Victor Frankenstein, like many romantics, relies on his unusual capacity for sensitivity and creativity to aid him in his ambitions. Unlike Robert Walton, who ventures to the North Pole to find “beauty and pleasure” (Shelley 15) in the midst of desolation, Victor desires to create a better race as a gift to humanity. Although he and Walton appear, at first glance, to be undertaking entirely different quests, the underlying motive is the same: both men aspire to spiritual exaltation (the elevation of their minds and souls above those of other men). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The characters of Walton and Frankenstein are shaped by romantic idealism, as evidenced by their quest for discovery through scientific investigation and adventure. The essential difference between the two men lies in the way in which they attempt to achieve their respective goals. Curious and determined, Walton sets out to “travel a land never before marked by the foot of man” in order to live up to his romantic ideals. While he describes his motivations as "sufficient to overcome any fear of danger or death" (16), Shelley portrays Walton as a compassionate character from the start. Despite his deep investment in his journey, his concern for his family and friends persists. This seems to reflect the romantic position presented in William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey," which addresses the poet's "dear, dear sister" (Wordsworth 110). Walton similarly argues, from the beginning of the novel, that his “first task is to assure my dear sister of my well-being” (Shelley 15). His respect for his sister reflects his vigilant concern for the well-being of his crew. Like Walton, Victor is obsessed with the idea of ​​the unknown. In recounting his first scientific attempts, Victor exclaims: “No one can conceive the variety of feelings that swept me away like a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success” (52). It’s clear that Walton and Victor are driven by an unusually eager passion for discovery. Walton, however, differs from Victor in his capacity for compassion and love. This is illustrated by Victor's isolation from society and his callous treatment of the monster once it is over. Like Walton, whose fond memories of youth make up the bulk of his early letters, Victor also enjoyed an idyllic childhood. Victor remarks: “No human being could have had a happier childhood than me. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence” (37). However, a strange transformation seems to take place in Victor as soon as he leaves for university. Melancholy seizes him as he, “who had always been surrounded by kind companions... now [found himself] alone” (44). It is at this moment that Victor begins to sink into the isolation which will devastate him at the end of the novel. During this initial isolation, Victor occasionally reflects on his self-imposed solitude. He remarks that he did not notice "a very beautiful season" because his "eyes were insensible to the charms of nature"; he also recognizes that “the same feelings that made me neglect the scenes around me also made me forget those friends who were so many miles away and whom I had not seen for so long” (53). Although Victor promises his family that she will remain first on his mind, he becomes obsessed with her unnatural quest. This self-centeredness is the cause of Victor's eventual fall at the hands of the monster. Many of the most hateful aspects of Victor's character become evidentin his reaction to the creature. He responds in horror the moment the monster opens its "dull yellow eye": "now...the beauty of the dream is gone, and breathtaking horror and disgust have filled my heart." If we can assume that his repugnance is due to the ugliness of the “wretched man” (56), his terror has an entirely different source. The monster is the reflection of Victor, his strange double; When the monster opens its eyes, Victor is dismayed to see his own soul there. Victor's incestuous dream, in which Elizabeth's figure transforms into his mother's corpse, seems to represent his feelings of guilt and betrayal. Upon leaving home, Victor had separated himself from all female influences, immersing himself instead in the male world of scientific activity. Thus, it seems that the monster's awakening represents the violent return of his repressed sexual desires: he has abandoned marriage and fatherhood to "give birth" to a monster of his own (exclusively male) creation. Since his mother's last wish was his marriage to Elizabeth, it is as if the marriage should also be to his mother. The repressed sexual desire is actually directed towards the two women. By creating the monster, Victor ostensibly hoped to create a more beautiful human race. His real impetus, however, can be seen as his own narcissism. Victor argues that “a new species would bless me as creator and source; many happy and excellent natures owe their existence to me” (52). With these words, it seems that Victor desires to be the object of the monster's eternal worship (as God is to the "normal man"). Victor gives in to the unnatural and transgressive desire to “renew life where death had apparently doomed the body to corruption” (53). Whether as the mother/God of his creation or as his mother's doting son, Victor desires to be desired. At the beginning of the novel, Shelley portrays Victor as a victim of mysterious circumstances. The reader's first encounter with him is through Walton, who instantly falls in love with the noble victim: he rejoices in having "found a man whom, before his spirit was broken by misery, I would have been happy to have possessed as a brother my heart” (25-6). This sympathetic portrayal of Victor continues until the creation scene, after which the novel will be devoted to Victor's suffering and the deep flaws in his own character that made that suffering possible. Desperately seeking love and affection (as a newborn does), the creature prepares to kiss Victor “while a smile wrinkled his cheeks” (57). Victor rejects these advances, only describing his "horror" at the monster's physical appearance. For Victor, this is the beginning of the end: his decision to abandon the creature is the catalyst for all the evil and unhappiness that follows. Even though he is the one who brings the creature to life, his first act is to abandon it and deny any responsibility for its happiness and well-being. Victor aspired to transcend death, to create a superior human race and thus become a god; instead, his megalomania (the mad, obsessed desire for absolute power) leads to the destruction of everyone he loves. Victor finally admits his guilt, exclaiming "William, Justine and Henry, they are all dead in my hands" (176). By then, of course, it is too late: his failure to warn those close to him about the creature and its murderous intentions indicates Victor's inability to accept responsibility for his actions. Shelley uses the story of Walton's quest as a framework for Victor's story. Frankenstein. While Victor praises his family and, in fact, loves them dearly, he lets his desire for personal fulfillment overshadow his emotional connections. Robert »..