Frankenstein's Introductory Letters and the Gothic Elements 

Mary Shelley expounds Frankenstein first with a series of letters, written to a Mrs. Saville. The letters are written by Captain Walton, who details his journey to the Arctic. The Captain is enthused by his journey and seems very excited for what lies ahead of him. At first, none of the titular characters of the book are introduced and seemingly miscellaneous information about the Captain's feelings about his journey are revealed. However, by Letter 4, Walton describes a very strange sight-- the sight of a "low carriage, fixed on a sledge and drawn by dogs, pass on toward the North, at the distance of half a mile; a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature..." who the reader can infer as being Doctor Frankenstein's "monstrous" creation. Then Dr. Frankenstein himself is introduced, as a man who is half frozen to death and on the "brink of destruction." The doctor is brought on board and is treated back to physical health by the Captain, who is quite pleased with Frankenstein's presence, though the doctor himself is mentally tormented about an unspoken problem. The reason for his anxious state is later revealed as he tells his horrendous story to the Captain, which marks the start of the story of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. 

At first, the introductory letters of the novel can seem unimportant. The characters Margaret Saville and Walton are never spoken of again, and his venture of the Arctic is also not something that is explored in depth again in the book. However, it sets up a crucial framework of the themes of the novel and even within these short few letters, there are Gothic elements that can be explored. The first that can be observed is the use of "the sublime." The Arctic serves as the topic for this element of the Gothic, as it is both a land of "frost" and "desolation", but to Walton serves as something that can be a "region of beauty and delight." It is a vast, icy landscape that holds almost nothing as Walton sets on the course of his journey. Walton's crew mates are showing signs of fatigue, bored of the unchanging and unforgiving landscape. They have lost all passion to continue onward and only Walton remains hopeful for what his journey may hold, with a fervor and passion that can be likened to Frankenstein's own emotions later in the book. To Walton, the mystery of the Arctic is something awesome and should be explored, which reflects the meanings of  the sublime in Gothic stories. The reader can view the Arctic to be a positive and wondrous endeavor as we read of Walton's passion for it, but with some trepidation, because as the reader continues on there is also an undercurrent of another Gothic theme, of the concept of "evil". 

The journey to the Arctic itself is first described as "evil" by Walton's sister, Margaret Saville, of whom's place the reader takes. Both Margaret and the reader are taking the role of "the recipient" as Margaret Saville is never given a moment to respond to Captain Walton's letters. Therefore, the reader can also apply the sense of "evil" about Walton's Arctic journey, in Saville's place. In Gothic themes, "evil" is a concept that must seem a positive force within the text, both to the protagonist and the reader. This is easily shown by Walton's enthusiasm for the journey to the Arctic, who the reader can't help but sympathize with, since there is not a negative voice to oppose Walton's. Though Walton's crew members are mentioned to have slowly lost passion to continue traversing the Arctic, their loss of excitement is pointed out by Walton to be the "true evil." Walton diverts the "evil" away from the Arctic and onto those who don't share his same energy, saying that "But I have one want which I have never yet been able to satisfy... 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 my joy..." Walton is disheartened only because his isolation and the fact that he is the only one aboard the ship that holds his same opinions and thoughts. This leads to his next complaint, of which to him is still an even greater evil yet, which is the fact that he is self-educated. Walton bemoans his lost time which he could've spent learning and the fact that his literacy is that of a fifteen year old boy. Although to the reader, we are urged to sympathize with Walton's perspective on "evil" and share his passion for the Arctic in the beginning, as Doctor Frankenstein's story is unraveled, the reader's perspective is forced to change. Just as Frankenstein's passion to re-animate the dead, lead him to his downfall, the reader can recognize that Walton's fervent passion is just as misguided as the doctor's used to be, and is as empty and meaningless as the landscapes of the Arctic the captain was so fond of.