Parallels and doubles in Frankenstein

Shelley's use of the motif of the double is a classic feature of Gothic texts. The idea of dualism is a recurrent theme in literature, echoing the perceived division between good and evil. In Judeo-Christian religion, Satan was the fallen angel; once at God's right hand, he was expelled from the kingdom of heaven. Appearance and reality; good and evil; life and death; male and female ... these are some of the dualisms that mark the Gothic text, and Shelley's Frankenstein, in particular.

Walton, like Frankenstein, is ambitious for glory; he embarks on a journey of scientific discovery, and in the process he puts others at risk for the sake of his work; he is isolated from the rest of mankind by his ambition, and he is desperately lonely. The use of Walton's letters as an epistolary outer frame to the embedded narratives of firstly, Frankenstein and then of the monster, enables Walton to observe and reflect on the nature of his guest, and in doing so, he foreshadows the reader's response to the monster later in the novel:

'How can I see so noble a creature destroyed by misery without feeling the most poignant grief? He is so gentle, yet so wise, his mind is so cultivated; and when he speaks, although his words are culled with the choicest art, yet they flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence.' (p28-9)

• Explore these ideas in more detail.
• Identify extracts that illustrate the points you make about Shelley's use of parallels, doubles and dualism in the novel.
• Consider the ways in which Shelley draws on myths and other literary texts in her use of these features.