The Magistrate.
The character of Mr. Kirwin has been a source of great confusion for me. He appears twice. His first appearance is during the trial of Victor. Given that he speaks Victor's native language, he hears Victor's "real" story. At this point though, I do not think Mr. Kirwin completely understands what is meant by the term "fiend". When Victor awakens from his apparent insanity, it seems as though the magistrate knows everything. "As Mr. Kirwin said this, notwithstanding the agitation I endured on this retrospect of my sufferings, I also felt considerable surprise at the knowledge he seemed to possess concerning me" (Shelley, 132). From this, the reader concludes that the magistrate has learned about Victor's case and somehow believes it. Yet when Victor asks for help in searching for the creature, the magistrate seems to express some doubt in Victor's story. He claims they cannot search for him because he seems unobtainable, but the reader can still infer a sense of disbelief coming from Mr. Kirwin. Therefore, whether or not the magistrate knows about the creature is ambiguous.
No comments:
Post a Comment