fate
Victor uses the term with a wholly different emphasis from that given to
it by Walton in the previous paragraph. Walton's wish to "ameliorate his
fate" refers to the despondency to which he thinks Victor has been driven
by hard, but as yet undiscriminated, circumstances, a despondency that
could be alleviated by time and compassion. Victor, on the other hand, as his
narrative will begin to underscore, has come to see himself as a destined
victim of these circumstances, one who can neither alter them nor their
effect on his own condition. The disparity in usage is actually a window
into character.
