Why Does Frankenstein Begin And End With Waltons Letters?
Victor Frankenstein is a scientist whose ambition will be fatal. His story is central to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Nevertheless, Shelley gave a frame to Victor’s tale as Frankenstein begins and ends with Captain Walton’s letters. In this analysis, I will show that Shelley did not insert the letters by chance, but that they add a deeper dimension to the novel. Walton’s letters play an important role for the reader may find many foreshadowed themes. As the novel progresses, the reader will realize how Walton and Victor Frankenstein share similar views on their life’s roles. Both men are driven by an excessive ambition, as they desire to accomplish great things for the humankind. Walton is an explorer who wants to discover a new passage to the Pacific and therefore conjures “inestimable benefit on all mankind to the last generation” (16). Victor’s purpose is to “pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold…… Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
