging among the rocks, and the dashing of the waterfalls around him speak of a power mighty as Omnipotence. This sublime spectacle causes Victor to cease fearing or bending before any being less almighty than that which created and ruled the elements, now displayed in their most terrific guise. The weight upon his spirit is sensibly lightened as he ascends, and the valley assumes a more magnificent and astonishing character, with ruined castles hanging on the precipices of piny mountains and the impetuous Arve itself forming a scene of singular beauty.

The Arve and the Valley of Chamounix

Victor passes the bridge of Pelissier, where the ravine formed by the river opens before him, and he begins to ascend the mountain that overhangs it. Soon after, he enters the valley of Chamounix, which he finds more wonderful and sublime than the valley of Servox through which he had just passed. The high and snowy mountains are its immediate boundaries, and immense glaciers approach the road. Mont Blanc, the supreme and magnificent Mont Blanc, raises itself from the surrounding aiguilles, its tremendous dome overlooking the valley. A tingling, long-lost sense of pleasure often comes across Victor during this journey, as some turn in the road or some new object reminds him of days gone by and the lighthearted gaiety of boyhood. The very winds whisper in soothing accents, and maternal Nature bids him weep no more. Yet this kindly influence ceases to act, and he finds himself fettered again to grief, sometimes spurring on his animal to forget the world and himself, or in a more desperate fashion, throwing himself on the grass, weighed down by horror and despair.

The Arveiron and the Glacier

The following day, Victor stands beside the sources of the Arveiron, which take their rise in a glacier that slowly advances down from the summit of the hills to barricade the valley. The abrupt sides of vast mountains are before him, the icy wall of the glacier overhangs him, and the solemn silence of this glorious presence-chamber of imperial nature is broken only by the brawling waves or the fall of some vast fragment. These sublime and magnificent scenes afford Victor the greatest consolation he is capable of receiving, elevating him from all littleness of feeling and subduing and tranquillizing his grief. At night, the grand shapes he has contemplated during the day congregate around him in his slumbers, bidding him be at peace. But the next morning, all soul-inspiriting has fled with sleep, and dark melancholy clouds every thought. Despite the rain and thick mists, Victor resolves to ascend to the summit of Montanvert, remembering the effect the view of the tremendous and ever-moving glacier had produced upon his mind when he first saw it, filling him with a sublime ecstasy that gave wings to the soul.

Narrative Significance

The Arve and its surrounding landscape function as a crucial narrative device, providing Victor with a temporary respite from his psychological torment and a space for reflection. The sublime power of the river and mountains allows him to forget his ephemeral, human sorrows and to confront the magnitude of his actions. It is within this context of natural grandeur and isolation that the monster finds him, leading to their pivotal confrontation on the glacier. The Arve, therefore, is not merely a geographical feature but a symbolic threshold between Victor's domestic world of grief and the wild, supernatural realm where he must face the consequences of his creation.