‘Frankenstein’ is a novel written by Marry Shelley in 1818 when she was merely eighteen as a response to a challenge set by Byron to ‘write a ghost story’. In the beginning of the story we come across an aspiring scientist, Robert Walton, on his journey to the North Pole. Further on in the novel, we are introduced to Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the nameless monster who later becomes the source of his destruction. Both of these ambitious characters make decisions that result in their misfortunes showing how determination can turn man into dangerous scientists.
The driving force behind Victor and Walton is their eternal curiosity and urge to push the barriers of knowledge to where no man has been before; to be the first man to see or do something. In Letter I, Walton informs his sister (and the audience) that he shall award all mankind “by discovering a passage near the pole” and he goes on to add that if anyone, then only a man with “an undertaking” such as his can come into contact with the answers. Similarly, Victor aims to achieve the extraordinary that would set him apart from the rest of the world by exploring the unknown.
However, the differences in the comparison of Victor and Walton are seen in their deeper motivation for their ambitions. Although, both of them are concerned with the benefits their work will bring to the world if they manage to succeed, there are some vital variation in their motivations. Walton engages himself with improving existing life and gaining fame by recognition for his valuable contributions to the humanity. While on the other hand, Victor Frankenstein suggests (in Chapter 4, Volume 1) that he wants to create a new world where he would be recognised was the creator and the ruler. He says that he will create “a new species” which would bless him as “its creator and source”. This is the contrast between Victor and Walton: one wants to improve existing life while the other wants to create new life.
The driving force behind Victor and Walton is their eternal curiosity and urge to push the barriers of knowledge to where no man has been before; to be the first man to see or do something. In Letter I, Walton informs his sister (and the audience) that he shall award all mankind “by discovering a passage near the pole” and he goes on to add that if anyone, then only a man with “an undertaking” such as his can come into contact with the answers. Similarly, Victor aims to achieve the extraordinary that would set him apart from the rest of the world by exploring the unknown.
However, the differences in the comparison of Victor and Walton are seen in their deeper motivation for their ambitions. Although, both of them are concerned with the benefits their work will bring to the world if they manage to succeed, there are some vital variation in their motivations. Walton engages himself with improving existing life and gaining fame by recognition for his valuable contributions to the humanity. While on the other hand, Victor Frankenstein suggests (in Chapter 4, Volume 1) that he wants to create a new world where he would be recognised was the creator and the ruler. He says that he will create “a new species” which would bless him as “its creator and source”. This is the contrast between Victor and Walton: one wants to improve existing life while the other wants to create new life.
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