and III:Walton:43), Walton (I:L3:1), and even the beneficent Mr. Kirwin (III:4:20)
are another indication of how carefully Mary Shelley, in this final chapter of Victor's
narration, is engaged in marking thematic unities across the various levels of her
fictional panorama. "Ardent desire," though if untempered it can lead to a solipsistic
irresponsibilty, is nonetheless an essential human principle. Its abrogation here,
which will be reinforced by Victor's repetition of this disclaimer in his last moments
(see III:Walton:28), indicates how whole is Victor's reversal from the student who
undertook his career at Ingolstadt because he so "ardently desired the acquisition
of knowledge" (I:2:7).