Frankenstein - opening letters

These letters that open the Mary Shelley's Frankenstein are written from a man named Robert Walton. The letters are written to Walton's sister named Margaret. Walton ends every letter telling Margaret how much he loves her, which shows the good relations he has with his sister. However, it appears Walton has trouble relating to others. He writes to his sister saying, "You may deem me a romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend (4)." The goal of Walton's journey is to reach the north pole and "discover the secret of the magnet." This lengthy journey seems to necessitate a friend through the perilous journey. Lucky for Walton (or possibly unlucky), the crew finds a man in the water, who's name is later revealed to be Victor Frankenstein. Victor and Walton immediately form a bond. They relate well to each other. The letters end with Victor agreeing to tell Walton the story of his misfortunes and how he was found in the arctic waters. Victor says he chose to tell Walton the story because he notices that they are both men who desire wisdom, and Victor does not want Walton to end up like he did. This is an example of the theme of duty during this story because Victor feels the duty to tell his story to Walton in order to prevent similar horrors from occurring.