Theme

"From the tortures of my own heart, I turned to contemplate the deep and voiceless grief of my Elizabeth. This also was my doing! And my father's woe, and the desolation of that late so smiling home--all was the work of my thrice-accursed hands!" (pg 85)

Throughout the first half of the novel, a consistent theme of "health" can be recognized. Towards the beginning of the book, we witness the death of Victor's mother, and the grief it played on the family. Because his mother died due to the care of Elizabeth, we see her demonstrate kind heartedness and sacrificial desire to take care of her family. Then, towards the middle of the book, Frankenstein receives letters from both Elizabeth and his father explaining the grief the family is enduring. His father tells Frankenstein that it would help to relieve their grief if he returned home. The irony of the situation, though, is that Frankenstein is the cause of their bad health and ill feelings. Because the monster that Victor created killed William, Frankenstein's younger brother and the reasoning for the family's grief, Frankenstein is the source and initial cause. Also, he is the reason that Justine is killed in the end, also. If Frankenstein had not created a monster, then William would still be alive and in good health, and Justine would have never been accused of murder.