The setting also hints at the themes of discovery which are pivotal within the novel, with Walton making his expedition and the yearning for discovery which is laced throughout Victor’s soul (showed when trying to discover the meaning of life.) The place from which Walton writes his letters is one untouched by man hence the reason he is trying to reach it, this immediately brings up imagery of exploration and discovery into the head of a reader and so sets the tone of the whole book.
So already with the land that Walton is exploring the reader has an idea of what some of the main themes and ideas of the novel may explore, however by analyzing the words used by Walton we can gain ideas about even more themes and clarify other ones.
The novel shows that both Victor and Walton are very ambitious men. For instance when describing his feelings for the expedition that he has embarked upon Walton says “This expedition has been the favorite dream of my early years.” This shows more than a passing resemblance to the ambition and adventure which comes to be synonymous with the character of Victor Frankenstein. “I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers.” Is Victor’s reaction after hearing the fundamental speech of M Waldman. In fact this unrelenting search for knowledge is a theme that is introduced during Walton’s letters; however it is introduced as a dangerous and ultimately unrewarded search. Victor tells Walton “You seek knowledge and wisdom as I once did; and ardently hope that gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been.” This theme of destructive knowledge is continued and developed throughout the novel as the tragic circumstances of Victor’s obsessive search for understanding are revealed.
This thirst for knowledge and ambition which is shown in Walton’s letters, leads the characters of Walton and Victor far away from their homes. They both have been bitten by the bug and stray from the comfort of the family home to pursue it. Walton hopes he “may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man” and Victor finds in science “a continual food for discovery and wonder.”
To make this dream of having knowledge a reality both Victor and Walton cut close ties with their family. Walton goes against the will of his father in undertaking his exploration “my fathers dying injunction had forbidden my uncle allow me to embark on a seafaring life.” This certainly then rings true with the experiences of Victor Frankenstein? After all his father was “not scientific” and in his youth Victor was left “to struggle with a child’s blindness.” Therefore the “ignorance” of the respective fathers causes their sons to fly the nest to slake there thirst for knowledge, it could be perceived that by leaving there families and defying their fathers wishes they are rebelling against their upbringings. Shelley includes this ignorance within Walton’s letters to show how Victor falls into the same trap with his own” son”
This breaking away which is shown early in Walton’s letter contrasts with the experiences of the monster. Whilst both Walton and Victor push away from the ones that love them, the monster is searching for someone whom he can love but with limited success. This is a role reversal with the supposedly civilized humans; kick against love whereas the “savage” monster try’s to embrace it. This is how Shelley conveys the ignorance which is inherent with all human beings, Victor wants the glory and praise of his creation but is not prepared to educate it and subsequently the monster is abandoned- much as Victor felt he was.
Although there are many similarities between Walton and Victor, I believe Shelley makes a distinguishable difference between the two, and in doing so presents a moral warning to the reader. She shows us that too much knowledge can be dangerous, and holds Walton up as a person who takes the correct course of action. When choosing to turn back after protestations from his crew, Walton heeds the advice of others and does not go further than man should be allowed. Victor however carries on regardless with his “penetration of nature” and is presented as a man who goes “further than man’s nature will allow.” He goes further than men should go into the affairs of things that shouldn’t concern him, and so suffers for it.
He is punished for this, and when taking the title of the book into account we are invited to think upon him as “The Modern Prometheus.” As both Victor and Walton have a promethean longing to conquer the unknown. However Victor is the truest to this analogy because he takes the final step and does the dead and suffers, like Prometheus a terrible fate for doing so.
Another supernatural link between Walton and Frankenstein is their connection with the devil. Walton describes how “there is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.” Victor describes how “order would then arise but I had no power to produce it.” Both lines give the impression that something is working within their soul driving them to discover and in doing so penetrate further than they are allowed. This has literary links with the character of Dr Faustus created by Christopher Marlowe, I believe that the devil may be driving their souls and they are doing very little o stop him and so are Faustian characters.
It is my belief that by including the letters of Walton at the beginning of the novel Mary Shelley is giving an outline of what the themes of the novel may be. This serves to make the reader focused on what she is trying to convey to them, and keeps them engaged. It gives the reader a reference point to look at when thinking over the themes and morals of the play. She makes Walton view Victor as admirable and therefore initially the readers view him as such, although it is almost all one sided at this (although she does show Walton turning back where Victor didn’t) she does include a little sympathy for the monster. This then makes the reader biased towards Victor and challenges them to think in the main body of the novel whether this is justifiable. Finally by making Walton and the Monster have some common traits she sets the ball rolling toward investigating just how much difference there is between man and monster.
