Frankenstein and Robert Walton Essay

Submitted By NatalieWallace13

Words: 377

Pages: 2

Open Document

The Quest for Companionship in Frankenstein
“In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. They keep the young out of mischief; they comfort and aid the old in their weakness, and they incite those in the prime of life to noble deeds” (Aristotle). Throughout the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, one of the most evident themes is the importance of friendship and the relationships of the characters. Friendship is very much the driving force behind the novel. It possesses each of the characters, though in a different manner for each. However, overall it is depicted that without friends, a man lacks an important part of life. Walton, the monster, and Frankenstein all seek a companion, whether to console with, to learn from, or to depend on though hardships. Without these companions, the characters are unable to function.
Robert Walton has very few close relations and therefor seeks a friend to abate his solitude. Walton’s loneliness is seen expressed in his letters to his sister Margaret Saville. He tells that although he is able to acquire a ship and a crew to set out on his quest for the knowledge he so desperately craves, he is unhappy as he lacks companionship. He feels isolated, as he is too sophisticated to find friendship with his shipmates, yet too uneducated to befriend someone of a higher stature. Walton desires the companionship of someone who he may sympathise with, who will share his opinions and aid him in his quest. However, he

Robert Walton In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, recounts the fictional tale of Victor Frankenstein and his horrific creation. After being rescued by Robert Walton, an explorer, from the brink of death in the artic, Dr. Frankenstein narrates his past to Walton, telling his own story about his dedication to his awful project: the creation of life. Letter IV illustrates the development of Walton’s relationship with Frankenstein, which causes Victor to warn Walton about the dangers of ambition, and their closeness allows…

Words 751 - Pages 4

The Role Of Knowledge In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

learn something new and expand the knowledge that they already have. While some may say that with knowledge comes power, in the case of Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the Creature in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, knowledge only brings pain and misery. Readers follow the story of these three characters as they each go about their own journey. As Walton searches for a new passageway, Victor discovers a way to reanimate life, and the Creature learns what he needs to in order to survive…

Words 711 - Pages 3

Walton's Ambition In Frankenstein

In the novel Frankenstein, the character of Robert Walton thoroughly displays the theme of the destructive nature of ambition and knowledge. Shelley’s novel commences with four letters that Walton sends to his sister each giving the reader a synopsis of the character’s ambitious nature. The reader initially grasps that the character of Walton is self-taught as he reveals “my education was neglected, yet I was passionately fond of reading as these volumes were my studies day and night.” (Letter…

Words 504 - Pages 3

Frankenstein and Modern Prometheus Essay

Christine Laird Mrs. Sexson AP Literature 22 August, 2012 Title: Frankenstein – Or, the Modern Prometheus Prometheus was a Greek God who stole the knowledge of fire from Zeus and gave it to the humans. He was then punished for his actions and bound to a rock, having an eagle devour his liver day after day. He became “the lone genius whose efforts to improve human existence also resulted in tragedy.” Victor Frankenstein can be described using the same statement. Ultimately, Prometheus was…

Words 608 - Pages 3

Eaten Alive: Power In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Shelley's Frankenstein In the novel Frankenstein, a story about a man who oversteps the bounds of nature and suffers for it, the desires and struggles for power run rampant. With a literary base, Mary Shelley addresses the tendency of power to overcome and destroy its pursers. She presents three distinct characters, all of whom are infatuated with some form of power; all are responsible for the deaths of others due to the pursuit of this power. Robert Walton seeks discovery. Victor Frankenstein seeks…

Words 715 - Pages 3

Essay on Frankenstein Response

Prisilia Suwuh Frankenstein Volume I Response Paper Volume one of Frankenstein begins with a series of letters from a sea captain, Robert Walton, as he writes to his sister about his voyage to the North Pole. He is eager and passionate about his expedition when writing to his sister, however also feels loneliness. Upon his voyage he finds a man stranded on an ice ledge and recovers him. Curious about this stranger, Walton asks for him to tell his story. Walton’s narration ends and the stranger’s…

Words 705 - Pages 3

Who Is Walton's Ambition In Frankenstein

tone of selfish ambition from the very start of her novel, Frankenstein. “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil.” Protagonist Victor Frankenstein proves to be an egotistical and a prideful scientist on a quest to become a godlike reincarnate. However, He will eventually atone for his sins, but not after the lives of his loved ones are compromised. Throughout the piece Dr. Frankenstein denies the havoc he has created, He is too arrogant to admit…

Words 526 - Pages 3

Frankenstein Essay

all who are involved. In Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein the characters Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton and the creature are driven to absolute sorrow in direct consequence of the pursuit of knowledge. Shelley displays how the pursuit of knowledge can lead to sorrow in the first character introduced in the novel, Robert Walton. Walton drives himself to his fate by his pondering of what the North Pole actually looks like. Walton discusses how he imagines it in a letter to his sister…

Words 336 - Pages 2

Essay Frankenstein and Walton

Robert Walton captains a North Pole bound ship that gets trapped between sheets of ice. While waiting for the ice to thaw, he and his crew pick up Victor, weak and emaciated from his long chase after the monster. Victor recovers somewhat, tells Walton the story of his life, and then dies. Walton laments the death of a man with whom he felt a strong, meaningful friendship beginning to form. Walton functions as the conduit through which the reader hears the story of Victor and his monster. He plays…

Words 350 - Pages 2

Theme Of Isolation In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

the natural world within Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is abandonment caused by the creator Victor Frankenstein. While it is healthy to have a certain fondness for various objects, it is not in society’s best interest to let these obsessions lead to isolation like it does in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein, who are main characters in the novel, share a common obsession with ambition—knowledge. The main characters of Frankenstein obsess over purpose, knowledge, and revenge…

Words 626 - Pages 3