2.3.1

Robert Walton

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Robert Walton

Robert Walton is the Arctic explorer who we meet in his letters to his sister, Margaret Saville. Walton finds Victor in a state of desperation and takes him aboard his ship.

Walton and Victor

Walton and Victor

  • Walton develops a deep affection for Victor as he helps try to nurse him back to health.
    • He is deeply moved by his eventual death.
Framed narrative

Framed narrative

  • Walton's letters open and close the novel, forming a framed narrative to Victor's story.
  • It is through Walton that we hear both Victor and the Monster's stories, as he relays them both from the notes he made as Victor told his tale.
Parallel with Victor

Parallel with Victor

  • Walton is important primarily as a narrator. But he also provides a parallel to the character of Victor.
    • Walton is very ambitious and wants to pursue his exploration to become a pioneer and be remembered as a great man.
    • Walton is willing to pursue his course of action at the risk of the lives of his crew. This echoes the dangers of ambition and the self-centred pursuit of scientific goals in Victor's story.
Contrast with Victor

Contrast with Victor

  • Walton eventually decides to terminate his exploration and return to England.
    • In this way, Walton acts as a foil (contrasting character) to Victor, highlighting the negative impact of Victor's inability to stop his actions and his downfall.
    • Shelley uses Walton's contrasting actions (abandoning his own unhealthy pursuits) as a template for a more positive course of action than that which Victor takes.

Quotations

Here are some quotations highlighting key aspects of Walton's character.

Ambitious

Ambitious

  • 'You cannot contest the inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all mankind to the last generation...'
    • Walton seems certain that his expedition will bring benefits to the whole of humanity, as Victor was.
  • 'secret of the magnet'
    • This wording also echoes Victor's discovery of the 'secret of life'.
Lonely

Lonely

  • 'I have no one near me, gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind'.
    • Walton does not feel a connection to any of his crew and feels that the only meaningful friendship to him would be with a person of similar class.
Self-centred and corrupted

Self-centred and corrupted

  • 'how gladly I would sacrifice my fortune, my existence, my every hope, to the furtherance of my enterprise.'
    • Walton values his expedition above all else.
  • 'One man's life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought.'
    • Shelley uses Walton's words to highlight the corrupting influence of a self-centred pursuit of knowledge.
Avoids Victor's mistakes

Avoids Victor's mistakes

  • 'Thus are my hopes blasted by cowardice and indecision; I come back ignorant and disappointed.'
    • Although Walton feels like a failure, Shelley highlights through comparison with Victor that a less stubborn and more humble response to failure is ultimately more positive.
Jump to other topics
1

Plot Summaries

1.1

Volume I

1.1.1Letters I-IV1.1.2Chapters 1-31.1.3Chapters 4-61.1.4Chapters 7-81.1.5End of Topic Test - Volume I
1.2

Volume II

1.2.1Chapters 1-31.2.2Chapters 4-61.2.3Chapters 7-91.2.4End of Topic Test - Volume II
1.3

Volume III

1.3.1Chapters 1-31.3.2Chapters 4-61.3.3Chapter 7 & Walton in Continuation1.3.4End of Topic Test - Volume III
2

Characters

2.1

Victor Frankenstein

2.1.1Role2.1.2Quotations2.1.3End of Topic Test - Victor Frankenstein
2.2

The Monster

2.2.1Role2.2.2Quotations2.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster2.2.4Grade 9 - The Monster Question & Extract
2.3

Other Characters

2.3.1Robert Walton2.3.2Elizabeth Lavenza2.3.3Alphonse Frankenstein2.3.4Henry Clerval2.3.5Justine Moritz2.3.6The De Laceys2.3.7End of Topic Test - Walton, Elizabeth & Alphonse2.3.8End of Topic Test - Henry, Justine & the De Laceys
3

Key Themes

3.1

Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge

3.1.1Presentation3.1.2Key Quotations
3.2

Prejudice

3.2.1Presentation & Key Quotations
3.3

Justice

3.3.1Presentation & Key Quotations3.3.2End of Topic Test - Ambition, Prejudice & Justice
3.4

Companionship & Family

3.4.1Presentation & Key Quotations
3.5

Revenge

3.5.1Presentation & Key Quotations
3.6

Monstrosity

3.6.1Presentation3.6.2Key Quotations
3.7

Gender

3.7.1Presentation3.7.2Key Quotations3.7.3Key Themes - Companionship, Revenge & More
4

Authorial Method

4.1

Genre & Intertextuality

4.1.1Genre4.1.2Intertextuality4.1.3End of Topic Test - Genre & Intertextuality
4.2

Form & Structure

4.2.1Form4.2.2Structure
4.3

Settings & Symbolism

4.3.1Settings4.3.2Symbolism
4.4

Imagery & Doubling

4.4.1Imagery4.4.2Doubling4.4.3End of Topic Test - Structure, Settings & More
5

Context

5.1

Context

5.1.1Mary Shelley5.1.2Time of Writing5.1.3End of Topic Test - Context
6

Recap: Main Quotes

6.1

Characters Quotes

6.1.1Victor Frankenstein6.1.2Quotations6.1.3Robert Walton6.1.4Elizabeth Lavenza6.1.5Alphonse Frankenstein6.1.6Henry Clerval6.1.7Justine Moritz6.1.8The De Laceys
6.2

Text Structure - Quotes

6.2.1Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge6.2.2Prejudice6.2.3Justice6.2.4Companionship & Family6.2.5Revenge6.2.6Monstrosity6.2.7Gender

Practice questions on Robert Walton

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Importance of Walton:Fill in the list
  2. 2
    In what way does Walton act as a foil (contrasting character) to Victor?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Quotations highlighting Walton's self-absorption:Fill in the list
  4. 4
    What does Shelley highlight through comparing Walton and Victor?Multiple choice
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Grade 9 - The Monster Question & Extract

Elizabeth Lavenza