Question

Frankenstein:

"During my father's absence, I would vainly beguile my sorrow by conversing with old acquaintances, Walter and the blind Delacey, who had inhabited the cottage when I first knew it. But I had no longer a relish for their society, and was glad to see them depart. But in Caroline Beaufort, an angelic soul, the saintly soul of Elizabeth, and my own beloved and tender friends, I had still one being to regret and to mourn; for years had not made me forget the agony of my loss, and I cried myself to sleep by the sea-shore, thinking of her and the sweet child whom I had lost.

"But in Clerval I saw the image of my former self; he was inquisitive and anxious to gain experience and instruction. The difference of manners which he observed was to him an inexhaustible source of instruction and amusement. He was himself selected as the medium of these kindly attentions; his mild and gentle manners endeared him to all who knew him; and, when he quitted the university, it was felt by those who had become attached to him that he was leaving behind him a void in all their hearts which it would be impossible to fill.

"She [Victor's mother] was a woman of singular beauty and sweetness. Her death was an irreparable loss, and, to me, was rendered even more so by the manner in which it occurred. When I returned to my house, I found that the gardener had received orders to prepare for my immediate departure from the country.

"The necessity of leaving Paris, with my father, in a very few days, rendered it necessary that I should see him. I did see him, and we spoke; but I felt that I was not the person he loved. His fancy seemed to me to have lately turned towards Caroline Beaufort; and, from a veneration for this beautiful and amiable girl, he had ceased to attend to my murmurs. My parent was very much beloved, and deeply regretted by all his acquaintance; but he had not long survived his wife; he was confined to his bed for several weeks before his death, and was attended by Elizabeth, who spared no exertion to console him.

"The loss of Elizabeth was, for me, irreparable; my father's death, but an ashy-pale hue after the living radiance of my Elizabeth. Yet I resisted despondency, and, during the autumn of 1815, I quitted Geneva and entered on a wide and spacious field of enterprise in England. My life, as it passed thus, was indeed hateful to me; and it was during sleep alone that I could taste joy. But sleep brought no joy to me; it was on my eyes alone that it riveted sadness and mourning."
What is Victor's father's advice concerning a survivor's "duty" after the death of a loved one?

Answer 1

The provided texts do not explicitly mention Victor's father's advice regarding a survivor's duty after the death of a loved one, but they suggest that handling grief is a personal struggle.

Step-by-step explanation:

The provided excerpts from various texts do not contain explicit mention of Victor's father giving advice on a survivor's duty after the death of a loved one in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. However, they do touch on themes of grief, loss, and mourning.

Victor's reflections on his own experiences and observations of others' responses to loss suggest that dealing with grief is a deeply personal journey, often fraught with despondency and a yearning for solace from sorrow. The sentiment across these texts implies that a survivor's duty, if any, might be in preserving the memory of the loved one and finding a way to continue living despite the pain of loss.

Victor's father's advice concerning a survivor's "duty" after the death of a loved one is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.