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Response Journal: similarities/ differences between Victor and Walton‎ (Frankenstein/Mary Shelly)

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Response Journal: similarities/ differences between Victor and Walton‎ (Frankenstein/Mary Shelly)
Robert Walton a romantic arctic explorer who learns and records Victor's ‎story in letters to his sister in England Margaret Saville. Victor Frankenstein the ‎genius mind behind creating the monster that results in his life going downhill ‎until he is found by Walton on an ice burg in the North pole between life and ‎death. Finding that his savior is also running after an obsession, Victor lying on his ‎death bed recounts his wretched life to his rescuer hoping that he would learn from ‎his mistakes. ‎

There are many similarities between these two unique and determined ‎characters. Both men have an obsession they are determined to accomplish no ‎matter what the consequences are. Frankenstein was obsessed with creating the ‎human life and confiscating death, while Robert Walton was obsessed with finding ‎a Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean from Russia to the Pacific Ocean. ‎They are both seeking to do something that has not been done before. They took ‎risks and were willing to sacrifice their families and friends even themselves for ‎the sake of their fascination. The two men come from caring loving families that ‎are worried about them. Also both of them had very good intentions; Walton ‎wanted to discover a passage that can lead to a new land where people can live, ‎and Victor affected by his mother's death wanted a cure for death. The two ‎characters at the end were lonely, Walton desired a friend to share his happiness ‎during his journey, and Frankenstein's creation destroyed all of his family draining ‎all the happiness, love and feelings out of his heath and leaving him alone. ‎

Just like similarities, there are also many differences. Victor Frankenstein ‎accomplishes his obsession and experiences its consequences unlike Robert who ‎learns from Victors mistakes and abandons his fascination. Victor loses his family ‎one by one until he is left alone to die, but Walton goes back to his family who is ‎waiting for his return. Victor isolated himself when he went to university, ‎especially after he started working on his creation. Walton on the other hand ‎relates every information and every detail to his sister in England. Walton was ‎seeking fame and fortune from his obsession but Victor just wanted a cure for ‎death to heal him from the memories of his mother's death.‎

At the end of the novel the two obsessed men ironically meet both in need ‎of each other. Walton needed a friend and someone to guild him in the right way, ‎while Victor needed someone to take over his revenge and to save him from his ‎uncontrollable creation. Victor and Walton are two men with different ‎personalities and different lives but they share two important things, an obsession ‎and a caring family.‎

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