‘You cannot contest the inestimable benefit that I shall confer on all mankind’
Walton believes, that, by discovering the North Pole, he will be able to provide shorter journey routes for people all over the world. In wanting to ‘confer’ this ‘inestimable benefit’, he hopes to be recognised and become famous. He is quite vainglorious. However, his vaingloriousness and desire to benefit mankind, mirrors that of Victor’s aims. We understand that Walton’s actions foreshadow those of Victor, yet to be discovered in the novel. It is in this that Walton plays a significant role.
Further on, after several letters have been written discussing his health and progress in his journey, Walton remarks:-
‘I desire the company of a man.’
We realise that Walton is feeling isolated and is in a state of solitude. Although he is surrounded by seamen and shipworkers, he is Romantic in his description of wanting a companion and comments that those who surround him are the ‘dross’ of human nature. He believes that he is superior to them and wishes for the company of an individual who is equal in his level of intellect. As he was self-educated, there was none to criticise his actions. This is important, as, as the novel progresses, we learn that Victor similarly, was self-educated. Nonetheless, the quote mentioned above is significant, as it foreshadows the reasons behind the creation of the creature by Victor, and provides us with Victor’s reasoning, to an extent.
Nevertheless, Walton soon dons his melancholy and solitude, and begins to believe, that with the aid of science, he is able to do anything. We know, of course, that it was through science that Victor was able to create the creature, and so, once again, Captain Walton foreshadows the novel. In addition, like Victor, Walton too is an idealist. He has a dream, and believes that his circumstances ‘are as fixed as fate’.
However, once he meets Victor Frankenstein, he learns of the harrowing consequences that follow the acquirement of too much knowledge. As we learn of Victor’s tale, we discover through Walton’s comments, that he too, is shocked by this narration, and again, foreshadows the novel thus. It is through Victor’s aim to warn Walton of such atrocious outcomes, that we realise exactly how shocking, and horrific, Victor’s tale really is. It is Walton’s presence that enables us to comprehend Victor’s ‘disgust’ and ‘the breathless horror’ that he has experienced.
In reading Captain Walton’s letters at the beginning of the novel, we gain a fair idea as to what we are to encounter as the tale develops. Through Walton’s constant attempts to relieve his sister of any thought that he has become the victim of a disaster, and his continuous vainglorious desires, we also learn of Victor’s characteristics. Overall, Walton is extremely significant in his character. He prepares the reader for the role and character of Victor, and foreshadows the novel many times. Further, as we perceive that the novel begins at the end of the tale, by Victor relating the story to Walton, we recognise that it is via Walton only that we become familiar with the character of Victor.
As Walton finds Victor in a sledge, in the midst of his journey, and further, aids him, we realise that some disaster is to accompany the wretched state of Victor, and will result in him being found in such a position.
Therefore, without Captain Walton having embarked on a journey, we would not have come across the major character – Victor Frankenstein, and would not have been able to comprehend him also. Thus, Walton’s character is extremely significant as he prepares us for the complex role of Victor, and the shocking tale to be narrated.