The Similarities Between Walton And Victor In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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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…

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…

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

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