Preview

Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton there similarities

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
437 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton there similarities
The desire to make history to discover what remains undiscovered, or to know what remains unknown is an everlasting human goal. Although many have failed to realize this dream, a very few have been passionately successful in its pursuit. The immortality power that these select few have, of course, only provided to encourage those who come after. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein is a literary reflection upon this intensely human desire here illustrated by the title character's quest for personal glory by means of scientific discovery.

Moreover, both Victor Frankenstein and the Arctic explorer Robert Walton, whose letters open the novel, hold a greedy thirst for privileged knowledge of those things that are unknown to the common person. Nevertheless, Shelley presents their stories as being in some sense similar to each other. Each one of them is a failure, and each suffers from the same fatal flaw. Walton, a voyager, explores the secrets of the natural earth, in the company of a crew of men on the same mission. However, Victor works in privacy to enter secrets of a physical nature, specifically, the principle of life. Though they explore entirely different lands, Walton and Victor are both bound by a common cause. Each tries to further the knowledge of mankind and to glorify his own name.

Furthermore, as the story goes along the mood is quite serious throughout the novel, particularly with the entry of the monster. It does have some touching episodes of happy family life among the Frankenstein's, as well as among the De Lacey's. Then again, these are not sufficient to counter the sense of horror and brutality that is aroused by the violence enacted by the monster. The mood is almost cold towards the end of the novel, with Victor coming to terms with the deaths around him. On the other hand, vengeance and rage still have a place in his heart, as in that of the monster.

In conclusion, one thing that connects Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton, perhaps

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    No matter how much two individuals are alike, there are always traits that separate one from the other. In Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein", Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton are both seekers of knowledge who are determined to succeed. However, while Walton is able to risk everything, Frankenstein soon realizes his errors in his frenzied obsession with discovery.…

    • 582 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The beginning and ending of the novel Frankenstein are written in epistolary form as a series of letters from Robert Walton, to his sister. The letters are unusual as they contain very little information about Walton’s sister and mostly detail Walton’s exploits in exploring the Arctic in search of the North-West Passage, in this way resembling journal entries instead of letters. While Walton spends many pages explaining his adventures in a “land surpassing in wonders and beauty,” the few questions asked to his sister are either rhetorical such as “do you understand this feeling?” which is also condescending, snidely suggesting his sisters incapacity to comprehend sublime emotions, or refer solely to himself such as “when shall I return?” In fact one of the few pieces of information collected about his sister is revealed in the last series of letters and that she has a “husband and lovely children,” something common to many women and making her remarkably indistinguishable. Because of the total lack of any real detail about his sister the reader effectively takes her place in a listener-speaker dynamic.…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In many novels throughout literature, enemies often share striking similarities. They push and pull at each other to the point where they lead to the each others undoing, yet they share tremendous likeness. In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly Victor Frankenstein and his creature are two sides of one person. Both despise each other, and in doing so they are despising themselves. There is a power struggle between the two adversaries, which leads to both Frankenstein, and his creature ending up alone. Shelly’s novel christens the era of romanticism and successfully merges these ideas with those of gothic style. The infatuation with discovery and creation is evident in the main character, Victor Frankenstein, and his pursuit of knowledge…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Walton's letters to his sister at the beginning of the story foreshadow the feelings and motivations that Frankenstein experiences when he first discovers the "the cause of generation and life." Both Walton and Frankenstein are adventures and obsessive with knowledge. The two strive to be the first man to do or see something. Walton is going on a voyage and is feeling excited about being on the verge of discovering new land, passages, powers, and glory . His enthusiasm in "discovering the wondrous power which attracts the needle and regulates a thousand celestial observations" and his "ardent curiosity to tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man" parallel the feelings of Frankenstein's fascination with the mystery of the creation of life. This same enthusiasm is expressed in this quote by Frankenstein; "the astonishment which I had at first experienced on this discovery soon gave place to delight and rapture."…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Through the characterization of Walton, the narrator, and Victor, Shelley’s Frankenstein depicts the passions fuelled by desire for renown, that drive people to discover, reflecting contextual concerns over scientific irresponsibility. In 1818, there was excitement about both geographical and scientific discovery, with Walton symbolising the former and Frankenstein the latter. Walton’s “great purpose” of discovering a northern passage to facilitate trade parallels Victor’s desire to, “banish disease…and render man invulnerable”. Ironically, despite their voiced altruism, neither are responsible. Imagery depicts Walton endangering his entire crew with his ship trapped in, “irregular plains of ice…no end”. Fortunately, Frankenstein’s story alerts Walton to his irresponsibility and he returns his men to safety. A Revenge Tragedy convention, the deaths of innocents, highlights the destructive capacity of scientific irresponsibility. Frankenstein’s failure to uphold his patriarchal responsibilities expected of a man of his era causes irreparable mistakes bringing William, Elizabeth,…

    • 1569 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    frankenrunner essay

    • 8078 Words
    • 33 Pages

    In her novel Frankenstein, Shelley explores the driving force behind the heedless scientific advancements that her romanticist leanings warn against, this being the arrogance and hubris of mankind. Shelley’s Aristotelian hero, a Victor Frankenstein’s pretentiousness in his attempt to supplant the role of creator reflects Shelley’s thoughts about the nature of technology and the evils it could be used for. Frankenstein’s arrogance drives him to create the monster, which in turn destroys everything, that matters to Frankenstein, his wife and family. This symbolises the misgivings Shelley held about the hubris and arrogance that are intrinsic to human nature and the dire consequences she predicted if these emotions are allowed to dominate humanity. This is further reinforced by the dichotomy between Frankenstein and Walton, who like Victor, is driven by a sincere belief in the absolute power of empirical knowledge, demonstrated when he calls the arctic a “country of eternal…

    • 8078 Words
    • 33 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Both Mary Shelley and Ridley Scott warn of the negative impacts that can come of the need for excessive ambition and control. Shelley composed ‘Frankenstein’ at the time of the Industrial Revolution, witnessing the growth of technology. Through the novel Shelley demonstrates the consequences of personal glory and fame explored through the parallel characters of Walton and Victor. who are blinded by their dreams of glory. Walton’s quest for fame on his expedition to the North Pole threatens the lives of those in his crew. Similarly, Victor whose obsessive desire to challenge the laws of nature through the creation of another life leads to a life of disaster and depression. The consequences of excessive ambition is expressed through Victor’s advice to Walton:…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and his horrid creation had various aspects in common that one might not notice. Despite the fact that the two parted ways they still shared parallel similarities between one another. These similarities would eventually lead to the downfall of both characters in the end of the novel due to the choices they made throughout the book.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein, Shelley expresses her views of the time through Walton. A main consequence the acquirement of knowledge is seen to be detrimental to the lives of those whom seek it and those around it. This concern, is conveyed, on a surface level, through the way in which Walton’s desire for knowledge, more specifically, the “unexplored regions..of the mist and snow” leads him to physical danger of being caught in the dangerous conditions of the North Pole. This idea is also portrayed through the acquirement of knowledge that the two protagonists, Victor Frankenstein and The Creature, seek. Ultimately, leading them to the destruction of their lives and the lives around them.…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Victor Frankenstein and his monster are thought to be very different, but they share many of the same qualities and experiences. Throughout the novel Victor and the monster slowly become more and more alike. Many similarities develop as the story progresses. The two characters are thought to be very different but reveal that they have experienced many similar things that shape their life. Victor Frankenstein and his monster are both viewed as outcasts in society, they have been abandoned in some way, and they have good intentions in the things that they do.…

    • 1131 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Victor Frankenstein, was a well educated man who spent the majority of his life dedicated to science. The times when not buried in research he spent with his family and his soon to be wife Elizabeth Lavenza. Victor eventually went off to college where he met a few men who also shared a love for science the way he did. While at college Victor became fascinated in re-creation and bringing the dead back to life, The Creature.…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most people are so different from one another that they don’t realize that they have so much in common. Just like how the monster is different from Victor in the book Frankenstein. Today we are not going to talk about how they are different, today we will go into the similarities of the two. As you know that if you read the book you will find out things that are pretty interesting about the two characters. One instance Victor Frankenstein was the man that created the monster, but yet he has not got any control over the monster, Victor is scared that the monster will retaliate against him if he tries to exert any type of control over the monster. Victor throughout the whole story has been tracking down the monster before it brings more damage…

    • 1493 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Robert Walton, a seafarer, is very ambitious in traveling to the North Pole. He wants to be the first one to get there, no matter what happens to him or his crew. Walton finds Frankenstein in the ocean and rescues him. Frankenstein then goes on to tell Walton his tale. Walton is the first narrator because he writes everything that he can about what Frankenstein says; he writes all the information in letters to his sister, Margaret. Frankenstein then becomes the second narrator as he narrates about his self-isolation during college. The reader understands that as much as Frankenstein wants to acquire more and more knowledge, he is putting himself in danger; not only himself, but the people who he loves the most. As the third narrator, Frankenstein’s creation explains that he was benevolent and kind-hearted. However, rejection, loneliness, and a gunshot wound lead him to denounce love and determine to respond with hatred and violence.…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Frankenstein Essay

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The human race is one that has been fueled since the very beginning by discovery. The earliest scientific findings involved the earliest forms of human life creating the first fires; through time and evolution scientists today are creating glow-in-the-dark-cats. (Meyer) The questions many people are faced with today include how far are we pushing science and whether our thirst for advancement justifies the discoveries that are being made today. Drawing parallels to today’s question on the justification of scientific advancement is Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein.…

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    FRANKENSTEIN

    • 7828 Words
    • 21 Pages

    The framework of this famous piece of fiction is provided by the first narrator, Robert Walton, whose expedition to explore the Arctic regions brings him into contact with the principle character, Victor Frankenstein. Robert had embarked a sea-faring life much against the wishes of his dying father. He wanted to discover a secret passage near the North Pole for the benefit of the countries of the world. Thus he wanted to help and facilitate future explorers.…

    • 7828 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Powerful Essays