Mary W. Shelley's novel Frankenstein is in part a parable on the arrogance of human beings in thinking they can supplant God, but the story can also be seen as a story commenting on the structure, viability, and necessity of family. The Frankenstein family exists on one level, as does the family that Victor wishes to form with Elizabeth. Standing against the two is the singular family consisting only of victor and his creation, a family formed in an unholy way and not in keeping with nature. The result is horror and violence from the child directed at the father.
Mary W. Shelley's novel is not merely a horror story but is also a philosophical novel which develops a number of themes related to the virtues of nature, a Romantic era notion, and the relationship of man to God. Shelley never says how the monster is brought to life. She does not detail this massive array of equipment but only hints at the terrible things Frankenstein must do to acquire the parts he needs. The one thing he must do is go against God, to go against Nature, and for this he must be exiled. His acts lead to the deaths of several other people, and the monster he has created is the shadow he chases far into the icy regions of the north. His last contact with civilization is with the captain of the frigate trapped in the ice, and then he chases his monster once more into the wilderness, as far from civilization as he can get. Frankenstein has no expectations of what leaving civilization will mean, for he has become an exile by chasing his horror. Form Victor, though, never being able to go back is both a blessing, because he has changed and would not fit in, and a curse, because whatever he may have valued is no longer within his grasp.
Walling sees the novel as having a tripartite structure, with the first section detailing Frankenstein's fierce ambition, the second unparalleled achievement, and the third frightful personal cost. in this light, t...