"This expedition has been the favourite dream of my early years. I have read with ardour the accounts of the various voyages which have been made in the prospect of arriving at the North Pacific Ocean through the seas which surround the poles." (page 2) Frankenstein is set up as a frame story so we begin with the first narrator, Robert Walton, who is an explorer and a scientist looking to reach the North Pole. At one point he mentions his goal is to find the reason why needles point North and another goal of his is to find a safer and quicker passageway to Asia and other continents on the other side of the world. Walton seems almost pretentious in a way because he has a hard time making friends since he is so involved in his explorations, but at the same time he is afraid that he is not smart enough to be friends with the type of people he would like to be friends with. He speaks about being a "romantic" because he wants someone to share in his triumph if he reaches the North Pole or someone to console him if he doesn't reach the North Pole. He has been working very hard to get to this point, and he needs someone to share it with. Walton speaks so highly of his dream that he doesn't speak much about his life otherwise. We know that he has a good relationship with his sister since he is writing her multiple letters, including all of Frankenstein's journey, but he doesn't mention much about the rest of his family or keeping in contact with them. He does mention, however, that his explorations and his project has been such a big part of his life that he hasn't had time to make friends or strengthen relationships. Until Frankenstein comes along....
