Personification!

"I desire the company of a man who could sympathise with me; whose eyes would reply to mine" (4). This is personification, because the eyes of the friend are responding to Walton. The purpose of this personification is to add to the loneliness that Walton is feeling. He is so lonely, that he wants to get sympathy even from the eyes of his friends. This sets the mood for the story that will soon be told. There is a major parallel between Walton's story and Frankenstein's story, and this loneliness is one of those parallels. Another effect of this personification is that it shows how passionate Walton is. He wants a true friend that can really feel for him. He needs that passionate friendship in his life. That is also a parallel seen between the two stories. The personification does not make the comparison, it just makes it stronger. It creates a vivid image of the friend that Walton wants.