Mr. Kirwin
also known as magistrate
A magistrate in the small town where Victor Frankenstein landed after being swept out to sea in a storm; the townspeople told Victor he must give Mr. Kirwin an account of himself concerning a murder.
The magistrate of the Irish town where Victor Frankenstein landed after being swept out to sea, before whom Victor was brought over Clerval's murder. Despite eyeing Victor with initial severity and suspicion (heightened by his agitation at mention of the corpse's strangulation marks), Kirwin showed him great kindness — securing him the best prison room, a physician, and a nurse, writing to his father in Geneva after examining Victor's papers, visiting him with sympathy, and arranging witnesses and Victor's defence, which led to the charge being dismissed at the assizes.
Actions
- is a magistrate in the town where Victor landed. · revealed ch.24
- introduced Victor Frankenstein into his presence and looked upon him with some degree of severity. · revealed ch.25
- observed Victor's agitation when the mark of fingers on the corpse's neck was mentioned and drew an unfavourable augury from his manner. · revealed ch.25
- desired that Victor be taken into the room where the body lay for interment to observe the effect the sight would produce on him. · revealed ch.25
- showed Victor extreme kindness by causing the best room in the prison to be prepared for him and providing a physician and a nurse. · revealed ch.25
- seldom came to see Victor, though he ardently desired to relieve human suffering, because he did not wish to be present at the agonies of a murderer. · revealed ch.25
- entered Victor's prison apartment, expressed sympathy and compassion, and spoke to him in French. · revealed ch.25
- told Victor that evidence could easily be brought to free him from the criminal charge and that he would soon quit the prison. · revealed ch.25
- possessed knowledge of Victor's circumstances, having examined the papers on his person and written to his father in Geneva. · revealed ch.25
- regarded Victor's exclamation against seeing his father as a presumption of guilt and spoke in a severe tone. · revealed ch.25
- was surprised and pleased by Victor's change of manner upon learning his father had arrived. · revealed ch.25
- insisted that Victor's strength should not be exhausted by too much exertion during his father's visit. · revealed ch.25
- charged himself with every care of collecting witnesses and arranging Victor's defence for the assizes. · revealed ch.25
Nothing has been revealed about Mr. Kirwin yet at this point in the book.