Captain Walton Corruption

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Captain Walton’s corruption and failure of improvement through the attainment of knowledge is demonstrated through the perspective of philosophical and psychological connections. Captain Walton writes numerous letters to his sister when he and his crew were on their way to the North Pole to find a new land. The corruption of Captain Walton can be seen through his belief that life is all about power and fame, which he believed were the characteristics crucial to be well favored in the society. In the letter written by Captain Walton to his sister, he states, “ Do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose? My life might have been passed in ease and luxury, but I preferred glory to every enticement that weath placed in my path” (Shelley …show more content…

Captain’s search for the forbidden knowledge and the attempt to be popular was a part of his true self, where he was responsible for the outcomes of it. For example, when the ship was stuck in the ice, the sailors and captain were stuck in that cold where he was responsible to either turn his ship and leave or stay there in hope of the ship to move. But he chose to turn the ship, after realizing that he can be responsible for Victor’s death. Nonetheless, during his voyage to be famous, captain believes to find his inner true self which takes him to his psychological corruption. Despite of not having prior knowledge, Captain Walton presumed that he was capable to overcome any obstacles, he also supposed that his unpossessed knowledge was there to help him with his problems. This explains his psychological recognition of his egoistic self- enhancement. Egoistic is stated as, “entails an exaggerated self-worth with regard to agentic qualities, such as fearlessness, assertiveness, dominance, and intelligence” (Vecchione). Captain Walton’s voyage is corrupted by his egoistic indicative as he believes that with the basic information, he can be successful with his journey. Also, his belief that he is better than everyone else makes him go to North Pole to find his greater cause and meaning in life, to be famous. However, he may have started off with the knowledge of corruption, but later the attainment of knowledge did not improve him

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