How are Walton and Frankenstein similar? What purpose does Walton serve in the novel? Why does the creature choose to die at the end of the novel? What does his choice suggest about his connection to Frankenstein? Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein are both extremely similar characters in this novel. Both have an intense love for their sisters. For example, The first four chapters of the book are letters from Walton to his beloved sister, where he talks about how she lights up his life and he misses her while he’s away. Equally, Victor loves Elizabeth so much and even marries her. She is one thing that he loves almost as much as himself and science. Also, both of them are very isolated individuals. All Walton wants is a friend, and when Frankenstein was a child, he only focused on family, and never really grew to obtain many companions. Additionally, they both have very high ambitions. Walton wants to explore the arctic, and Victor wants to disrupt the laws of nature, by creating artificial life. They do differ in this, because Walton knows his limits and how far he is willing to go for science, and Victor knows no boundaries, and is obsessed with his goals. I think the purpose of Walton is to emphasize the extremities of Victor Frankenstein’s ambitions, obsessiveness, and selfishness. Walton is willing to turn around and go back, not take what he has for granted just so that a few people might call him a hero. Victor discourages this because he pursues glory and the satisfaction of being “the best”. Yet their differences lead to their different endings where Walton and his crew return home alive to their families, and Victor dies alone.
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Cameryn JusonWills Period 2 Archives
April 2017
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