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The book is structured such that Frankenstein (who remains unnamed in this first section) will be its primary narrator; Walton, who listens to his story, is thus the reader's stand-in within the novel. Since Walton is both Frankenstein's audience and his student, we may infer that we, too, are meant to learn something from the tale of Frankenstein. A number of the book's central themes are introduced here. Walton's intense ambition to discover the unknown (to the point that he would sacrifice his life and the lives of his men at sea) indicates that he considers himself a kind of epic hero. He describes his voyage as both "glorious" and "magnificent"; it is therefore clear that, for him, it is equivalent to an odyssey. Underlying his obsession with discovery is the desire for glory and conquest; in this way, Walton hopes to achieve immortality. He suffers from extreme hubris (the belief that he can be equal to a god) and considers himself invincible. He feels that destiny has chosen him, specifically, to complete this perilous journey. The s