Life and death, or creation and destruction, are the central motif in Frankenstein, emphasizing themes of The Cost of Unthinking Ambition and How Misery Makes a Monster while also driving the protagonist’s actions. Frankenstein’s mother dies when he is still in his youth, and this experience of loss engenders an obsession with mortality and a desire to overcome it. He wonders where life stems from, how the inanimate can be made animate, and “how the worm inherit[s] the wonders of the eye and brain” during the decomposition process (34). He thinks of nothing else, preoccupied with the thought of being the first person to solve the mystery of life: “Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world” (36). Frankenstein’s hubris is evident in this passage, where he frames himself as a savior to all humanity.

As he works in his lab to put his ideas into practice, Frankenstein takes on the appearance of a grim reaper, complete with a dark black robe and a skeletal look on his face—a major indication that Frankenstein’s preoccupation with creating life will lead only to destruction.