Why is walton exploring the arctic

I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me, whose eyes would reply to mine. You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend. I have no one near me, gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind, whose tastes are like my own, to approve or amend my plans. How would such a friend repair the faults of your poor brother! Not only does Walton wish for a companion but one who has certain characteristics - ' gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind '.

What does Walton want to discover in the arctic? These are two motivations for his expedition: to prove his family wrong and to make up for his previous failures. He implies in his letter to his sister that he wants to know and learn more about the world, and that he cannot learn these things sitting at home and writing about them. How does Walton feel about the man he rescues? Walton says he loves him like a brother, and feels sympathy and compassion for him.

Why is the man Walton rescues traveling alone on the ice? Walton love to read about when he was a boy? Stories of voyages made for purposes of discovery.

You just studied 16 terms! What attitude does Walton reveal to his sister in Letter 3? What does Robert Walton tell us about himself? Polar Discovery. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: the text, contexts, criticism. Paul Hunter. New York: Norton, Mary Shelley Wiki Explore. Cultural Impact.

Explore Wikis Community Central. Register Don't have an account? He is confident he is able to make the trip with the help of some trustworthy navigators; where there are no snow and frost, imagines sailing on a calm sea, and be surrounded by the beauty of nature in the North Pole. He is filled with enthusiasm imagining his goals. Walton recalls to Margret that he has always dreamed of going on an expedition into the Arctic has been his childhood dream. In his second letter, dated March 28th from Archangel, Russia, Walton prepares a ship and hires sailors.

But he admits that he is often lonely and doesn't have a friend. He praises his crew for their loyalty, but doesn't consider them to be his friends and hopes to have someone who will help him learn, celebrate his victories and comfort him from his defeats. He also fears that his sensitivity would make him unprepared for the harsh brutality of his upcoming journey.

He confesses of his romance "for the marvellous" which would push him for his path towards the dangers of the sea. His third letter, dated on July 7th, Walton describes his expedition as successful so far. His ship is getting close to the North Pole, while he and his crew spot sheets of ice, despite the nice weather.

The ice suggests the harsh conditions further ahead, but reassures his sister that they wouldn't encounter any danger. On July 31st in a fourth letter, Walton's ship gets stuck around large sheets of ice. He and his men then spot a giant man on a dogsled speeding across the ice floes before disappearing from view. The next morning, Walton and the crew spot another man on a dogsled going across the ice; except this man is smaller and is near death from exposure. He refuses to board the ship until Walton tells him they were going up North, and brings him onboard.

The crew look after the stranger for about 2 days until he regains his strength and able to speak. The sailors are curious about the man they have looked after, but Walton prevents his crew from asking the stranger questions for the state of his fragile health.

Before long, he befriends the man and even starts to love him as a brother as well as the friend he thought would never have on his expedition.

He tells the stranger that he is on a quest for knowledge, which upsets the man and reveals that he had just lost everything and plans on ending his life. This makes Walton curious and would like to know why the stranger is so sensitive to nature. The next day, the stranger decides to tell Walton his story that would either help him go further in his quest or persuade him to give up; although the captain is still determined on his destiny.

He writes to Margaret that he will record the stranger's story in a narrative. The stranger introduces himself as Victor Frankenstein in his tale, and as Walton listens, his narrative switches to Victor's point of view.

Victor had grown up in Geneva, Switzerland and lived a happy, innocent life with his friend Henry Clerval and adoptive cousin Elizabeth Lavenza , who his parents hoped would marry one day. Having a fascination with science and alchemy, Victor enrolls at the University of Ingolstadt where he gets very focused at his studies and is convinced he had discovered the secret of life. He spends months secretly constructing a humanoid creature but when he restores it to life, he flees in terror and wanders around Ingolstadt where he meets Clerval.

He falls feverishly ill and Clerval spends months nursing his friend back to health. After Victor recovers, he receives news from back home that his youngest brother William has been murdered.

He quickly returns to Geneva, where a family friend Justine Moritz has been accused of killing William. Despite the Frankenstein's trying to prove her innocence, Justine is tried and executed and Victor becomes distraught.

After he travels to the Alps with his family, Victor goes for a walk when he meets his creation who makes him listen to his own story.