Wish Fulfillment in Mary Shelly's Gothic Novel, Frankenstein

Both Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein choose to be isolated because they would rather try and quench their thirst for adventure and knowledge. Walton shows how passionate his lust for knowledge is when he says: “There is a love for the marvelous, a belief in the marvelous, intertwined in all my projects, which hurries me out of the common pathways of men, even to the wild sea and unvisited regions I am about to explore” (Shelley, 20). This lust is the main reason why Walton is

     Walton values friendship by having someone to relate to on similar interests. He desires a man who can comply with him on all subjects of discussion and also correct him when he is wrong. His views on friendship are shared when he states, “I have no one near me, gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind, whose tastes are like my own, to approve or amend my plans';(p.53). Although he encircles himself in a community of good men, he does not meet a real friend until Victor arrives. With Victor, he finds more than that and regards him as a brother. Victor possesses appealing qualities to Walton when Walton states, “He is so gentle, yet so wise; his mind is so cultivated; and when he speaks, although his words are culled with the choicest art, yet the flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence';(p.60). Walton begins to notice all the interests Victor takes on deck and these interests gladden him. Victor suggests several alterations in Walton’s plan, which he finds useful. Walton further clarifies his outlook on

Ironically, Walton’s isolation comes by the pride of his own hand in his conquest for glory. In contrast to the doctor, he is ghastly disturbed by his abandonment as he comes to express, “I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy, if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain me in dejection” (Shelley 5). With regard to the dialogue, the author offers insight to Walton’s arrogance and discontentment which disassociate him from his shipmates and family. His resilience to remain isolated exemplifies his ignorance heavily. Additionally, Walton’s egotism reveals that he is purely motivated by the personal gain a friend will provide him through comfort and praise. Walton portrays the balance between Victor and the monster because he is capable of recognizing the cost of his pride, and yet still desires companionship. Walton makes mention of his self-inflicted isolation as he explains to his sister Margaret, “You may deem me a romantic my dear sister, but I have no one near to me , gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as a capricious mind, whose tastes are like my own, to approve or mend my plans” (Shelley 5). Being a specimen of narcissism, Walton essentially communicates that none of his shipmates are good enough for his company. He irrationally bemoans in his loneliness, while his own

The unwavering desire for knowledge may cause the decay of relationships. This idea is displayed as Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist, continually desires to create human life from inanimate materials, which leads to the destruction of many of his relationships. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, exhibits how the constant desire for information may cause the deterioration of relationships through the decayed relationships Victor has with himself, his family, and society.

Walton is isolated in different ways: his boat is stuck in the ice, in the middle of nowhere up north, and he is also isolated because “I have no friend”. The first type of seclusion, “encompassed as I am by frost and snow”, is one that is also found later on in the novel when Frankenstein would lock himself away to create his monster for example, and mirrors Walton’s state of mind, thus being loneliness. Consequently both types of separations are greatly linked. However, the lonely seclusion of having no friends is the most prominent and important in this novel. Shelley stresses this idea by having Walton communicate his constant desire for “the company of a man who could sympathise with me” and how he “bitterly feels the want of a friend”. This theme is also crucial in the play as Walton’s desire at the beginning of the novel, will then be echoed by the monster’s request to his creator for a companion which, by his refusal, ignites the feeling of revenge in the monster. Furthermore, this theme of isolation is key in the story also because, it plays a great part in why Walton welcomes Frankenstein on his ship in the hope of making a friend. Walton even declare that “my affection for the guest increases every day” despite him being miserable and mysterious. This idea that Walton feels deep liking for a guest he knows nothing about yet accentuates his social isolation as his desire for a friend is so strong, that he would be ready to befriend a complete stranger thus clouding his judgement on hearing Frankenstein’s story. This thus influence the reader’s view of the rest of the novel as we begin to doubt the reliability of the narrator thus picturing Frankenstein in an even more negative light throughout the

In Frankenstein, Shelly demonstrates how Ambition prevents people from seeing reality and knowing the consequences of their actions. The book presents the idea that when people become too ambitious, they seem to lose the concept of right and wrong. For instance in a series of letter to his sister, Walton describes his exploration to the north pole in hopes of chasing after the unpossessed knowledge, however his dreams are short lived as his ambition leads him to a life threatening situation. Walton himself agrees with the situation when he states," So strange an accident has happened to us ... we were nearly surrounded by ice, which closed in the ship on all sides, scarcely leaving her the sea-room in which she floated.

Victor begins to possess an unnatural drive in his quest for knowledge where he begins intense study and experimentation, “These thoughts supported my spirits, while I pursued my undertaking with unremitting ardour. My cheek had grown pale from study, and my person had become emaciated with confinement” eventually isolating himself from his friends and family. As the seasons passed Victor’s obsession with his studies continued to grow, “And the same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles absent, and whom I had not seen for so long a time” highlighting how his ambition is a fatal flaw, neglecting the outside world and his loved ones. Victor’s ambition to research and attempt to create life drains him of health and sensibility, “Every night I was oppressed by a slow fever, and I became nervous to a most painful degree” which is ironic to the goal he wishes to achieve. Shelly’s use of irony illuminates how Victor’s obsessive ambition has become a fatal flaw.

Mary Shelley, the renowned author of Frankenstein, explores the consequences of man and monster chasing ambition blindly. Victor Frankenstein discovered the secret that allowed him to create life. His understanding of how bodies operated and the science of human anatomy enabled him to make this discovery and apply it to the creation of his monster. Walton wished to sail to the arctic because no sailor has ever reached it. The monster was created against his will, his ambition was to avenge his creation as a hideous outcast. These three characters were all driven by the same blind ambition.

Mary Shelly transformed the horror genre with her novel Frankenstein, a story focusing on death that was overcome by science and reanimation. Although essentially a horror novel, Shelly discusses the moral consequences of reanimating the dead and sheds light on the question of life and death itself. This focus on life and death, however, is paralleled by Shelly’s warning of how dangerous the desire of knowledge can become. The threat of science was a crucial theme for Romanticism, which did not support science’s connection to the natural world. The story Frankenstein was heavily influenced by Romantic themes, which focused on a connection to nature, an exploration of the imagination and sublime, an individual’s inner world and the exotic. Shelly’s Frankenstein, is consistent with these themes and creates a memorable story about reviving death. Before discussing how Romanticism was portrayed, it is necessary to state the ideological groundwork of this movement.

Robert Walton plays an often-overlooked role in this story, although he can be considered the primary narrator. Walton is the captain of a failing expedition to the North Pole who discovers a freezing and lost Victor Frankenstein. Walton nurses Frankenstein back to health, and Frankenstein tells Walton of his misfortune of a life story. The similarities between Frankenstein and Walton are made fairly obvious, as Frankenstein himself points out their somewhat similar pursuits of knowledge and failure to realize their own limits, as well as warns Walton about the consequences of taking an obsession too far, implying that Frankenstein sees a little of himself in the captain.

Throughout Frankenstein it is evident that Victor and Robert express their thirst for knowledge, which often leads to destruction. Through analyzing Frankenstein it is possible to find many examples that illustrate the fact that wanting to have more knowledge can be extremely dangerous. Firstly, as Victor is creating life he is able to create a humanoid monster, unfortunately he is appalled by his creation and becomes very ill. Afterwards, when Victor is completing the female companion for his original creation, Victor realizes that this will only create more destruction. Finally, as Walton is on a journey to the North Pole he encounters difficulties that nearly kill him and his crew. This shows that Victor and Walton are repeatedly

Much like Walton, Victor comes upon a fascination of his own, the natural world. This fascination, rather an obsession, is the beginning of the end for Victor as it begins to alienate the character from his loved ones. These types of obsessions can lead someone to lose touch with the importance of family since they no

Sometimes considered one of the first science fiction novels of supernatural terror, Frankenstein proved itself an instant success when released anonymously in 1818. The mad scientist Victor Frankenstein and his creation provoke readers with the fear of the unknown and the power of natures forces. A deeper look into the character of Victor Frankenstein, the role of scientific experimentation and the intricate settings of nature in which the story evolves, prove Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein , a worthy example of both Romantic and Gothic representation in nineteenth century British Literature.

“But Sorrow Only Increased with Knowledge:” A Critique on Romantic Ideals in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Through Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton in the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley displays the ways in which Frankenstein’s disastrous story prevents Walton from the repercussions of his own ambitions. Ambition can be defined as a strong desire and the determination to achieve success. Both Victor and Walton display this trait, which as much as enhances their personalities, also portrays their deep flaws. The men possess unrealistic dreams of transforming society as well as obtaining glory through their individual scientific achievements, resulting in an undesirable way.