The Romantics valued people as individuals, the search for understanding of the world, and their personal emotions. The word, Romantic, might call to mind notions of romantic love however, this word actually refers to the Romantic period in England and its characteristics. Walton himself is also considered a Romantic character. This is important because, later in the novel, the question of the differences between man and monster will be called into question. And, like Frankenstein's monster, Walton expresses his loneliness and a search for friendship. Walton's journey is an echo of the journey that Frankenstein will tell about in later chapters. The letters themselves refer to many ideas that are echoed throughout the rest of the novel. This not only makes for an interesting narrative, but it also allows Shelley to create layers of depth within the novel. At the end of the novel, Shelley picks up Walton's letters once again. The letters are the frame for this story, while the stranger's tale is considered the main narrative. A frame story is-like a picture frame-a story that surrounds another story. This method of story-telling is called a frame story. These letters serve to set up the main narrative, which begins in the subsequent chapter, told by the man Walton rescues from the ice. At the conclusion of this last letter, Walton tells his sister the man will begin his story-the rest of the novel-the next day. Walton finds in this stranger the companion he has been searching for. The crew brings him aboard, and the man spends two days recovering. This sledge contains a different man than before, and his team of dogs-all except one-are dead. Oddly enough, the next morning, they encounter another sledge stranded on the ice. In the distance, the crew sees a gigantic figure moving across the ice in a "sledge" or dog sled. His ship gets stuck in a thick sheet of ice. In letter four, he describes a startling incident. So far, everything has gone according to plan, so he anticipates no difficulties. The third letter finds Walton setting sail. But, at the same time, he feels his lacks enough education himself to seek a more sensitive companion. He is a thinker, too educated to be their equals. He feels lonely because he feels different from his shipmates. In the first letter, he describes to Margaret his preparations for his grand journey, telling her that he hopes to accomplish some "great purpose." In the second, he confides to Margaret his complete lack of friends. He writes these letters to his sister, Margaret Saville. Walton is an explorer and an Englishman, captaining a ship that is headed directly toward the North Pole. Each of these letters is written by a character named Robert Walton. Rather than launching straight into the action, she begins the novel begins with a series of short letters-four, to be exact. Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein, begins in a unique way.
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