Structure/style

"Letter 1 To Mrs. Saville, England St. Petersburgh Dec. 11th" Page 15
The beginning of the novel is told to us through Walton's letters to his sister. Later he also writes in his journal. This is a very informative structure for the reader and lets them learn alot about the characters right away. First of all the very first line tells us the setting, the date, and one of the valued characters in the story. Further more, this structure allows the reader to understand the narrators inner feelings and experiences. In the case of Walton we learn of his past events that have lead him up to this point. This is slightly unrealistic because he is writing to his sister who would already know his past. The important details are included in these letters because they are short summaries of what the character has been doing, just like a real letter would be. However this does help the reader understand the story more thoroughly.