Point of View Hop Potato

In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, there is a story within a story within a story. The frame stories serve to help the transition between points of view. In the letters, the point of view is Robert Walton. Once chapter one begins, the point of view is that of Victor Frankenstein. Within Victor's stories, he sometimes uses letters to describe the characters. Sometimes, those letters are presented in the point of view of the character, not Victor. Since the novel bounces between point of views frequently, it can be confusing as to what Victor happens to be addressing. At one point in the story, Victor abruptly stops telling the story to address Robert Walton: "I see by your eagerness and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted" (Shelley, 31). He goes from reflecting upon his knew discovery to addressing Walton to going back to telling the story. If one were to read it quickly, he would not notice Victor comes out of the story to address Walton. It can also be hard to remember that this is a frame story and that this story is being told on a ship going to the north pole. The point of view shift can be confusing to the flow of the story.