Frankenstein · Chapter
Letter II explained
Robert Walton, writing from Archangel, describes his preparations for an Arctic expedition and his deep longing for a sympathetic friend.
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.'
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this chapter, the creature reaches his emotional and psychological peak by shifting from despair to a decla…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes 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.
Characters to notice
- 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 passages
“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.
