One of the most important elements of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is the many underlying themes that this book mentions. These themes, such as the danger of knowledge, and the creating of a monster have many applications- not merely in just the novel, but in society as well.
One of the main themes expressed in Shelley's Frankenstein is the danger of knowledge, both in how we acquire it- and the ways we decide to use it. An example of this theme is Victor's obsession to discover the secret of life; and also to discover knowledge above and beyond what society agrees to be true. As obvious by the end of the story, this discovery of knowledge had tragic consequences. Because of his knowledge of how to create life, Victor created a monster that paradoxically destroys life- including not only Victor's closest friends and family, but ultimately Victor himself. This is a perfect example of the consequences of new knowledge. The moral of this story is that we must be careful with the knowledge that we do have, and use it to benefit society rather than for selfish gain.
Another example of this hazardous purist of knowledge is Robert Walton's trip to the North Pole. He wants to take this voyage in order to discover all the mysteries of another side of the world; however, this knowledge proves disastrous when Walton becomes trapped between sheets of ice. Walton, thankfully, survives this near-death experience. The way he survives is by looking back on the mistakes of his friend Victor and realizing how deadly the chasing of knowledge can be. He quickly evacuates his dangerous mission, allowing him to survive (unlike his friend). This shows a perfect example of how being careful with knowledge can provide many benefits- including saving someone's life!
There are many techniques Shelley uses in this story to further enhance her message about the dangers of knowledge. A perfect example of the way that she brings out her message is through a thought she shares in her introduction: "Frightful must it be, for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world" (3). This quote explains completely the effects of misused knowledge. It shows that these effects would be extremely terrifying, and that we must not mess with information we have no idea how to use wisely. We should leave dangerous ideas alone and let the "Creator of the world" and nature itself be the judge of how this knowledge can be used properly.
Another theme in this novel is the idea of the creating of a monster, and of monstrosity. This theme is obviously at the center of the novel because the being that Victor creates turns out to be a monster. This freak of society is over eight feet tall and hideously ugly. He is also a monster because of the unnatural way he was created- with chemicals and various stolen body parts. He is not the result of the evolving nature of traditional science, but rather of a "dark" science. This "dark" science isn't part of natural society and is a perfect example of the previous theme- the dangers of human knowledge. This monster is rejected from traditional society and has no hope of belonging.
It can also be debated that Victor himself is a different version of a monster. Victor is very secretive and selfish, which isolates him from society. He is also filled with a very strong hated for his creation. He attempts to seize and destroy his creation at the end of the novel, and would fight to the death to be able to do this. Only a monster would have such a strong hatred for someone's life; in fact, Victor's attempted hunt down and execution of his creation is extremely similar to the monster's all consuming desire to kill everything in its path.
Mary Shelley conveys the theme of monstrosity presented in her novel through many ways. One of the ways she brings out this theme is through the message she sends in a point in the novel. This point in the novel was where Justine was murdered by the monster. During this point, Victor becomes overwhelmed with rage- much like the monster felt during his killing sprees: "Justine died; she rested; and I was alive. The blood flowed freely in my veins" (59). This quote shows one of the exact points where Victor lets his anger get the best of him, and where he travels down the point to becoming a monster himself. This explains strongly the theme of monstrosity in the novel and proves further the point that not only was Victor's creation the monster in the story- Victor himself is an even stronger example of a monster in this story.
In conclusion, Shelley brings up many themes that apply to not merely the story itself, but to life as well. That is what makes this book such a timeless classic- it shows that we must be careful with the knowledge that we pursue- or we could create a monster; not only literal, but in ourselves as well.