Walton's Letters In Frankenstein

Walton is writing letters to his sister; these letters are setting the themes of the story that will come after and before these letters. These letters also introduce an important character which is Walton who is lateral to Frankenstein. In the second letter that Walton has written expresses the idea of loneliness and loss as Walton complains that he has no friends who he can share his successes and his failures with, or to share his ambitions. Walton views the stranger as a friend he has always wanted; his search for friendship and his attempt to find it in a stranger is parallel to the monsters desire to find a friend in the novel. This is hidden in these early letters, but increasingly becomes clear as the novel continues and shows that the monster and he are not as different as the story makes it seem.

Walton is told by the stranger: “[He searches] for knowledge and wisdom, as [the stranger] once did; and [the stranger] ardently hope[s] that the gratification of [Walton’s] wishes may not be a serpent to sting [him], as [the strangers] has been” (pg 17). This also shows a theme of knowledge being not only positive but destructive throughout the novel and the consequences of the new found stranger’s obsessive search for understanding is revealed. Walton is entranced by the opportunity to know what no one else knows and to dive into nature’s secrets “…be expected in a country of eternal light...” (pg 2). This quote captures another theme of Frankenstein; light can be seen as a symbol of knowledge and discovery. This can be seen in Walton’s quest to reach the northernmost part of the earth can be compared to Victor’s quest for the secret of life. Both of these men seek ultimate knowledge, and both sacrifice the comfort of the realm of known knowledge in their