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The Exploration Of The Strangers In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

1237 Words5 Pages

Many people wonder what is out there, but there are reasons why people shouldn't rush into exploring the unknown. In Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, three storytellers who are also the main characters tell the reader about their life stories. One main character named Robert Walton goes on an exploration to the north pole. On his expedition, he meets a stranger named Victor who tells Robert about his strange story of how he created life in the form of a creature. Victor explains how this creature, which he had created, had to raise himself and that this creature ended up killing most of his family. As a result, Victor is determined to kill this evil creature. Through this story, Mary Shelley teaches many lessons but some are more important …show more content…

Robert Walton physically explores the unknown by setting off on a voyage to the North Pole. He wants to uncover the mystery of the compass by sailing through the Arctic Ocean. He learns how to sail and reads about other people who have made this journey before, but he doesn'tt consider the dangers that he might face on this journey. Robert and his crew get surrounded by ice, and they don’t know if they will make it out alive. He didn't bring necessary supplies for their escape. Robert is put in an uncomfortable situation of whether to turn back or pursue his dreams. In the book Frankenstein, Robert says, “There is something terribly appalling in our situation, yet my courage and hopes do not desert me. Yet it is terrible to reflect that the lives of all these men are endangered through me. If we are lost, my mad schemes are the cause” (Shelley 158). He is feeling bad for his men because if the ship goes down it would be all his fault because of his lack of planning for the consequences. In the end, he learns for his mistake and takes the crew’s opinions into consideration and decides to turn back. On this expedition, Robert met a new friend named Victor Frankenstein who told Robert about his sad and scary life story involving problems caused by scientifically exploring the

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„I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me; whose eyes would reply to mine. You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend” (Shelley 163-164). This is the wish of the scientist Robert Walton whose letters start Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Unlike the first thoughts coming to mind when hearing the title, friendship is one of the main topics in the story and the wish Walton expresses in the beginning stands for the desires of all the main characters. Not only Walton feels to be in need of companionship, the central character Victor Frankenstein does so too and even the Creature he brings into being expresses its strong wish to belong to someone.

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When writing any piece of fiction, an author 's choice of narrative voice has a huge impact on how readers experience the story. From the slightly less personal yet versatile third-person to the narrow, limited view of first-person, the narrative voice literally provides the voice of literature. It affects which characters the reader really connects with, the opinions that influence them, the knowledge they have, and numerous other aspects. While most authors stick with only one tense, Mary Shelley challenged that standard in Frankenstein. In Frankenstein, Shelley changes her narrative voice numerous times in order to fully develop all aspects of the story through Walton 's letters, Frankenstein 's story, the Monster 's story, and also the

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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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After Frankenstein experiences the death of Elizabeth, he understands that he is the cause of all the deaths in his family and promises to seek revenge on his creation. All the guilt he has turns into anger and fuels his impulse for revenge on the monster. He very passionately and assuredly describes his anger when he says, “My revenge is of no moment to you... I confess that it is the devouring and only passion of my soul,” (217) and promises to seek justice for what he believes is rightfully his. Frankenstein travels to the ends of the world to enact the revenge he thinks he deserves.

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