Frankenstein's Foil Characters

While reading Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, her use of foil characters became apparent when the main character of the novel, Victor Frankenstein, attends college. There, he is introduced to two professors, Krempe and Waldman, who were both well versed in natural philosophy and chemistry. However, these two characters acted as the contrast to the other. Krempe is condescending and unsupportive of Frankenstein’s devotion to philosophers such as Agrippa and Paracelsus, stating, “Every instant that you have wasted on those books is utterly and entirely lost. You have burdened your memory with exploded systems and useless names,” (Shelley, 26). Waldman acts the exact opposite. He is much more appreciative of Frankenstein’s devotion to the subject and interest in the history of it. Shelley than uses these two characters to introduce the creation of what the novel Frankenstein is really known for – the creature. Because of the mutual dislike between Krempe and Frankenstein, Victor begins to spend more time under the instruction of Waldman. Waldman’s interest in the subject is then what sparks Frankenstein’s desire to create such a monster. Because of her use of these two foil characters, Shelley was able to effectively set the path of the novel. Krempe and Waldman’s contrasting personalities were what led Frankenstein to choose a side, which in the end led to the creation of Frankenstein’s monster.