Similarities between Walton and Victor are evident throughout the story. Walton plays an important part in the book because without him, the reader would not know about the tragic story of Frankenstein. Walton offers an alternative perspective on Victor’s life since their decisions and choices lead to separate outcomes (Paul). For Victor, his decision to not confront his creation lead to his sickness and his downfall (211). As for Walton, he let go of his ambition to voyage across the Artic so he would not spiral down the same path as Victor (214). However, despite their different conclusions at the end of the novel, both Walton and Victor express reflections of each other (Paul).
Even though these two characters grew up in different backgrounds,
…show more content…
there is no difference between their personality and qualities. For instance, both Walton and Victor loved to read when they were younger. Walton enjoyed reading about sea voyages across the oceans while Victor was interested in reading Cornelius Agrippa, branching into the field of natural philosophy (Shelley, 54, 68). Both of their fathers did not support the goals they wanted to pursue in the future. Walton’s father was against his son becoming a sailor while Victor’s father believed his son was wasting his time reading nonsense (52, 68). Nevertheless, they were both passionate about their dreams and were devoted to doing something they loved. Even though their dreams were not supported, it did not hinder their determination and eagerness to seek knowledge of the unknown (Paul). Their strong willpower to achieve their goals had made them ambitious. They were only thinking of how their dreams would benefit themselves, instead of thinking how their goals would harm other individuals. For Walton, he was curious about visiting “a land never before imprinted by the foot of man” (52), therefore, he planned an Arctic expedition. Victor also stepped his foot into undiscovered domain when he decided to build a creation no one has ever thought of before, which caused him to create a monster that would lead him to disaster (80). The reason for their actions symbolized that they wanted to gain recognition for their work. They wanted to be famous for their discoveries and contribute to the success of mankind which demonstrated that they had the same mindset. To contribute to the similarities between Walton and Victor, they have both felt a sense of loneliness.
For Victor, as he began his studies, he “forgot those friends who were so many miles absent” (81) and alienated himself from society. Victor was immersed by the information that was available to him. He was focused on pursuing more education and spent most of his time learning about reanimation (81). As Walton prepared himself for his expedition to the Arctic, he often felt he “[had] no friend” (54) on his ship. For both Victor and Walton, they had no one to share their “enthusiasm of success” (54) and joy with. They “desired the company of a man who could sympathize with [them]” (54) because other people did not have the same thirst for knowledge. These two individuals have endured the same experiences of feeling alone and can easily relate to one …show more content…
another. Nevertheless, there are also major differences between the two characters. First of all, Walton took responsibility for his actions. In his letter to his sister, he promised to “confide in [his] prudence and considerateness whenever the safety of others [was] committed to [his] care” (56) and would not do anything carelessly. Walton was thinking of his crew members’ well-being before his own and would not lead them into dangerous territory. On the other hand, Victor avoided his responsibilities. Once his creation was completed, he was “unable to endure the aspect of the being [he] had created” (84) and chose to run away. In another case, Victor remained silent and did not defend Justine even though he knew the truth behind William’s murder. He thought that if he did speak up, people would think that he was delirious and would only make Justine’s accusation worse (109). However, Walton rescued and “attended on [Victor] as much as [his] duty would permit” (59) and nursed him back to health. Victor, on the other hand, was guilt ridden and always ill. As a result, he was often the one being taken care of instead of him taking care of others. The fact that Victor did not confront his problems represented that he was the complete opposite of Walton. Both Walton and Victor underwent the same life experiences and opportunities but Victor chose to let his problems build up instead of solving them. To add to the differences between the two characters, Walton and Victor went to the Arctic for different purposes.
To Walton, the Arctic was “a land surpassing in wonders and in beauty” (51) and the expedition was a dream of his. To Victor, he travelled to the Arctic to “seek one who fled from [him]” (60) who was responsible for killing those who were precious to him. Victor was consumed by hatred and revenge and his sanity started to diminish (211-212).These points are an indication that Walton would have followed in Victor’s footsteps if he chose not to forfeit his
expedition. In conclusion, Walton and Victor are the same person (Paul). However, Walton would be a representation of Victor’s good traits. Walton and Victor both held a considerable amount of responsibility in their hands yet only Walton made the right judgements. Walton’s life can be reflected through Victor’s life since they both pursued knowledge in the same way. These two individuals have had the same hardships and struggles such as loneliness and no moral support for their dreams (52, 68). Walton and Victor can be compared alongside each other in order to show society two different scenarios based on a sole decision. Walton’s story is meant to show how a good decision will result in the prevention of a disaster. When Walton called off the voyage, he might have saved his crew members from perishing in the Arctic (215). Whereas, Victor’s story displays how one mistake can lead to ruin. His decision in keeping his secret resulted in the loss of his loved ones and possibly his own life (216).
After Walton and his crew get stuck in some ice, they notice a gigantic man in the distance. Just a couple hours later, Victor Frankenstein washes up to their boat on a sheet of ice. Walton welcomes him onto his ship, and Victor tells the story of this thing in the distance, which is his creation. In the first four chapters, Victor talks about his family and how they came to be. He also talks about his education, and what made him create this monster. Walton and Frankenstein are similar because they both switched what they wanted to do before pursing their current occupation. “I imagined that I also might obtain a niche in the temple where the names of Homer and Shakespeare are consecrated. You are well acquainted with my failure and how heavily I bore the disappointment”(Shelley 2). This shows how much Robert Walton desired to be a poet and also how distraught he was after his failure. Walton also reveals how he was not well educated, even though he loved reading. So after he failed at trying to become educated, and becoming a poet, he inherited his cousins fortune, and became a sea captain. Like Walton, Frankenstein did not do
As in many other stories, Robert Walton performs a primary role, the narrator. As a polar exploring narrator, first of all, Robert Walton holds a third person view when recounting Frankenstein’s tale, which gives a more objective and reliable feeling to the readers. Secondly, Walton’s narration not only gives a just account for the narrative of Frankenstein, but also sets the scene for Victor’s own story and life to begin, to break, and to end. The novel starts right with the letter from Robert to his sister, so readers are brought right into the plot. At the same time, because it introduces the background of meeting Frankenstein, the story has a sense of reality. Then within the time Victor explains his adventure, Robert functions as a joint for different events and breaks of Victor. When approaching the experience of learning about the death of Henry, Victor once said, “I must pause here, for it requires all my fortitude to recall the memory of the frightful events which I am about to relate, in proper detail, to my recollection” (158). Even though Walton is not directly introduced into the conversation, audience can feel that the reference to Walton pulls th...
In the book Frankenstein, we stumble upon several characters that play an important role in the book. Few of which that portray in different journeys such as, A scientist, relatives, and The creature/ The Monster who is the work of Frankenstein’s hands. As we continue further into the story you will learn about the many characters and their role in the book of Frankenstein.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was written with the theme of the desire for knowledge at the heart of the book. Many of the character in the book are searching for knowledge, whether it is the knowledge of how to break the cycle of life, or the ability to read and understand, or even knowing what is at the North Pole. Robert Walton is one of the characters that falls victim to this thirst for knowledge. Robert Walton’s search for knowledge in Frankenstein leads him to not only discover the perils that come from his hunt for knowledge, but also learns a lesson about his own limits.
We are shown that this ‘monster’ is a ‘creature’ and more of a human than we think. It is in the complex structure of the novel that Mary Shelley creates sympathy. We shift from Robert Walton to Victor Frankenstein to the monster and finally back to Walton. With each shift of perspective, the reader gains new information about both the facts of the story and the reliability of the narrator. Each perspective adds pieces of information that only they knows: Walton explains the circumstances of Victor’s last days, Victor explains his creation of the monster, the monster explains his turn to evil.
Walton's letters play an important role for the reader may find many foreshadowed themes. As the novel progresses, the reader will realize how Walton and Victor Frankenstein share similar views on their life's roles. Both men are driven by an excessive ambition, as they desire to accomplish great things for the humankind. Walton is an explorer who wants to discover a new passage to the Pacific and therefore conjures "inestimable benefit on all mankind to the last generation" (16). Victor's purpose is to "pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation" (49). These explorers will demonstrate that such pursuit can prove to be very dangerous in quest for knowledge. Walton's ship becomes stuck in the ice and Victor's creation finally kills everyone dear to him. However, this parallel is not the only one: we can easily compare Walton's search for a friend ("I have no friend, Margaret" (19)) with the monster's request for a female because he feels alone ("I desired love and fellowship" (224)). This similarity between man and monster suggests that the monster perhaps is more similar to men than what we may perceive. If it is assumed that Shelley also shared this view when she wrote the novel, maybe she meant that the real monster manifests itself differently tha...
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
...the downfall of Frankenstein and the monster. Frankenstein found the secret to life, though he applies his gained knowledge and ambition to his own selfish goals, which wind up destroying him and those closest to him. Walton has something in common with Frankenstein; his ambition to achieve something that no man has ever accomplished before. The difference between Victor and Walton is tat Walton decides to turn back. The monster on the other hand never wanted any fame or glory; his ambition was motivated by the thirst for revenge. Ultimately even Frankenstein, on his deathbed, realized the harsh consequences of his actions. Victor states, "Seek happiness in tranquility, and avoid ambition..." (Shelley 229).
The way Victor explains his parents' relationship to Walton, also portrays a very passive, nourishing, mother who is incapable of taking care of herself so that Victor's father "came as a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who committed herself to his care. " The relationship between his parents also points out the passiveness and dependence of women. In the case of Justine, when the creature, intelligently, murders William Frankenstein, everyone accuses her. Innocent Justine just happens to be the victim of circumstantial factors.
Although “Frankenstein” is the story of Victor and his monster, Walton is the most reliable narrator throughout the novel. However, like most narrator’s, even his retelling of Victor’s story is skewed by prejudice and favoritism of the scientist’s point of view. Yet this could be attributed to the only view points he ever gets to truly hear are from Victor himself and not the monster that he only gets to meet after he comes to mourn his fallen master.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates are very similar. For example, Victor creates the monster to be like himself. Another similarity is that the anger of both Victor and the monster is brought about by society. One more parallel between Victor and the monster is that they both became recluses. These traits that Victor and the monster possess show that they are very similar.
In order to achieve his goals, Frankenstein put his life and the lives of others in jeopardy. He could have died at the hands of the monster and people he loved did die because of the monster. Frankenstein would have believed that Walton should have moved forward and done whatever it takes in order to achieve his goal because he risked everything in order to bring the monster to life. On the other hand, Shelley would view Walton as not being obedient to following his goal. In Frankenstein, the characters are “…killed by their very obedience to the role prescribed for them by the male patriarchal society, which robs them of any ability to save themselves” (Hermann, Baderoon, & Steenkamp, 123). If Walton achieved his goal of reaching the North Pole, he would have been killed. But, he was not obedient to his goal and turned around. This lead to Walton having the ability to save
...ry. The loneliness of Frankenstein and the monster drove them miserable for most their lives, and in the end, to death. Walton on the other had, turns back to civilization, perhaps learning something from the story of Victor Frankenstein. In the book Frankenstein, there were many moments of glory for Victor Frankenstein, but in the end he only ending up destroying many of his family, himself, and the monster after suffering through loneliness and grief for a big part of his life.
... show the reader that people in the world customarily really do not change. Victor contradicting himself leads Walton to understanding that his pursuit of knowledge may cause the deaths of his crew who have family and friends.
Monsters can come in various physical forms, but all monsters share the same evil mentality. A Monster is a being that harms and puts fear within people. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a prime example of how appearance does not determine whether a creature is a monster or not. In the story, Victor Frankenstein tries to change nature by creating a super human being. The being appears to be a monster. Victor becomes so obsessed with his creation and then rejects it. Victor is the real monster because of his desire for power, lack of respect for nature, and his stubbornness.