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Robert Walton Character Analysis

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Many stories that have been told throughout the ages talk about the hero. Some well-known examples include the Odyssey, Beowulf, and Finding Nemo. In some tales the hero is obvious, while in others the hero is more subtle. In Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein, the hero is Robert Walton. He goes on an adventure thinking he can change a part of the world, and the world ends up changing him. A hero does so much more than save the day and win the battle. A hero starts their journey naïve and inexperienced and on the way learns more about the world they live in. “I arrived here yesterday; and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare, and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking” (Shelley 1). On this …show more content…

As he goes on his journey to the North Pole, he continuously sends letters to his sister Margaret. “I write a few lines in haste to say that I am safe – and well advanced on my voyage” (Shelley 7). On his journey he faced hardships such as getting stuck in ice, Victor’s death, and meeting the creature. His mentor on this journey becomes Victor. “He reminds me how often the same accidents have happened to other navigators, who have attempted tis sea, and in spite of myself, he fills me with cheerful auguries” (Shelley 158). When Victor dies, the creature appears, and in this moment Robert Walton fights back against the creature, and stands up for Victor, even after he knew how wrong Victor had also been. Robert Walton is the hero of Frankenstein. Frankenstein is not only about the making of a monster, but also of the journey of a hero. Robert Walton is not the main character. He is the narrator, and hero of this book. He travels across waters to explore what no man had. He believes his trip would be a task that he could conquer, and ended up seeing and discovering more than he had bargained for. In the end, he knows the true story of Victor and the creature. He is left to live with the memory of

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The creature toughly discovers the world on his own and declares war on humanity. Frankenstein’s act as God conducts his life and his creation’s into a series of terrific events. As the novel progresses, Victor and his monster vie for the role or protagonist. At simple site, readers think the monster and Victor are two completely different people, but in fact they share the same desires. The creature ironically becomes Victor’s doppelganger by both wanting affection, their miseries and hate for each other.

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1106 Words | 5 Pages

The concept of “The Hero’s Journey” plays a major role in nearly every piece of fiction humanity has created since its inception, from epic poems to blockbuster movies. In many ways, works of fiction and some pieces of nonfiction could not exist and would not make sense without the concept of a Hero’s Journey; it allows the reader to comprehend and follow the progression of characters over the course of the story. While Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road may not display most of the archetypal qualities found in classic Hero’s Journeys such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit or Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, it most clearly exemplifies the qualities of a Hero’s Journey through the Boy’s character in relation to the mentor, tests and enemies, and the

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594 Words | 3 Pages

In conclusion, Mary Shelly uses her great words and flow of her sentences to show how Victor has changed throughout the book. Victor at first seems happy and has a love of nature. In contrast, when the monster completes his revenge Victor is isolated from society and this causes him to have loneliness. Mary Shelly compares Victor to a romantic hero. He has some specific traits that apply both to the romantic hero and himself.

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467 Words | 2 Pages

Every past and modern culture over the course of history, has its hero’s. A hero is a person or figure that others look up to and use as forms of protection. Many cherish the hero’s, they make up who we are today. The Anglo-Saxon hero, Beowulf, and the postmodern hero/hero’s, the soldiers, both show the traits of bravery, selflessness, and loyalty. To have the trait of bravery you have to have lots of confidence in yourself and have courage.

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968 Words | 4 Pages

This book, along with being a utopian fiction, follows the Hero’s Journey archetype. Even though this book may not have purposely been made as an example of the Hero’s Journey the book and many others follow the paradigm. It may not be a perfect example, however, it definitely has it’s moments. The first three steps of the Hero’s

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499 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary W. Shelly, Victor Frankenstein creates a creature. The creature and Victor Frankenstein have conflicts between each other, which is why Robert Walton is necessary to help the reader relate to Frankenstein, by having many of the same attributes are Victor Frankenstein does. Robert Walton has many similar traits to Victor Frankenstein, ultimately helping the reader greater relate to Dr. Frankenstein. Even though Frankenstein is viewed as a monster himself and Walton is considered a normal person.

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1487 Words | 6 Pages

His personality and traits are different and similar to some of the other narrators such as the creature. Victor is pictured as an inimitable chronicler through the fact that he is a dynamic character throughout the course of the novel. It is debatable that he changes as the story processes through and how he begins to understand his current surroundings through the creature and himself. For example, before the creation, he states, “His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!

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1265 Words | 6 Pages

However, Victors reckless and unthoughtful actions pushes the monster into a state of rage and hatred that overrides his ability to stop from exacting revenge on Victor. Victor initially creates the monster thinking that it will be an amazing creature, built from the best human body parts Victor could procure. After he views the outcome of his work he is repulsed by it and abandons it, hoping that it would cease to exist. Not only did the monster survive, but it learned to speak, write, and read. After reading the book Paradise Lost, the monster thinks of its own situation and states the following:

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1278 Words | 6 Pages

Frankenstein wants the glorification and pride in being the first person to create life. Frankenstein sees himself in Walton, and Walton says, “ ...do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose?...,but I prefer glory to every excitement that wealth place on my path”(10). Walton is a younger extension of Frankenstein and gives perspective to the ideas of the younger version of Frankenstein as he creates the creature. However, Frankenstein’s ambitions cost him dearly. The deaths of those around him make him suffer, but also the creation of the creature makes the creature suffer.

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1412 Words | 6 Pages

Frankenstein was feeling lost towards the end of the book until Victor finally got his wish and died. Victor Frankenstein was the main character in Frankenstein. He was important because he was the one who made the story a story because he created a creature and the creature did things to put points in the story. Frankenstein was feeling lost and depressed after his mother died and then eventually his

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773 Words | 4 Pages

Frankenstein’s Monster as a Tragic Hero Aristotle once said that "A man doesn 't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall" (Carlson). In Frankenstein, many argue that Victor Frankenstein himself is indeed the tragic hero of the novel. I believe that the creation of Victor Frankenstein (the monster) is the actual tragic hero. There are several components to being a tragic hero, two of the most important are their tragic flaw, and the component of a tragedy or a tragic ending to the story. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is without a doubt tragic through many characters in different ways, but in my eyes, the creature is the character that sticks out with the most characteristics of a tragic hero.

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1921 Words | 8 Pages

The fictional horror novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is driven by the accentuation of humanity’s flaws. Even at the very mention of her work an archetypal monster fills one’s imagination, coupled with visions of a crazed scientist to boot. Opening her novel with Robert Walton, the conduit of the story, he also serves as a character to parallel the protagonist’s in many ways. As the ‘protagonist’ of the story, Victor Frankenstein, takes on the mantle of the deluded scientist, his nameless creation becomes the embodiment of a truly abandoned child – one left to fend for itself against the harsh reality posed by society. On the other hand, Walton also serves as a foil to Victor – he is not compulsive enough to risk what would be almost

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786 Words | 4 Pages

(Shelley, 82). This letter further demonstrates Captain Walton’s ambition for seeking pure knowledge. The character of Victor endeavors through his journey in order to find

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839 Words | 4 Pages

It is often said that the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. Even Aristotle said, “The more you know, the more you know you don 't know.”. This can often lead to a yearning for more knowledge and sometimes, can be somebody’s downfall. In this case, it was Victor Frankenstein’s downfall. His love for science and his ever-growing quest to learn about the human body ultimately destroyed him, his family, his wife to be, and his best friend.

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1073 Words | 5 Pages

Victor created a monstrous and deformed being that was feared and rejected by the society; this made the society to shun away from the creature leaving him all alone. Both the creature and his creator were outcasts and lived in isolation from the rest of the

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