Frankenstein Preface and letters

Preface and letters

In the preface, the author reveals that her primary intention in creating the work is “the exhibition of the amiableness of domestic affection, and the excellence of universal virtue”. She explains that the tale of Frankenstein was written when the author and her friends all agreed to write ghost stories that were inspired by German ghost stories that they had all enjoyed.

Letters

The letters are addressed to Margaret Saville in England from her brother Robert Walton, who is traveling north from Russia. He writes to seek some encouragement in his objective of exploring the North pole. His sister had been reluctant for him to make this endeavor, so he reassures her that he is safe and recounts to her how he had failed in different professions and then 6 years ago decided to explore the North pole. He is unsure of what he'll find there but is certain that it will be worth exploring. Robert is also aware that he may perish in the cold environs of the pole but believes it to be a worthy risk.

He writes again when he has secured for himself a ship and begun hiring sailors that will accompany him to the North pole. Although, he is regretful because he has no friends and so feels forlorn.

Once he has begun sailing he writes again to explain how his ship had been closed in by ice, and from the vantage of their ship they had witnessed a giant man going across the endless plains of ice using a sled. Once the ice around the ship breaks, they discover a stranded European on a sheet of ice with a sled, most of whose dogs have perished. Robert rescues and restores the stranger to health, but the man seems to be plagued by woe. He only grows animated upon discovering that the crew had witnessed a 'daemon' traveling across the ice. Robert feels a growing kinship with him and begins to believe that he could indeed be a worthy friend.

He grows closer to the stranger and discovers in him an intelligent soul tortured by misery. When Robert shares with him the desire he has to explore the north pole, and the effect it is likely to have on the broader society, the stranger transforms with misery, and tears stream from his eyes. It takes him a long time to calm down again, and he later reveals that he had a very dear friend, very much like the kind that Robert desires for himself, but he had lost that friend.

In the last section of the letter, Robert informs Margaret that the stranger has decided to share his tale of woe with Robert. He feels that Robert's desire for wisdom and knowledge is similar to what he had himself felt, and hopes that Robert can derive a moral lesson from his tale. Robert is excited at the prospect and decides to write a manuscript derived from the stranger's story.

Analysis

The letters detail the setting of the novel and foreshadow some aspects of Victor Frankenstein's own story, the most important of which is the theme of loneliness. Robert Walton, in his second letter informs his sister that he direly feels the absence of a companion, an emotion that Frankenstein's monster also experiences keenly later in the narrative. Another theme that is introduced here, and later developed in the novel is that of destructive knowledge. Victor warns Robert about his mission to the North Pole, as he has experienced the catastrophe of applying destructive knowledge carelessly.