Shelley and her contemporaries are no different. A popular destination was the European continent. These adventures would provide a source for growth and material for writing, as seen throughout Shelley's Frankenstein. Walton, himself, is a fairly typical Romantic character because he is educating himself and traveling for his own educational pursuits. Feeling sadness at his own ignorance and desiring to improve himself, he laments in his letter that "my education was neglected, yet I was passionately fond of reading.
These volumes [of Uncle Thomas' journeys] were my study day and night" as a young man. To add to his practical education, prior to this point, he worked as a second mate on a Greenland whaling ship, where he became a fine and able seaman. Explorers had tried and failed to make the journey from Russia to the Pacific Ocean via the Arctic Ocean. Adolf Nordenskjold later completed this expedition through the Northwest Arctic Passage in This expedition will pass close to the North Pole, a far flung region not yet fully explored or understood during the s.
The remote place settings, the Arctic Circle and St. Petersburg, are another example of an element in the Romantic novel. Previous Introduction to the Edition. Next Letter 2. While the idea sounds strange, it is a key theme to remember. Walton's undertaking of this journey is a comment upon the larger society as well as upon his character: it is the outside world that is constantly urging its members to leap tall boundaries, that they might gain recognition and fame.
Walton's values are definitely questionable. It does not seem that he really belongs on this mission, with so little experience, but he refuses to let this dream go. He is highly motivated and in his prime, a younger version of the weathered stranger, who had the same ideals at one point but has had to relinquish them.
That Walton complains of not having peers to whom he can relate illustrates the most basic human need of companionship. Anything with an iota of humanness feels such a compulsion for friendship and emotional ties; anybody would be justified in going great lengths to find these things.
The Question and Answer section for Frankenstein is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Why do you think humans have rejected the creature? How have his interactions with humans corrupted his originally kind character? The novel suggests that the creature cannot be accepted as human because he is a singular being, that is he looks so different from an average human being that he cannot be accepted as a part of a community.
The creature deviate from appearance Does the speaker share the villagers view that the monster is evil. When Victor entered the harbor to ask directions, why did the stranger answer rudely, "Maybe you come to a place that will prove much to your taste Frankenstein study guide contains a biography of Mary Shelley, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Frankenstein essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Remember me. Our Teacher Edition on Frankenstein can help. Themes All Themes. Symbols All Symbols. Theme Wheel. Everything you need for every book you read. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive.
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Frankenstein , which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Frankenstein begins with a series of four letters from Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret Saville. The first letter is written on December 11 from St.
Petersburg, Russia, sometime in the eighteenth century. Walton is about to set out on a journey at sea to reach the North Pole, which he considers a region of warmth, "eternal light ," and unparalleled beauty. Walton's description of the North Pole reads like a Romantic poem full of beautiful images of nature, and establishes that nature and its beauty will play a major role in the novel.
Active Themes. Romanticism and Nature. Walton's purpose in venturing to the North Pole is twofold: to discover a northern passage to the countries on the other side of the world; and to determine the origin of the North Pole's magnetism.
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