How Is the Opening of Frankenstein an Effective Introduction to the Novel?

Walton is also a foil for Frankenstein when he and his crew find Frankenstein in such bad shape and yet the care for him so tenderly. "I never saw a man in so wretched a condition." Walton and his men carried him aboard, rubbed him down, wrapped him in blankets and fed him. Contrast this to Frankenstein's treatment of the creature. Instead of compassion or sympathy Frankenstein calls the creature a "wretch," "devil" and "the animal." When the creature

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, an epistolary novel that structure a diverse narration enable through letters and dialogue. During the story, he author goes back and forth from writing from Victor’s point of view and other character’s perspective in the letters. The diction used to capture the feeling of abandonment, sorrow, and loss of identity that the monster felt. Victor also endured the feeling of sorrow because the very thing he created destroyed his entire family. The diction allowed the audience to connect to the characters, feel the pain and agony one’s faces after making a wrong decision that affects the rest of one’s life.

“In Frankenstein, the narratives seem to grow organically from one another: it is impossible to extricate the narratives from one another, as they are so closely linked and interwoven.”

Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton’s creation holds the intention to make them almost the exact same person. Both men search for fame, yet refer to it as a, “quest for knowledge.” Unfortunately the need for fame leads to an over-dedication to research, obsessive tendencies, and injuring those who surround the men. Walton speaks of his ongoing journey to Frankenstein and says he would, “...sacrifice [his] fortune, [his] existence, [ his] every hope to the furtherance of [his] enterprise. One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of knowledge which [he] sought…”(22) Also, Frankenstein admits his studies took priority when he says, “my cheek had grown pale with study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement… [it] caused me to forget those friends who were so many miles absent”(44) While Walton chose his expedition over his crew, Frankenstein chose his creature over himself and his family. Frankenstein’s decisions ruin his life, and if Walton kept his expedition on the intended course he would have an extremely high chance of ruining his life as well. The men’s similarities help the reader understand Walton truly does have the potential to destroy his life just like Frankenstein does. If not for Frankenstein’s cautionary tale Walton would have continued on even if it meant the potential danger of running into many more complications. Shelley decides to make the men extremely similar to let the few differences between them shine

Although Mary Shelly did not have a formal education growing up motherless in the early nineteenth century, she wrote one of the greatest novels nonetheless in 1819, Frankenstein. The novel has been the basis for many motion picture movies along with many English class discussions. Within the novel Shelly shares the stories of two men from very different worlds. The reader is introduced to Robert Walton, the main narrator of the story, through letters written to his sister. Walton is on a quest to find the North Pole when his ship and crew members become stuck between sheets of ice. It is here the reader is then introduced to Victor Frankenstein who is lost and

Victor Frankenstein’s thoughtless surrendering and animosity of his creation motivates the catastrophe in the novel. After devoting many hours of restless, yet hopeful, labor to his work, Victor completes his final masterpiece. However, he loses all hope as he explains how “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled [his] heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being [he] had created, [he] rushed out of the room” (Shelley 36). Victor exhibits

After having rescued Victor Frankenstein from his grueling descent into the Arctic to track the monster that is plaguing him, Robert Walton, a seafarer, becomes privy to the story of Frankenstein’s monster. As the story is relayed to him, Walton begins to share the incredible tale through several letters to his sister, Margaret Saville. While in the midst of one such letter, Walton is interrupted by a disturbance resulting in his own visualization of the monster, making a significant impact on him, as prior to the encounter, the monster was only a fictitious apparition. The encounter between Walton and Frankenstein’s monster is utterly understated by its introduction into Walton’s letter. Although the story of the monster had only indirect inflictions upon Walton as it was conveyed to

The novel Frankenstein is written in the first person point of view, but at different points in the book, different storytellers recount the tale. Therefore, it can be found three different narrators, being Robert Walton the first narrator, who in his letters cites, second narrator, Victor Frankenstein’s narration; Victor, at the same time, cites the third narrator’s story. Furthermore, Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein narrate parts of the story through their letters to Victor as well, but they are not as relevant narrators as the other characters. With Victor Walton’s character Mary Shelley uses a device denominated epistolary form, novel in the form of a sequences of letters written by one or more characters:

Victor immediately recognizes the same flaw in Walton that destroyed his life. It is of no surprise the two men’s stories parallel one another. By framing them together Shelley is presenting the first alternate-self. Walton and the young Frankenstein are the beings of naïve nature. Both seek an ultimate goal that endangers not only their lives, but the lives of others. Because of Walton, many men risk freezing in the North Pole; similarly, Victor’s determination and stubbornness results in the deaths of his family and friends. Victor’s perception of Walton is therefore a warning to the young captain. As the story is narrated, Victor imposes the danger of Walton’s likeness by revealing the true horrors of their alternate-self.

The entire story is told through the letters of Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret Saville. Walton’s letters start and end the novel, which sets up the framework for Frankenstein. Walton shares a few similarities with the characters of Victor and the monster. For instance, much like Victor’s character, Walton has an inquisitive nature and he loves to explore. In his first letter he writes, “I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited” (Shelley 16). While Victor has a deep interest in new sciences, Walton has an interest in exploring new places. This curiosity drives both men to take their interests to the limits. Walton’s character also shares some similarities with the

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley mostly revolves around Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist, and the plot focuses on his creation of the monster, the antagonist, and the tragic consequences that arise from his actions. As the main focuses of the novel, both Victor and the monster are dynamic characters, and throughout the story, their actions reveal moral dilemmas. Walton, a ship captain, saves Victor in the North and while he is absent during most of the narration, Walton still makes significant appearances at the beginning and the end of the novel. He is a developed character that serves to contrast Victor’s. The minor characters include Elizabeth, Justine, William, Alphonse, and Henry, and while they make sporadic appearances in the novel, they are still significant. As close friends and family to the protagonist, their unwavering concern for Victor’s well-being ultimately influences some of his decisions. However, due to Victor’s guilt-induced isolation from society, their characters are not focused on or explored in depth. Most notably, they function to add to Victor’s misery, and their unfortunate deaths contribute to the novel’s depressing tone.

In 1818 Mary Shelley wrote a horrific novel titled Frankenstein. It was such a hit back then, that it is still people still republish and make shows and movies from the book. Frankenstein, is about a young man, Victor Frankenstein, who is obsessed with science and trying to find the secret to life. While he is away at college, he thinks he has found it and begins putting a person together using various body parts. As soon as the person has life, Victor realizes his creation is a monster and immediately regrets the monster he has brought to life. He goes several years with hearing nothing from the monster and then finds it killed his youngest brother. On his return home, he decides he will track the monster down. It does not go so well though.

     Frankenstein, an epistolary novel by Mary Shelley, deals with epistemology, is divided into three volumes, each taking place at a distinct time. Volume I highlights the correspondence in letters between Robert Walton, an Arctic seafarer, and his sister, Margaret Saville. Walton's letters to Margaret basically explain his expedition at sea and introduce Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist of the novel. Volume II is essentially Frankenstein's narrative, told in his point of view, with much action, death, and many more characters. There are a few chapters within this volume in which the monster narrates his adventures while alone. Volume III displays Victor's

Possibly the most significant trait that connects Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton is the desire to have knowledge of the forbidden, a theme that is echoed throughout Shelley 's book. During Shelley 's time, industrialization and science began advancing at unfathomable rates and Shelley feared that these innovations were in some ways inhuman and that boundaries should exist of what man truly requires knowing. Thus, she created two parallel characters to illustrate the different paths the search of forbidden knowledge produces, whether it is a science that resembles sorcery, or uncharted territories covered with impenetrable ice. Victor will stop at nothing to pursuit this forbidden knowledge and explains, "Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember." However, his endless search to create life ironically triggers the destruction of lives, including his and the monster 's. He even symbolically hunts the creature, the product of his own doing, to stop the destruction he has spawned. He explains:

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a literary classic that tells a story of a young scientist Victor Frankenstein who created a monster that tries to live in society but is rejected. The monster will later seek revenge by going after his creator. In this essay I will be evaluating two critiques about the novel. Beginning with Professor Naomi Hetherington’s critique and the second critique written by Professor Sherry Ginn.