the side of his character that Walton finds most attractive. In an existential void
himself, one created as much by his own chosen withdrawal from social obligations
as by the pressure of catastrophic events, Victor is still able to sympathize with
the plight of Walton and his crew and to offer encouragement to their hopes. Perhaps
what would most easily explain this sympathetic posture, though it would not justify
the optimism he expresses to them, is Victor's own deep sense of helplessness before
an implacable force.