Defiance

A topic that particularly stood out in Frankenstein was the idea of defiance. We saw defiance displayed in both the characters of Frankenstein and his creature. Frankenstein, for one, created his own defiance when he crafted a human being; taking on the role of God. He also defied the law of nature, disproving the natural order of things by creating man artificially without the role of woman. His obsessive thirst for knowledge might have crossed a boundary that stood between what is known and what is not meant to be known. Therefore, Frankenstein busted out of the shell that encloses the scientific comfort zone of his day, and he created something that was not meant for humans to accomplish.

Next, we see defiance take on another form when the monster adapts his own personality, and realizes that his abandonment marks his loneliness. By living in isolation and fear of being spotted, the monster learns to despise Frankenstein for disregarding and hating him. The monster seeks to destroy Frankenstein's life and defies the role of creator and creation. He chooses to rebel against Frankenstein, which creates conflict for both of them.