Victor's best friend Henry wants to learn languages of the "Orient" (Persian, Arabic, and Sanscrit) most likely to travel there and be involved in trade of some kind. His occupational choice is quite realistic for the time setting and for Shelley's earlier description of Henry's father being a practical person. During the late 1700s, colonial expansion was flourishing, and Europeans were traveling far and wide for investment and trading purposes.
Victor mentions in Chapter 6 that Henry
"turned his eyes toward the East, as affording scope for his spirit of enterprise" (55).
In this description of Henry's pursuits, Shelley once again demonstrates Henry's Romantic tendencies versus Victor's scientific pursuits.
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