Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Book Report/Review Example

With this as the main theme of the essay, let us move on to the next part. Robert Walton is the indirect narrator of the story, he tells Victor Frankenstein's story through the letters to his sister, Margaret Saville. Just like Frankenstein, he is self- educated and comes from a good family background. He sets out to explore the North Pole and find an Arctic passage to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The major area where these two characters mix is in regard to their quest for glory.

They both think that they are not like others and they long for achieving the impossible. This quest for glory is the potentially fatal flaw in Walton and Victor. Walton is mad after his expedition. He assumes that his ambition is more important than human life. He also thinks that he has been born to accomplish the task with readiness to sacrifice his own life. This is the amount of aspiration he has for his duty. When Frankenstein hears this thirst form his friend, he reminds of his own quest for glory and its failure.

He says: We can see the same thing happening to Frankenstein. Just like Walton, he too is overwhelmed by his quest for glory and greatness. . It was in his college he discovered the source of human life power, which he applied for creating a human life with his own hands. This is the greatest blunder he does, for the inhuman creature he creates is a great threat to all. He realizes it only after things go wrong and feels for his mistake. Here are the lines to prove it:"Man," I cried, "how ignorant art thou in thy pride of wisdom!

" MORE ON COMPARISIONIn many ways we see that Walton and Frankenstein are alike. In their quest for glory and greatness, in their blindness about the future, in abandoning their family and friends and even in their ignorance of their own life, we can clearly notice their similarities. And the only place where a straight-forward difference is shown is at the end of the story, where Walton abandons his journey and returns home. He learns with his own experience and in connection to the life of Frankenstein that life is more important than his adventure for glory.

This is the place where actual realization comes in and also is the core theme of the novel. "Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow."And also these lines:"Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries.

"CONCLUSIONI conclude this paper by stressing that any modern development in science and technology should be within the limits of our control. No man can over-take nature and it is always a great flaw to go against the rules of nature. Robert Walton and