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  • Essay / Robert Walton's role in Frankenstein

    In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the novel is Robert Walton's point of view. Walton uses his letters during his journey across the Pacific Ocean to allow the reader to understand the tragedy of the Monster and Frankenstein from an unbiased perspective, giving humanity a glimmer of hope and compassion. The two men, although they have similarities, are very different. Robert Walton makes humanity seem merciful and sympathetic. Walton wants to go to a country and do things that no man has ever done. He wants to improve life on earth as it is. Frankenstein even goes so far as to describe how different he is from Walton: “you seek knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I earnestly hope that the gratification of your desires will not be a serpent to sting you, as mine was” (Shelley 25). Robert Walton's character is heavily structured around the letters he wrote to his sister. In a letter to his sister Margaret, he expresses how loneliness consumes him. “I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me; whose eyes would respond to mine. You may find me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the need of a friend” (Shelley 13). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Victor Frankenstein fulfills his desperate need for a friend, as they both complement each other in their loneliness. As for the Monster, his solitude was never satisfied, because his own situation condemned him to an eternity of solitude. When Shelley gives Walton the role of narrator, she ensures that each character's story comes from an equal point of view and that the fact that Walton tells the story from his point of view allows the reader to make up his own mind. opinion on Walton himself, Frankenstein, the monster or any other character. By giving this role to Walton, Shelley uses it as a way to introduce the story of Frankenstein. Frankenstein is able to tell the story of what happened to him, but throughout the novel the monster is never able to say that his loneliness was destroyed and that he had found a companion. Walton gives a sympathetic view of the Monster's plight: "I was first touched by the expressions of his misery", and was put aside, "when I recalled what Frankenstein said of his powers of eloquence and persuasion, and when I cast my eyes again on the lifeless form of my friend, indignation was revived within me” (Shelley 272). This shows how the monster felt every time he encountered humanity. In addition to this narrative role, Walton is able to conclude both the monster's story and that of Frankenstein. By giving this role to any other character such as Frankenstein, he could possibly end the novel with his death and leave the monster to dry. This makes the reader want to know more about the Monster's future, but if Frankenstein had been the main narrator, the reader would be lost. It would leave them wondering how the monster's story ended. The Monster will say: “Do not fear that I will be the instrument of future misdeeds. My work is almost finished. Neither yours, nor that of any man, is necessary to consummate the series of my being and accomplish what must be done: but it requires mine” (Shelley 274). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper. now from our expert editors. Get a personalized essay. Robert used this as a way to tell the reader that after Frankenstein died, the vengeance the monster wanted on him would die. This conclusion allows the reader to close both the story of, 8(2), 30-39.