There are many themes and symbols in the novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley. Some of these themes are knowledge, nature, curiosity, and guilt. (www.sparknotes.com)
             The themes of knowledge and curiosity go hand in hand. If Victor were not curious about the creation of life then he would not have obtained the knowledge to construct the monster. His inquisitive nature wants to know the secret of human existence. His experiments on body parts and slaughterhouse remnants lead to the discovery of life. His curiosity is satisfied when the monster he created breathes his first breath.
             Several times in the novel the theme of nature is used. For example, whenever Frankenstein has a conflict he goes to the mountains to ponder for awhile. Very often he describes the view saying, for example, "I looked on the valley beneath; vast mists were rising from the rivers which ran through it and curling in thick wreaths around the opposite mountains". For Frankenstein nature seems to be the place to contemplate and solve problems. However, the monster sees nature as a place to escape from humanities cruelty. He escapes to the northern continents where he leads Frankenstein to his ultimate death. Ironically, the nature that Frankenstein cherishes becomes the element of his destruction.
             Another major theme developed in the novel is that of guilt and remorse. Both Frankenstein and his creation the monster experience guilt. Frankenstein's guilt began with the murder of his brother. Until this point in the novel he did not realize that the monster was dangerous. With each subsequent murder his guilt intensifies and remorse for creating the monster begins to grow in him. This remorse leads on a journey to destroy what he created. The monster feels no guilt but is remorseful once his creator is killed. This remorse leads him to plan his own destruction in a funeral pyre.
             This funeral pyre is a symbol of ...