What Does Prometheus Symbolize Walton

This quote is significant because it tells of the moment that Frankenstein’s troubles began. From this moment, when the monster comes to life, to the end of the novel, Victor is plagued by the horrors that the monster inflicts upon him. Had Victor not created the creature, or had his ‘experiment’ failed, he would not have lost so many loved ones and endured all the troubles that came with it.

Frankenstein is characterised as the modern Prometheus in the subtitle of his novel but Prometheus brought fire and light (civilisation) to his creation and in doing so, turned his back against the gods. He suffered for his sacrifice by being chained to a rock and had his liver eaten by an eagle. For Prometheus and his creation fire was a blessing and enabled humanity to develop and break free of the gods. Like Prometheus, Frankenstein "steals from heaven in attempting to Œpour a torrent of light into our dark world'" (Shelley in Boyd 1984, p. 24) and is punished because of his actions. Shelley also contrasts Frankenstein with the Promethean myth. Her Prometheus brings only suffering into the world, his creation suffers, his family suffers and ultimately, he suffers. Frankenstein's

Upon hearing Frankenstein?s story, Walton understands that he is heading in the same direction that led Frankenstein to where he is at. He states, ? I cannot lead them unwillingly to danger ?? (Hunter 151; ch. 7). He recognizes that Frankenstein had put many people in harms way without them even knowing.

Likewise, we learn in the first few chapters of the novel, after the letters, that Victor’s passion for science also came from his childhood where he would read books by There are man similarities between Frankenstein and Walton which the letters convey, but at this point in the novel the readers do not recognise this as Frankenstein’s story has not yet been revealed to them. Frankenstein’s narrative is told after the letters. Not only do the letters introduce the important character of Walton, but also of Frankenstein and the monster. The last letter introduces both characters. It starts off with Walton bursting with excitement at his discovery.

     Walton values friendship by having someone to relate to on similar interests. He desires a man who can comply with him on all subjects of discussion and also correct him when he is wrong. His views on friendship are shared when he states, “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';(p.53). Although he encircles himself in a community of good men, he does not meet a real friend until Victor arrives. With Victor, he finds more than that and regards him as a brother. Victor possesses appealing qualities to Walton when Walton states, “He is so gentle, yet so wise; his mind is so cultivated; and when he speaks, although his words are culled with the choicest art, yet the flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence';(p.60). Walton begins to notice all the interests Victor takes on deck and these interests gladden him. Victor suggests several alterations in Walton’s plan, which he finds useful. Walton further clarifies his outlook on

Finally, his inability to give his creation a chance prevents him from being classified as a hero. You see with this novel’s alternative title, a reference to the ancient mythology of Prometheus is made. This man disobeyed the other gods and Zeus himself to give man a gift, the gift of fire. Or it he was punished for hundreds of years till he was spared by another god. Prometheus gave humans a chance to live and strive on their own. Frankenstein, however, did not give the creature he gave help to (or in this case life) to have a chance. In fact, he cut Frankenstein off by deciding to destroy the woman he was making to be one of Frankenstein’s kind. He denied his creation a chance to exist on the planet and learn to adapt and use emotions in their life and fit in. He destroyed it after he created it, with much consequence.

Written in 1817 by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein is a novel about the "modern Prometheus", the Roman Titian who stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. The story takes place in several European countries during the late 1700's. It is the recollection of Victor Frankenstein to a ship captain about his life. Victor is a student of science and medicine who discovers a way to reanimate dead flesh. In a desire to create the perfect race he constructs a man more powerful than any normal human, but the creation is so deformed and hideous that Victor shuns it. The creation then spends a year wandering searching for companionship, but everywhere he goes he is shunned and feared. Hating life

Another similarity between the two figures is their intention or goal. Both characters had supposedly good intentions that were tainted through the fulfilment of their cause. Frankenstein believed that, "a new species will bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me"(32). Prometheus insists that his actions had a similar impact- "I risked the bord attempt, and saved mankind / From stark destruction and the road to hell... And in a single word to sum the whole- / All manner of arts men from Prometheus learned." (Aeschylus). In both cases, these ideas, deluded or realistic, were not the actual or only outcome of their "gifts". In Percy Bysshe Shelley's interpretation of the Prometheus myth, Prometheus is faced with the consequences of his gift of fire (and of creating the human race).

In the Bible, the book of Genesis 1:27 states that "God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Creating both men and women in His image, God is the only person who can do this successfully, giving us unconditional love and never abandoning us throughout our journey in life. On the other hand, Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist creates a life form due to his love of natural sciences. His desire to create this life form only for an experimental purpose unknowingly leads to disastrous outcomes for both Victor Frankenstein and his creation, the monster. In Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein uses his knowledge

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley mostly revolves around Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist, and the plot focuses on his creation of the monster, the antagonist, and the tragic consequences that arise from his actions. As the main focuses of the novel, both Victor and the monster are dynamic characters, and throughout the story, their actions reveal moral dilemmas. Walton, a ship captain, saves Victor in the North and while he is absent during most of the narration, Walton still makes significant appearances at the beginning and the end of the novel. He is a developed character that serves to contrast Victor’s. The minor characters include Elizabeth, Justine, William, Alphonse, and Henry, and while they make sporadic appearances in the novel, they are still significant. As close friends and family to the protagonist, their unwavering concern for Victor’s well-being ultimately influences some of his decisions. However, due to Victor’s guilt-induced isolation from society, their characters are not focused on or explored in depth. Most notably, they function to add to Victor’s misery, and their unfortunate deaths contribute to the novel’s depressing tone.

Walton's letters to his sister at the beginning of the story foreshadow the feelings and motivations that Frankenstein experiences when he first discovers the "the cause of generation and life." Both Walton and Frankenstein are adventures and obsessive with

Frankenstein and Walton’s narratives are remarkably similar in style, making it almost “impossible to extricate the narratives from one another.” Even Shelley’s choice of language draws parallels between the two: for example, her use of the words “gigantic structure” and “wretched” in Walton’s first description of Frankenstein, which Victor subsequently uses in referring to his creation. Many critics have even gone so far as to say that Walton is Victor’s doppelgänger – his clone in every way. However, there are distinct differences in diction between the two: Frankenstein being the more eloquent of the pair, as Walton freely admits: “Now I am twenty-eight and am in reality more illiterate than many schoolboys of fifteen.”

Victor Frankenstein, also known as the modern Prometheus according to Shelley, holds a similar yet different story and fate as Prometheus. While Prometheus only wanted to correct his brother’s mistake in making a superior race of man, Victor wants to understand “the secrets of heaven and earth” in order to elevate himself to a godlike status (Shelley, 30). He decides that he will create “a new species” which “would owe their being to” him and give him the

    In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley combines three separate stories involving three different characters--Walton, Victor, and Frankenstein's monster. Though the reader is hearing the stories through Walton's perspective, Walton strives for accuracy in relating the details, as he says, "I have resolved every night,...to record, as nearly as possible in his [Victor's] own words, what he has related during the day" (Shelley 37). Shelley's shift in point of view allows for direct comparison and contrast between the characters, as the reader hears their stories through the use of first person. As the reader compares the monster's circumstances to those of Victor and Walton, the reader's