Robert Walton
English Lit: AQA GCSE Frankenstein, topic 6.1.3
Quotations
Here are some quotations highlighting key aspects of Walton's character.
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
- '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
- '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
- '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.
Test yourself on Robert Walton
What does Shelley highlight through comparing Walton and Victor?