# Letter II explained — Frankenstein

> Chapter companion for Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

## What happens

Robert Walton, writing from Archangel, describes his preparations for an Arctic expedition and his deep longing for a sympathetic friend. He details the hiring of his crew, including a noble lieutenant and a gentle master, and shares the master's romantic story of selfless love. Walton reflects on his own isolation, self-education, and the mixture of fear and excitement he feels as he prepares to sail into unknown regions, alluding to Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.'

## Themes in this chapter

### Isolation and Loneliness

Walton's central lament is his lack of a friend to share his triumphs and sorrows, highlighting the theme of isolation even amid a crew.

### Ambition and Pride

Walton's 'passionate enthusiasm for the dangerous mysteries of ocean' and his fixed resolve to explore uncharted regions reflect his ambitious and prideful nature.

## Character check-ins

### Robert Walton

Walton expresses his loneliness and desire for a friend, details his crew selection, and shares his romantic enthusiasm for exploration.

### Margaret Saville

Walton's sister and the recipient of his letters, addressed directly throughout the letter.

## Key lines

> I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavour to sustain me in dejection.

Walton tells his sister that he has no companion to share his successes or comfort him in failure.

_This expresses Walton's profound sense of isolation and his yearning for a sympathetic friend._

> I am going to unexplored regions, to 'the land of mist and snow'; but I shall kill no albatross, therefore do not be alarmed for my safety, or if I should come back to you as worn and woeful as the 'Ancient Mariner.'

Walton reassures his sister that his voyage, though into unknown icy lands, will not bring the curse of Coleridge's mariner.

_Walton directly references Coleridge's poem, linking his own romantic ambition to the literary theme of transgression and consequence._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/frankenstein_se/chapters/letter-ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/frankenstein_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/frankenstein_se/chapters