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Robert Walton In Mary Shelly's Frankenstein

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A foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character. In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein Or The Modern Prometheus, Victor Frankenstein is telling his story about his trials and tribulations so far in his life. Characters like the creature, Elizabeth, and Henry Clervel help highlight Victor’s qualities. Robert Walton is a more effective foil for Victor Frankenstein based on his experiences that parallels and contrasts Frankenstein’s life. Robert Walton is going on a journey to the North Pole while Victor Frankenstein is on a journey of exploring the scientific world. Walton’s innocent expedition highlighted Frankenstein’s destruction. Frankenstein wanted to explore the …show more content…

Walton will help providing information about northern lands, Frankenstein will provide information about the human frame and science. Frankenstein does want to help the world even though it might be a more complicated process than Walton’s research. Although both of their research may benefit society, both may cause havoc to the world around them by the effects their knowledge. Robert Walton is isolated from the world while he is on his journey. Walton desires to find a friend on board but doesn’t believe he could get along with his crew members. When Walton meets Frankenstein, both characters realize that they could have been good friends if they had met earlier in life. Frankenstein basically isolates the creature from his life and society by creating him an ugly being; however, Walton is isolated by the geography. Mary Shelly helped develop the novel by creating the contrasting characters of Walton and Frankenstein. Both characters do wish to gain knowledge and expand their horizons by going on a journey; however, Walton and Frankenstein grow apart from each other by their motives. The creature could have been the second best foil to Victor Frankenstein with his sympathetic ways turned into Satan’s assistant, but Walton opening letters to his sister Margret set the tone for similarities between himself and Frankenstein thus allowing him to be a better

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