Frankenstein: Theme of Loneliness

"I said in one of my letters, my dear Margaret, that I should find no friend on the wide ocean; yet I have found a man who, before his spirit had been broken by misery, I should have been happy to have possessed as the brother of my heart." pg. 11

One evident recurring theme of Frankenstein is that of how loneliness can create relationships between total strangers. Prior to this excerpt, Walton had written to his sister of how his only struggle as he was travelling was that of pure loneliness. He had nothing in common with the sailors and could not befriend them. He seemed to have no one to share his joy with. He had been struggling with that idea for some time, thinking that he would have no one to share his triumph with if he actually did reach the North Pole. Who would even care if he told them? However, like often happens in life, Walton found a friend in the place he least expected. The stranger that they picked up while sailing happened to be just the type of man he had been looking to befriend. They shared the same interests of the heart. This particular incident is one that exemplifies the theme that loneliness creates relationships between strangers. Because Walton had been so desperate for a friend, he actually gave this man the time of day. He would sit and listen with him and take care of him, and they became quite close quite fast. Had Walton not been lonely, it would have been easy for him to dismiss this stranger and not even care to become friends with him. However, the fact that he did become friends with him shows how loneliness creates desperation for companionship. Walton sought friendship within a random stranger who most people would not have even tried to relate to.