Farewell, Walton! Seek happiness in tranquillity and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries.
Letters, Walton, _in continuation._ · Victor Frankenstein
Context
Victor's final words to Walton before dying include advice to avoid ambition, even in science, though he immediately second-guesses this counsel, suggesting someone else might succeed where he failed.
Analysis
The phrase 'apparently innocent' does crucial work—it signals that even harmless-seeming ambition (like scientific discovery) carries hidden danger. But Victor undercuts this warning in the very next breath ('yet another may succeed'), showing he can't fully commit to renouncing the ambition he's supposedly condemning. The contradiction between warning and encouragement leaves Walton—and the reader—without clear moral direction.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Victor dies without moral clarity—his farewell advice contradicts itself within seconds, demonstrating that he remains torn between condemning and glorifying ambition, unable to settle on a coherent lesson.