How did you react to the two characters introduced in this section? Explain.
The two characters introduced during the letters section in the book are Robert Walton and the stranger who came onto his crew. Robert Walton is sending letters to his sister, which indicate he is on a voyage to the North Pole and how ambitious he is to be the first to sail there. During his journey, an unknown man boards his ship. My initial reaction to Walton was that he seemed to be very ambitious, but also a clear example of a romantic character. Additionally, he searches for someone who is in able to share his ambitions and romantic characteristics. My reaction to the stranger who boards the ship was that he seemed helpless at first until he was in a less fragile
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What is he searching for? What is his attitude toward his quest? What do these details suggest to you about his character?
Robert Walton is the narrator of letters 1-4 located at the beginning of the novel. He describes himself as a very ambitious, courageous, and sensitive man who is searching for the North Pole. Walton appears to be very excited and motivated to embarking on his voyage which suggests how he is a very committed and ambitious character who is hopeful, excited, confident and an adventurous explorer.
In his letter to his sister, what does Walton say he longs for? Why do you think Walton feels lonely even though he is on board a ship with a full crew? In his letters to his sister, Walton stresses how he wants and longs for a companion to share his need for a friendship that would also be a romantic interest, who could help elaborate his thoughts and his opinions. Throughout the letters, he describes to his sister how although a full crew, he feels too sophisticated to find comfort in his shipmates and too uneducated to find a sensitive
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Why do you think Walton is attracted to the stranger? Walton responds to the stranger in a welcoming and friendly way, and after inviting him aboard his ship, they develop a blossoming friendship. Walton appears to be attracted to the stranger because he is interesting and is filled with stories of adventure that interest Walton. Walton and the stranger bond because they both find similarities in their personalities. Both individuals appear to be outcasts, but Walton sees this individual as a possible companion.
Why is the poem The Ancient Mariner important to Walton? How is the stranger similar to the ancient mariner? What mood does Shelley create by alluding to this poem?
The poem The Ancient Mariner is important to Walton because the sailor in the poem is going to polar regions and not respecting nature during its journey. The stranger is similar to the ancient mariner because they both have suffered tragedy, and now have a story as a result. The wedding guests in the poem can be related to Walton, while the unknown man represents the mariner. The author, Shelley, creates an enchanted and mysterious
His great many journeys tell interesting stories, and each encounter he has is a learning experience for both the protagonist and the reader. Comparatively, the narrator in ‘The Stranger” starts the novel off by visiting the vigil of his deceased mother, who was put in what is essentially a modern equivalent of a retirement home. He spends most of the novel drifting around to different locations, and has a few life changing experiences, but never changes his character. The narrator is mostly just and apathetic man who occasionally comments on nature of other people around him. To provide and example of his apathy, an interaction with his lover: “A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn't mean anything but that I didn't think so. She looked sad. But as we were fixing lunch, and for no apparent reason, she laughed in such a way that I kissed
Walton reiterates his loneliness; even though he is surrounded by people on his ship, he “[has] no friend” (Shelley 7-8). Contributing to this feeling of isolation, Walton uses a tone of depression in his letters, a recurring feeling he experiences. He hints in nearly every letter clues indicating his fear of death. He wants his sister to “remember [him] with affection; should [she] never hear from [him] again” (Shelley 10). By constantly mentioning the possibility of his own death in his letters, Shelley stresses Walton’s overvalued worry of dying. Walton longs to see his sister; his mental condition leads him to even consider himself abandoned. Walton admits that success during this mission will lead to “many, many months, perhaps years” before they would meet again; however, failure results in either quick departure for home, or death (Shelley 6). Whether he succeeds or fails, he will have negative results. These constant recurrences emphasize the validity of his mental illness. As he develops the mental disease, Walton creates a world that makes sense in his mind, and his mind alone; he “[lives] in a Paradise of [his] own creation” with characters whom spawn from his own psyche (Shelley 5).
...arding their personal experience with loneliness. In the end, the novel comes to say that humans are most happy when they are able to confide in others for protection and advice.
I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate of my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain me in dejection” (Shelley 4). Robert Walton has a plan to set sail and seek the unknown and more knowledge, as does Victor later in the story. However, Walton feels very lonely on this trip and separates himself from the crewmembers. He wants a friend to accompany him on this journey to find new trade routes, although he does not try with the crewmembers he just sees them as below his class so to speech. Until they recue Victor from the water. Once Victor enters the ship Walton and him instantly connect. This is because they both strive for the same thing knowledge and the unknown, while Scrooge strives for money. Victor is also interested in learning about the world as he states, “The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine. Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations that I
story, first impressions, what he thinks of himself, what others think of him, and what
, how it drowns to his attention how much he had longed for his sister/future wife to be. Yet he never felt so lonely whilst within her company. Whether it was the fact that the burning desire driven him away. Or just his sheer highly intelligent curiosity got in the way of settling for second best.
social status. When the narrator, Nick first moves to town, he decides to hang out with his old
My introduction : Throughout the novel, many are lonely. Of the characters, Curley's wife, Crooks and Candy all show signs of desperate loneliness, though they respond quite differently. Each is isolated because of special mistreatment. Because Crooks is black, he is shunned and separated from the other men. He spends most of his time in his room, alone and bitter. Curley's wife also spends her days hounded by her mean, spirited husband; her attempts to reach out to the other men backfire and win the the undeserved reputation of a flirt. Candy has a disadvantage being handicap, and he has an unconditional love for an old and feeble and after his dog is shot he looks for new companionship. Throughout the characters of Curley's wife, Crooks and Candy, Steinbeck proves that one can be lonely, even if he's constantly surrounded by people.
This theme is apparent from the opening letters from the ship captain to his sister in which the captain writes, "I have but one want which I have never yet been able to satisfy ... I have no friend" (Shelley 7). The captain is about to embark on his life's dream of sailing to the North Pole; he has a good crew and a fine ship but still wants a friend to share the excitement with. ...
This is evident from the opening sentence of the narrator of the novel, Walton, who is writing to his sister in England while he is on an expedit...
The first character that we are introduced to is R. Walton. He is on a ship with many deck hands and crewmembers, but in his letter to Margaret, his sister, he states, "I have no friend. Even when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain to me dejection." Although Walton has a boat full of men, he still feels lonely and friendless, and wishes he had a male companion to sympathize with him. Perhaps the reason that he feels this way is that he is looking for a different type of friend than what these tough sailors can offer. "I spoke of my (Walton) desire of finding a friend, of my thirst for a more intimate sympathy with a fellow mind than had ever fallen to my lot."
As the ancient Mariner described his adventures at sea to the Wedding-Guest, the Guest became saddened because he identified his own selfish ways with those of the Mariner. The mariner told the Guest that he and his ship-mates were lucky because at the beginning of their voyage they had good weather. The mariner only saw what was on the surface -- he did not see the good weather as evidence that Someone was guiding them. Also, when he shot the Albatross, the Mariner did not have any reason for doing so. The Albatross did nothing wrong, yet the Mariner thought nothing of it and without thinking of the significance of the act, he killed the bird. At this, the Guest was reminded of how self-absorbed he, too, was, and the sinful nature of man. At the beginning of the poem he was very much intent on arriving at the wedding on time. He did not care at all about what it was that the Mariner had to tell him; he did not want to be detained even if the Mariner was in trouble. Instead, he spoke rudely to the mariner, calling him a "gray-beard loon", and tried to go on his own way.
[1]Samuel Taylor Coleridge author of the lyrical ballad Rime of the ancient Mariner, tells a story of three men; wedding guest who are on their way to a wedding, but is stopped by an old sailor; with his hypnotic eyes caught the attention of the guest and tells a story of his disastrous voyage. [2]Coleridge combines striking images with elements of allusions to create assorted tones throughout the poem.
The next character introduced is the narrator. He is both complex and interesting. He thinks he is not crazy. As he goes out of his way to prove that his is not insane, he does the exact opposite. His relationship with the old man is unknown. However, he does say he loves the old man. “I loved the old man.” (Poe 1).
English explorer, Robert Walton, is another character used by Mary Shelley to contribute to the theme. The readers meet Robert Walton at the very beginning of the book with the letters. Robert, like Victor, has this strong desire to pursue further knowledge. He wants to discover the world and find places that have never been discovered by humans. Robert’s main goal of his expedition is to reach the North Pole. He starts off by telling his sister in one of his letters “Do you understand this feeling? This breeze, which has traveled from the regions towards which I am advancing, gives me a foretaste of those icy climes” (Shelley 10). Robert is astonished by the beauty of nature that surrounds him and the world. These aspects inspire him to continue