“But I have one want I have never been able to satisfy; and the absence of the object which I now feel as a most severe evil. I have no friend, Margaret, when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate in my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavour to sustain me in dejection. I commit my thoughts to paper, it is true, but that is a poor medium for the communication of feeling. I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me, whose eyes would replay to mine. You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I bitterly feel the want of a friend.”
R.A. Walton in ‘Frankenstein’
Romantic. Walton himself uses the word in expressing his desire for a friend. Some may interpret it differently. How many of us quickened at the passionate words as intense in its desire as any lover’s yearning? In a way, this is deeper. This wish sets the stage for Walton’s role as confidant to Victor Frankenstein, for Victor to pour out his tragic tale to Walton. These words resonate for me, like a crimson heart rising on the horizon, promising romance, before Walton even lays eyes on Frankenstein. This quote showed me that romantic yearning can reveal itself in a number of forms.
What about you, dear reader? Are there any lines in this remarkable book that resonate with you?