In Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, Robert Walton is an ambitious character who has wanted to realize his dream since his youth. Although Walton only appears briefly in the book, he is an important character. He is an important character to consider as he reflects Victor Frankenstein's ruthless pursuit of knowledge. In this essay I argue that the purpose of introducing Robert Walton's letters at the beginning and end of the novel is to allow readers to develop a further understanding of the dangers of irresponsibility associated with the pursuit of knowledge. Accordingly, Walton himself and his letters suggest that tragedies can be prevented if individuals anticipate both the negative and positive consequences that occur by wondering beyond the limitless boundaries of knowledge that Victor Frankenstein ignored. Shelley introduces Walton's letters at the beginning of the book as they help to foreshadow the main theme of the search for knowledge that is prominent throughout the book. With Walton traveling north, the danger he will face is inevitable as it has never been properly explored before. When Walton encounters the first sign of danger, he describes the situation as "somewhat dangerous" even though his ship was "surrounded by ice" and "shrouded in a very thick fog" (Shelley 23). He describes his situation passively as he sees danger as not imminent, this shows the pursuit of knowledge and how Walton ignores it as he doesn't see it as a threat that could stop his fight for success, which is similar to Victor and his creation of the monster. Nicholas Marsh argues that “knowledge [that serves] ulterior motives [is] dangerous” (176) and further explains the two types of knowledge… halfway through the article… serve a significant purpose. Walton's letters are able to illustrate and foreshadow the book's themes of birth, responsibility, and unpredictability while the character himself is a representation of the qualities that Victor could have used to prevent tragedies. Works Cited Marsh, Nicholas. Analyzing the texts Mary Shelley Frankenstein. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print .Poovey, Mary. "My Horrible Offspring: Mary Shelley and the Feminization of Romanticism." PMLA: Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 95, 332-347. (1980): 332-47. Humanities and Social Sciences Index Retrospective: 1907-1984 (H.W.Wilson).Web. June 2, 2014.Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. MK Giuseppe. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.Thompson, Terry W. “Robert Walton as Resuscitator.” Articles on Language and Literature3 (2004): Literature Resource Center. Network. June 2 2014.