Title

The title "Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus" says a lot about a theme of the work. Prometheus was a character in a Greek myth about a boy making wings and flying too close to the sun, only to crash and burn. This goes along with the book astonishingly well. The idea is that Victor's quest for the understanding of life led to the problems of the novel with the fire or light symbolizing knowledge. "In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain (page 72)." Here, the monster learns through his experience of fire. The knowledge attained in this stroy is similar to the monster's experience with fire. Victor tested out a hypothesis without really contemplating the consequences. Similarly, the monster was so entranced by the fire that he touched it without knowledge of the consequences.