Exploration

The entire story of exploration for knowledge, as symbolized by Captain Walton’s quest for the North Pole, becomes a cautionary tale and allegory about the dangers of boundless science. The entire novel serves in part as a warning against the scientific revolution and its potential for destroying humanity. In contrast to this weird world of "science" (scary stuff) is the sublime world of nature, which is pure and uncorrupted by science.

"But wait," you say, "maybe the book argues for science." Sure. After all, the monster is harmless in nature to begin; it is just Victor’s shameless neglect that drives him to murder. Yes, this is an overreaction, but still, the problem isn’t science itself; it’s the people who abuse it. That sounds like a good counter-argument to us.